morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-03-18
From: Icewater shelter

To: Tri Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6

Day 29 Monday March 18, Icewater Spring shelter to Tri Corner Knob Gap shelter 12.6 miles.Happy one month anniversary on the trail! The first month has certainly been a learning /adjusting period. I¢ve learned a lot about trail life and gear. I pick up on something new everyday and I believe I¢m getting somewhat acclimated . I¢ll try to do a gear spotlight maybe when I get to Hot springs and discuss a few obscure but essential for me items.I¢ve dropped a few pounds body wise in one month ,although I¢m trying to eat well. I¢ve not stepped on a scale yet.It¢s fantastic to see the physical improvements with Sunshine and Blue Grass at 29 they seem to be adapting much quicker and are becoming very strong . They smoke me on the climbs. I am still not as efficient on climbing, I consciously slow down every time my heart rate rises , I¢ll get more into that on a later date. Last night , It was a nice crisp cold night I believe it dipped below 20. I slept very well in my tent , the section hikers in the shelter did stay up pretty late as they are on spring break, good for them, not so much for us but all was good. Kids will be Kids and they deserve to have fun.We woke up to a seemingly winter wonderland, there was frost all on the trees and the wind was lightly blowing what I thought was snow but later I determined to be the frost from the trees , absolutely beautiful!The trail along the mountains unfortunately the views were socked in early in the morning but later in the day the weather cleared revealing some beautiful sights!I hate that we missed Charlie¢s Bunion view because of the weather, which is a amazing from what hear. I hiked most of the day with Sunshine , Bluegrass and Gettin there. We arrived at the shelter and tonight we have Artimis, Cayenne , Sparky, Sovereign,Cricket ,Salamander, Cocoa and a couple of others all tucked into the shelter it¢s supposed to be colder than last night. We are all pretty exhausted from all the climbs so we should sleep very well. 12.6 miles not too bad for an old guy...
Date: 2019-03-19
From: Tri Corner Knob Shelter

To: Davenport Gap
Miles today: 14.6

Day 30 Tuesday 19th Tri-Corner Knob Shelter to Davenport Gap Shelter 14.6 Miles. I believe we are in Tennessee as the trail intersects the state line back and forth.I got up early and decided I would push a little farther than planned and only be 1.1 miles from finishing the Smokies on Wednesday and 3.6 miles from Standing Bear Farm, my next resupply spot. Sunshine ,Bluegrass, and Gettin There slept in and will go 7.7 miles to Cosby Shelter and catch up Weds afternoon at Standing Bear. They have had several big 2 digit days and decided it was wise to recover with a shorter day today. I¢ve decided that I can do bigger miles but I need to get started earlier so that I don¢t have to speed up my pace.The weather was extremely nice today and got into the 40s . I saw several day hikers and spring break section campers out today. I met a very nice mother and daughter out for a day hike and they are actually contemplating doing a thru hike and they were wondering if wearing eye contacts is an option out here? I certainly do not know the answer but if any of you may know please respond in the guest book. The problem as I see it ,is keeping our hands super clean is next to impossible. But maybe someone has some creative ideas.The hike today was mainly downhill starting at the highest elevation of 6302 feet at Mt Guyout down to 2592 at the Davenport Gap shelter.One of the guys I¢ve been hiking with this week Coco is having some knee issues and the downhillsare the most painful. I can relate going back to my last October experience. He eventually made it to the shelter slowly but surely.This shelter has a chain link fence around the front for safety from bears , I have not seen this set up thus far, I¢ll attach a picture. We are hearing coyotes howling in the distance . Pretty cool way to end the night, reminds me of an old western movie.The longer higher mileage day has me tuckered out a bit. I ran out of fuel this morning at breakfast so I can¢t heat up my ramen (yay), no big deal I have plenty of tuna and peanut butter and snacks for supper. Tomorrow I¢ll resupply and I¢ll be back to the tasty ramen dinners soon enough.Tonight I feel super safe in my protective bear cage shelter,that is until nature starts calling in the wee hours .... do wolves sound like coyotes?
Date: 2019-03-20
From: Davenport Gap shelter 

