morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-11-23
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The rain stopped some time this morning and I was out of the shelter around nine. The morning was uneventful but pleasant. I hiked through some pretty cool-looking forests, also kind of creepy looking. After lunch we began the long, kind of steep climb up Hump Mountain. On the way up, we crossed into NC for the 1st time (I think) and will walk along the TN/NC border for the next week and a half or so, crossing in and out of both states multiple times a day. Hump Mountain made today completely worth it. The climb (2500 feet, 5 miles) wore me out, but the summit was bald and beautiful! We summitted in a dark cloud of doom, but could see distant ridgelines and valleys that were in the sunshine. People down there were probably looking up at Hump Mountain thinking that nothing good could happen up there right now since it was covered by an evil-looking cloud (which we got to watch engulf us). The wind was absolutely ridiculous, I didn't realize how much effort it was taking for me to walk against it and stay on course until the wind would die down for a minute and I would lurch forward. The rain/dew from last night and this morning had frozen in motion while getting blown off tall grass and flowers. Basically, the water fell on the tall grass, and the wind was in the process of blowing off the water, when it froze to the grass and flowers and formed a thick frost. It was AWESOME! Such a unique sight, and one of the coolest natural things I've seen on this trail. Of course I didn't get a picture. Anyway, it was a great experience up there because I think most people would say that 65 degrees and sunny, no wind is the ideal conditions for a hike like this up here, but we had the exact opposite weather, and it was really cool to be up there! I think we got a rare look at it too, most people coming up here this time of year would either see crappy rainy weather because it is too warm to be snow, or the precipitation would be snow because it would be colder. I doubt many people get to see the "in between" time when it is warm enough to rain, but in the same day, turns cold enough to freeze the water immediately after it's all fallen. Maybe that happens more often than I think, but I'd never seen that kind of frost/ice before, it was neat!Also, while the cloud of doom was moving through, we got to catch beautiful, ominous glimpses of Roan Mountain which we will climb tomorrow!The sun was setting as we traversed over Little Hump. We could see Cerveza and Milk Run ahead of us on th trail in the saddle between the two mountains. As we were coming down Little Hump, we could see a fire in the distance that we were pretty sure was at the shelter for which we were headed. It was! Overmountain Shelter is a converted barn and there were some weekenders there who had a fire going. Tonight and tomorrow night are supposed to be 2 of the coldest nights oft he year. The loft of the barn is decent shelter from the wind and I set up my tent for added protection. I'm glad I did that. With my gear, I know I'll be safe, but probably won't be too comfortable!
Date: 2013-11-24
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Greasy Creek Friendly
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: clear sky

I was warm last night! But the condensation in my tent, my water, my shoes, and my wet socks all froze! That made it difficult to put my tent up since it was frozen and crunchy, and thawing my socks was weird, but the worst part is the shoes! It's hard to get my feet in them and once I did, it was so cold that I had to get moving right away before my toes went numb. I was still packing up, so before leaving, I had to take my shoes off and rub my feet to get the feeling back, then put back on the frozen shoes and immediately start walking to get them thawed out. It sucked the first ten minutes, but then they were thawed and my feet got warm and everything was normal. Except for the temperature which was a brutal 17 degrees.. at it's highest. Before climbing Roan Mountain (I think the 3rd highest on the AT after Clingman's Dome and Mt. Washington), Doc and I took a snack break in the bathroom at the parking lot of Roan Mountain State Park. It was sheltered from the wind, and a few degrees warmer. Awkward location for a snack break, but hey, we did what we had to do! Roan Mtn. wasn't as glamorous as everyone makes it out to be. I didn't even know I was at the summit until I started going back down. However, Jane Bald and Round Bald and the hike leading to Roan were spectacular! My water refroze after I thawed it this morning, and all the sources we passed were frozen as well. It was too cold to stop for long, and eating would make me thirstier anyway, so we stopped for two short snack breaks, and didn't eat lunch. We were headed for Greasy Creek Friendly which had weird, confusing directions so we were sprinting to beat sunset. We got there right before dark dehydrated and very hungry. Connie took great care of us, fed us, let us shower, and gave us a warm place for the night. Milk Run and Cerveza showed up a bit later. Connie is super sweet, and slightly crazy, and it is great to hang out with her! I'm looking forward to tomorrow, my parents are coming!
Date: 2013-11-25
From: Greasy Creek Friendly