To: Standing Bear Farm 
Miles today: 3.8

Day 31 Wednesday Davenport Gap Shelter to Standing Bear Farm. 3.8 Miles.This morning Sparky and I exited the Smoky Mountains. We were joined by Not Swiss and Stumbles at the slip deposit box. As I mentioned before Sparky is from Switzerland and these other two young men are from Sweden. I represented USA with the Bronze. I jest of course it¢s not a race , I¢m just still amazed at the diversity on the trail. Our goal today was to reach Standing Bear Farm the iconic hostel commune only 3.8 miles away from the shelter.They have a great resupply store which will get me thru to Hot Springs. I wasn¢t going to stay the night but they were grilling hamburgers and hotdogs for lunch and had they been slow cooking barbecue since the morning. The kicker was the pork chop dinner they were offering tonight SOLD!They call this place a vortex because you don¢t want to ever leave. Tonight I¢m sleeping in a bed in the treehouse by a brook. This is the first day of Spring and I coincidentally I found my first wild flower in the woods. Unfortunately they are calling for snow in the higher elevations and guess what? Good ole rain for us tomorrow. But soon we will have all kinds of beautiful flowers and bright shiny green leaves and I can send my micro spikes home!
Date: 2019-03-21
From: Standing Bear Farm 

To: Groundhog creek shelter, NC
Miles today: 6.9

Thursday Day 32 , 6.9 Miles Standing Bear Farm to Groundhog Creek Shelter.Leaving Standing Bear Farm was tough this morning. That place is magical and the people that work there do everything possible to make sure you are comfortable and having a good time. This morning they served freshly made breakfast burritos at 7:00 a.m and I¢m telling you they were amazing. After breakfast I climbed back into my treehouse and gathered my gear to head out. Cricket, Salamander,Coco and Sparky all left a little ahead of me. Sunshine, Bluegrass and Gettin There never showed up last night , it turns out they had hitched a ride back to a hotel in Pigeon Forge as they needed to do laundry and had heard Standing Bear did not have a washer. We will all catch up soon. As I was starting to leave the farm one of the dogs I was playing with yesterday came up and pressed his head into my leg begging me to stay. I pet him for several minutes as this pup just stole my heart. A few other hikers were zeroing at the farm so I waved goodbye and hit the trail. Man I will miss this place!The trail immediately turned into a steep climb up Snowbird Mountain from 1761 feet to 4263 ft for a distance of five miles, but I felt great. Unfortunately the forecast was for nasty weather starting at two this afternoon.At the top of the mountain I had an amazing view and what was really strange was this building that looked like a space ship. I tried to get closer but all the do not trespass signs discouraged me from really investigating. I believe it has something to do with air traffic control and there were FAA signs.Around 1:30 the rain started and I quickly got into my rain gear and slipped on my pack cover. I decided I would shoot for the closest shelter, which was only 30 minutes away.When I arrived Salamander, Soul Shine and Coco were all setting up .¢Just a minute¢ showed up a little later and we all sat around and ate and watched the rain turn into sleet than snow. The cool thing is that I¢ve never been in a snow storm with thunder and lightning. However, I hope the others on the trail are safe. The snow has stopped but it is still raining cats and dogs. I¢m safe and dry in the leaning shelter with Salamander and Just a Minute. Soul Shine and Coco pitched their tents in this awful weather because this shelter slopes so much.Hopefully the rain will cease by in the morning because I now need to knock out two back to back 13.1 miles day to make it to Hot Springs by Saturday where I plan to resupply and pick up some medications my wife sent me.Winter is not giving up so easily!
Date: 2019-03-22
From: Groundhog creek shelter, NC