To: Indian Grave Gap
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

I slept great and warm last night! Got breakfast and headed out, excited to see my folks and my dog Piper. We went over Mt. Unaka which is a great mountain - good climb up, not too long or steep, and the forest up top looks enchanted. It's awesome! Then the descent was actually fast moving! Next up was Beauty Spot, which is indeed a beautiful spot. It's a small bald with a great 360 degree view of distant ridgelines. From there we descended into Indian Grave Gap where my mom came to pick us (Doc, Milk Run, Cerveza, and me) up and take us back to a cabin she and my dad rented for this week in Hot Springs, NC! We got to shower, and my dad had dinner ready which was amazing! Tomorrow and Wednesday is supposed to bring crappy weather so I am extremely grateful for a warm, dry place to come back to every night this week! I'm glad my parents are up here spending their vacation with me =)
Date: 2013-11-26
From: Indian Grave Gap

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: snow

Crappy weather today! The terrain was good for it though, nothing too high, steep, or slippery. If we hadn't have been slackpacking though, Doc and I probably would have zeroed in place or neroed into Erwin. Instead, thanks to my parents, we were able to hike more miles than we'd otherwise do, and they were waiting for us when we were done so we could get into a warm car immediately instead of waiting, soaked, in the cold and becoming hypothermic. Also they had goldfish. We were able to wash and dry all our wet stuff back at the cabin, and ate another hot meal! Today was a really good day despite the bad weather. We did this section NOBO, and only saw Shelob, we have no idea where anyone else is.
Date: 2013-11-27
From: Spivey Gap

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 0.0

It snowed all day today and everything from yesterday froze over. We zeroed because we weren't sure of the road conditions up around Spivey Gap and it wasn't worth the risk of driving up there. We dropped Milk Run and Cerveza off in Hot Springs, did some town chores, then returned to the cabin and spent a relaxing day watching it snow and playing games! It was very enjoyable! My parents took us out to dinner for a late birthday dinner. The weather is supposed to get better tomorrow!
Date: 2013-11-29
From: Spivey Gap

To: Devil's Fork Gap
Miles today: 21.8

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Thursday we did a short 8.4 section with my dad. Then we went back, got cleaned up, cooked a delicious Thanksgiving dinner (well, mom and Doc did at least - thanks guys!), and played more games. I washed dishes though. Friday was a 13.4 mile section over Big Bald. Dad hiked with us again today! I'm glad my dad got to share part of this with me and I can't thank my mom enough for all the energy she put into finding where all these mountain roads are and how to get to us. Doc and I really enjoyed hanging out with them and I think they had a good time too!
Date: 2013-11-30
From: Devil's Fork Gap

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: broken clouds

Sadly, my parents and Piper left us to fend for ourselves today. It was a great few days with them though. We cleaned and packed up, then were dropped off at Devil's Fork Gap. It was an enjoyable dya for the most part, though with all the snow, climbing goes a lot slower, and the hiking in general takes more energy out of you. So, we didn't get as far as we would have liked today, but that's alrigt. I pitched my tent on snow pack tonight, I'm warm with my new sleeping bag liner, but my sleeping pad in't great for winter. So, I'm definitely safe, and warm in my bag, but I can feel the cold through the pad wherever I'm touching it. It wasn't awful, but definitely wasn't comfortable either. Might have to get a better one in Hot Springs.
Date: 2013-12-02
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

This morning I had to deal with some student loan stuff (bleh) and it took longer than expected, soooo we are zeroing today! By the time I dealt with that, ate breakfast, and resupplied, it wasn't worth hiking out late, so hopefully we will get an early start tomorrow! Productive zero day though!
Date: 2013-12-03
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Max Patch Summit
Miles today: 20.2