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 13.1

Friday Day 33Groundhog Creek Shelter to Walnut Mnt Shelter 13.1 milesFriday we woke up to a lightly snow dusted forest and the air was clean and crisp. In the middle of the night I had gotten up and ventured outside so it was not a big surprise to see all of the white snow everywhere, in fact I expected to see more accumulation but the rain mix seemingly washed the majority of it away. Salamander, Just a Minute, and I had slept in the shelter but Soul Shine and Coco had endured the storm in their tents. Salamander was the first to hit the trail followed by Soul Shine Then me. Today would be a day of steady climbing from a level of 2,897 at our shelter to our highest point of 4629 feet. Normally I don¢t do climbs very well , but the exciting thing was that the snow got deeper as we ascended and somehow I felt stronger than ever. I turned into a blood hound following the two sets of fresh tracks ahead of me and I was determined to hunt them down.First I caught up with Soul Shine as she was stopping and taking tons of pictures ,she¢s an Iron Man Triathlete and no way could I have caught up otherwise . One more to catch and I would win this game that no one else knew we were playing. Boom, I saw Salamander and I passed her Yay ! Now I was totally exhausted . I need to grow up but snow makes me feel like a kid. The forest was so beautiful with all the ice , amazing that this was the second day of spring. Ok one of my worries before starting was how would my trail runners and feet do in the snow ? Remarkably well is the answer. I did not feel cold at all and I was not even wearing my waterproof socks.We continued up heading towards Max Patch. This is a popular spot for people to come to and enjoy the elevation and views as it is a bald ( clear of trees but grassy area). Well let me tell you, no one dared to be on the summit bald this day because the winds were gusting close to 60 mph and the snow drifts were over a foot deep. Unfortunately the AT crosses directly across that barren exposed peak and we had to struggle across without being blown off the mountain, the winds, snow and mud made us all stumble and it was a small miracle we made it across.Somewhere along the way I managed to roll my ankle , not a serious injury but it made the rest of the day a little bit uncomfortable with every step I took. In retrospect I should have donned my micro spikes prior to the ascent. Finally when we got across the ¢Patch¢ we were in a very protected rhododendron path and all was great again. We descended into Lemon Gap but had one more tough climb up Walnut Mountain to our final destination. Soul Shine, Salamander, Coco and I all made it to the shelter. Just a Minute decided to stay at the last shelter back. This was indeed a very beautiful but very tough day!
Date: 2019-03-23
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter 

To: Hot Springs 
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

Saturday Day 34Walnut Mountain Shelter to Hot Springs NC. 13.1 milesI started getting ready for the day around 5:30 am. We had all slept in the shelter and all wanted to get an early start to Hot Springs so I knew no one would mind if I accidentally woke them. The morning was cold and well below freezing, I had not gotten water last night when I arrived at the shelter for two reasons . 1. It was way down a hill and I was through climbing. 2. Soul Shine reported the water source was very weak and she had to scoop water from a shallow puddle.So I decided to pass and water up at a stream on the way today however I needed water for my breakfast oatmeal and carnation so I melted snow with my stove and it worked terrific. I don¢t know why I felt so clever for doing that but I did.I was the first on the trail and at first the snow was not too bad. I stopped at a stream to camel up and Soul Shine and Salamander caught up to me. We proceeded up and over the mountain and that¢s when the snow on the dark side became treacherous. I slipped on the ice hardened snow and landed hard on my tail. Instantly Soul Shine and I put on our Snow Spikes and then the descent was much easier. Salamander was way behind as she had stopped to water up at another stream but we found out later she was able to descend without incident . The day turned out to be beautiful and after that last climb it was all down hill into Hot Springs. When we arrived a former Thru Hiker named Walmart Special had pizza, cookies and drinks trail magic waiting for us . We joined The Swedes,Alaska and all of us enjoyed the food and yes it was magical!The Laughing Heart Hostel was to the left of the the trail head and I went and checked in . Soul Shine, Coco and Salamander all were staying in other locations.Two 13.1 days back to back days and I was feeling pretty good. My rolled ankle was much better. This small town has a nice resupply outfitter and I had to buynew camp shoes knock -offs crocks As I seemed to have lost my originals.Later that evening I joined Q, Young Gun and Gettin There and we went down to Smoky Mnt Diner for some wonderful food , I had a cheeseburger and it was fabulous. All is well tonight!
Date: 2019-03-24
From: Tanyard Gap