After a delicious breakfast at the diner (they have a delightful peanut butter pie!!), we got on trail late - as always out of town. The weather was great though! It was nice to be hiking in shorts and a t-shirt again! We figured we would do a shorter day to Walnut Mountain Shelter, but we made good time and decided to keep going. Then we got to the next campsite...and felt good so we kept going. When we got to the next shelter and figured it was only another 1.5 miles to the summit of Max Patch so we might as well get there and maybe enjoy a beautiful sunrise! So we climbed up to Max Patch which is a large, grassy bald with a 360° view. Hover Job was camped out up there when we arrived and he came out of his tent tk chat and enjoy the stars while we were setting up. Normally this time of year, Max Patch would be an awful place to camp with it being so exposed. However, with as warm as it has been the last two days, all the snow is gone up here and it is warm enoug that even if the wind picks up, we will be good to camp up here tonight. We have been lucky with the weather! I knw I keep saying that, but I can't believe how nice we have it this week!
Date: 2013-12-04
From: Max Patch Summit

To: Davenport Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: overcast clouds

We did get a gorgeous sunrise! It was so neat to wake up there! The wind definitely picked up, but it was warm! Today, in the afternoon especially was very warm. Again, shorts and t shirt weather...in high elevations! I'm enjoying it while it lasts! Yesterday's longer day set us up good for the Smokies and getting into Gatlinburg maybe a day early depending on weather. We entered the Smoky Mountain National Park today! YAY! Today was rough though, big elevation changes both climbing amd descending, I was glad when we arrived at the shelter. In the park, you have to stay in the shelters which takes away some of our flexibility. Bit again, the distance yesterday helps us with thata little. Doc made a fire for us which was nice - the shelters here have fireplaces!! Also, this shelter has a "fourth wall" made of a chain link fence, and a door that you can shut and lock. This is supposed to be so people and their food can be in the shelters and it keeps bears out. All the shelters in the park used to be like this. However, what they failed to factor in was the dumbasses who would put food outside the fence, then lock themselves in the shelter and get great pictures of the bears when they would come for the food. Stupid. So then, bears are accustomed to coming to shelters to be fed and check out the "human exhibit." So, eventually they took the fences away, except from this shelter, and well, that was dumb too because the bears were already used to comng t shelters for food, only now there is no barrier to keep them out of the shelters. So, the Smokies have bear problems in and around the shelters. It is a little late in the season for them to be too active, but I wnder if we might not see some with this warm spell!
Date: 2013-12-05
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was hot! Even at 5500 feet! Another rough day today, pretty much all climbing all day: we climbed roughly 4700' total and dropped about 1300'. Lots of climbing. It started raining in the evening, but we were able to get in to the shelter before it really started coming down. A flip-flopper, Spark2Fire is here and her friend who came to hike the Smokies with her! We ate dinner and climbed in our bags to the sound of the wind and rain picking up.
Date: 2013-12-06
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It POURED all day, I've never seen it rain this hard for this long! Our plan was to do an easy 12 today then nero into Gatlinburg tomorrow, but with the rain, we zeroed here nd figured it would be the same t get up early and do the 15 into town tomorrow. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice. Doc, Sparky and I played a few games of Yahtzee. We could have hiked and would have been fine, really soaked, but fine. But it was a really relaxing day and it's all the same anyway!
Date: 2013-12-07
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I'm glad we didn't hike yesterday, the views today were AMAZING! It was beautiful, I was stopping every few minutes to look. We were above the clouds, and it was sunny and cool - perfect hiking weather! It was easy to see why this range is called the "Smoky Mountains!" We got an early start since we were antsy from the zero day yesterday. The sun was up, but still coming up over the ridgeline to the east. It was a gorgeous morning, especially after a torrential downpour for the last 36 hours. We got to the parking lot at Newfound Gap, and a family of dayhikers we had just passed got down and asked if we needed a ride. That was easy! Town day! We went to The Melting Pot for dinner...I'd never done fondue before so that was a treat! Zero day tomorrow for town chores and putt putt.
Date: 2013-12-09
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 0.0

Pabst and Commissary are in town as well, it's cool to see them. Zero day was productive, Doc actually won one round of putt-putt! Then we zeroed again. Probably Team D0C0's last zero, sadly...kind of. We now have a deadline - December 23. So we will be done no later than December 22. Weird feeling.
Date: 2013-12-10
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Pabst and Commissary had a ride lined up for us for this morning at 10...that turned into a ride at 11:30. So, we got on trail at noon and our plan to do two big days out of the park was no more. We were further inhibited by that fact that we have to stay in shelters while still in the park. So we have little flexibility on where we end up. It's all good though. The weather was awful- snowy and icy and VERY windy. Perfect for going over Clingman's Dome - the AT's highest point...not! Also, passed the 200 mile mark today! Less than 200 to go! All in all, still a good day to be on the AT.
Date: 2013-12-11
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

Better weather today, and warmer during the day a little bit too! Passed the 2000 mile mark today! So, yesterday I had less than 200 to go, and today I've gone 2000 miles! Crazy! I never thought I'd be here to be completely honest, that just makes it even sweeter! Today was pretty uneventful other than that though =). There's wild boar in this neck of the woods; you can see wherethey've rooted up the earth... EVERYWHERE! The forest is torn up and it's hard to tell where the trail is sometimes because of it. It looks like a mini bulldozer was let to roam around without a driver. We did a bit of night hiking, when we stopped to get water at a reliable source at a shelter, Sparky was there! It was good to see her, but we had to keep on truckin'. On the way to our final destination, we apparebtly spoked a boar, and Doc saw it, and heard it, but I missed it. Too bad, I wanted to see one!
Date: 2013-12-12
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 12.2

Well, today was cool- we left the Smokies! There was a long descent out of the park down to Fontana dam, we could feel it getting warmer as we went down and it was cool to walk from all the rheim jce down to no ice, and sunshine! Once out of the Smokies, we walked across Fontana Dam - the largest dm east of the Mississippi. That was pretty cool. Sparky caught up to us while we were eating lunch at the shelter. It was much later than we'd hoped - already 3:30 amd we had wanted to go another 9 miles... not gonna happen! We went in to the village amd split a room at the lodge with Sparky. We arranged to be shuttles a few miles down trail in the morning to help us keep on track for finishing the 22nd. This place is pretty nice - and really cheap with three of us! It is a good night to be indoors,though I suppose that's a given at this point. Tonight is supposed to get down to 17° here in lower elevations. We played some "Mad-Libs" and hung out in our room and had a good time gettingto know Spark2Fire. Glad we have some company!
Date: 2013-12-13
From: Fontana Dam

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)
Miles today: 13.4

We got a ahuttle in the morning to Stecoah Gap, while Sparky went on to the NOC, which is where Doc and I are hiking to. The clmb up to Cheoah Bald was really pleasant actually! It was a warm day today too! We ate lunch on the bald snce it was warm and there aas no wind. Then Doc hiked ahead, tryng to get down to the NOC before the outfitter closed. He missed t by half an hour. The hike down was beautiful! There were great views of the Nantahala Gorge. During the summer, the NOC has a hoatel, rafting and other adventure tours, a couple general stores, other lodging, and a restaurant/bar! We knew the outfitter had winter hours and that the hostel was open year round, but I thought everything else was closed. I was so excited to see the lit "OPEN" sign in the window of the restaurant!! Doc saw me coming out of the woods and came to meet me to tell me they were in the restaurant, which I was going to anyway =). Him, Sparky, and a guy who is here for an outdoor first aid class were eating and drinking there. I joined them until the place closed at seven. We sent back t shower, then got to sleep in warmth in the bunk room! Also, six months on trail today! A little more than a week left.
Date: 2013-12-14
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: moderate rain

Ugh! Awful weather today! And it slowed us down big time. Very windy, cold, and rainy all day. When it wasn't raining, it felt like it was because of the wind and the dense fog. It was not easy to leave thewarmth of the room! But we did. Full day of climbing too, whicb was slippery because of the wetness. It looked eerie most of the day. Doc needed to go on in to Franklin - where we were going to be tomorrow. A warm, dry night was very tempting, but I didn't want to skip more, especially Wayah Bald (tomorrow), so I hiked on in the grossness and will meet back up with Doc n town tomorrow. Hopefully the weather is good tomorrow! It's supposed to clear up.
Date: 2013-12-15
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 15.8

Last night was actually pretty warm! Until about 4am. Went to bed to rain, and woke up to snow. The mice here were itty bitty, but would not leave me alone! So I ended up setting up my tent in the shelter. That helped, but I had left some clothing on the shelter floor, away from the walls, to help dry them out (it was warm enough I didn't think they would freeze). This morning, al my clothes had mouse turds all over. Thanks mice, thanks for crawlimg into my gloves and pooping. Also, one had nested in the hood of my raincoat which was hung up on a nail. That one was still there in the morning...I'm just glad they chew holes in anything, I can wash everything in town today, so the mouse poop was more amusing than frustrating. It got really cold early in the morning and everything froze, so I put on frozen clothes this morning which made me hike super fast. I made great time up to Wayah Bald and the trail got easier after that, ao I got into town earlier than I thought I would! The fog was clearing off today, but it was still socked in when I was on the bald. Oh well! The observation tower was stone and that looked cool. I didn' sleep well last night, so I got into town exhausted. Met up with Doc at the Sapphire Inn, ate lunch, did laundry, showered, and resupplied. I'm ready for bed and it's only 6:00. Bed time!
Date: 2013-12-16
From: Franklin, NC

To: Stealth site
Miles today: 19.1

Good day, especially for getting out of town! Exhausting, but we figure if we push big miles two days in a row, it'll be chill from there on out. So, we were motivated. Some elevation change, but pretty gentle with the exception of Albert Mountain which wasn't all that bad either! Set up camp right before the climb up Standing Indian!
Date: 2013-12-17
From: Stealth site

To: Dick's Creek Gap - Hiawassee
Miles today: 20.0

Today went pretty smoothly after the descent from Standing Indian. The terrain was gentle, but today wasn't really easy. But smooth which was nice. It was a beautiful day to cross into GEORGIA!!!! 13 states down...one final state to go. The days from now on are supposed to be pretty warm, though the nights really cold. That's great! Fantastic weather for this time of year! I can't believe that we'll be done in just a few days! Since we were able to do big miles today and yesterday, we will get to have more relaxing days from here on out. =)We got to the road at Dick's Creek Gap around 5:00, right before it started getting dark. It was not our original intention to come into town, but since we got to the road before dark, and we were only going to try to push MAYBE two more miles, we figured we would stick our thumbs out just for the hell of it for 15 minutes. If we got a hitch, great! If not, whatever, stick with the plan! Even though we were just in town, and we will be in town (the same town - Hiawassee) tomorrow with some people who visited my dad's church once, we have become luxury hikers and have been going into towns any time the mileage worked out! Also, we couldn't call the Fullers (the couple that offered us hospitality when they talked with my parents at their church) since there's no cell reception at Dick's Creek. No biggie, we stuck out our thumbs as soon as we got to the road, and a car was coming, he immediately pulled over to take us into town. SCORE! Team D0C0! He was on his way home from work,and seemed to just want to mix things up, so he picked us up! Great guy. Dropped us off at the Budget Inn, and we celebrated our laziness. We were in a great location - right close to a Zaxby's! The first one on the trail! Doc had never been, so we went there for dinner. It was a bad one - unfortunate first impression for Doc. It's OK though, we got Zaxby's to go, and while walking back to the motel, we went in to Dairy Queen for a couple small blizzards. Then, with our arms full of Zaxby's and DQ...we waltzed into the Subway for some sandwiches! Fantastic hiker trash moment. It was already really really cold out, so I'm glad we are warm inside =)