To: Laughing Heart Hostel 
Miles today: 6.2

Day 35, Tanyard Gap to Laughing Heart Hostel 6.2 miles.Cayenne and Young Gun had arranged for a ride to Tanyard Gap to continue their hike north this morning . Tigger from the Laughing Heart Hostel was ready to take them at 8:30 am so I tagged along to hike 6.2 miles south bound back to Hot Springs without my heavy back pack. This section of the trail was very interesting and beautiful as it had ruins from an old building, a dam on top of the mountain , spectacular views of the French Broad River and views of the town of HotSprings . I was able to cross paths with several of my North bound friends;Detour, the Wandering Women, The Swedes, Fast Eddy, Yukon and Pushing Sixty were all heading out of town. It was great to see them and hopefully I will see them soon.The weather was especially nice and several day hikers where on-top of the mountain as well as strolling along the paths alongside the French Broad River. I descended into town and ate lunch at the Iron Horse Tavern. Naturally I had a cheeseburger and this was my favorite restaurant so far. Great service and food I highly recommend it. After lunch I stepped out the door and half a block to the left I was back on the Appalachian trail. That¢s right the AT runs flat dab down the middle of downtown HotSprings!I hiked back (thru town) to the Laughing Heart Hostel, btw this place is fabulous everyone is so nice and the rooms are great. I got a private room and there are three shared bathrooms with showers and three washer and driers , pretty amazing. Blue Grass and Sunshine showed up to stay the night it was so great to see them and meet their friends from Kentucky. Well late in the afternoon another hiker came up , I had not met this gentleman before and he looked like a cross between John Wayne and Magnum PI ( the original series). It was none other than the famous Father Time Aka Narsil. Alas we finally met ! It turns out we are both from the Central Florida area and are both journaling on trail journals and Q another one of my favorites was right there with us, we all caught up and made plans to eat breakfast Monday morning and hopefully Gator will join us as well.I feel like I should be getting autographs as we are all characters in this intertwining live book we are in. I finished up the day with having dinner with Q , Sunshine, Bluegrass and Papa bear at the restaurant by the river the name escapes me but it¢s got this great porch that overlooks the stream which is loaded with trout but it¢s catch and release only. We saw Salamander and Coco and many others of our kind. Another great evening, I¢m looking forward to tomorrow as my good friend Ben Hayes is coming to hike with me for a few days . Get ready for some fun Appalachian style!
Date: 2019-03-27
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: JerryÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Cabin Shelter NC/TN
Miles today: 7.3

Day 38, Weds March 27,Little Laurel Shelter to Jerry¢s Cabin Shelter. 7.3 miles.Ok I may have said this about another area before but this section is the most spectacular section of the AT thus far, The views and climbs today were amazing!!!That¢s right three exclamation points. Snuggs and I climbed hand over hand over boulders to traverse Big FireScald Knob , this section can be treacherous in in-climate weathers it is an exposed trail at 4,566 feet , amazing views on either side of the trail and at times you feel like you are on a tight rope.This trail has a bypass in case of high winds, lightning or if rock climbs and heights are not your thing. I¢m not going to lie , I have a healthy respect for heights but if you can stomach it, I would so highly recommend you experience this section of the trail and view what is touted to be the best views until the Whites in New Hampshire. The AT Guide lists this section as rocky and strenuous and I certainly agree but it¢s very doable.I need to back up as I skipped our first part of our hike. When we left our shelter this morning we hiked straight up Laurel Mountain, Snuggs believe it or not grew some mountain goat legs in just three days and had no issues summiting this climb. We had some pretty amazing views from the Blackstack Cliffs. We met a seasoned section hiker named Rick trail name slacker and he gave us a lot of inside scoop on the trail. Years ago before the government owned this mountain there was a Ski lodge up on Jones meadow, we could see the old lift and remnants of the lodge from a cliff afar. The Story is Elvis Presley (a famous singer from back in the day kids) flew up and was interested in investing in this resort but the land was acquired and became part of the AT. This info has not been verified but seems like a good story to share.Slacker also seems like a reliable source. Somewhere along the trail we met thee campers providing trail magic for the thru hikers and we enjoyed soft drinks, oranges and snacks. People are amazing!Talk about amazing there is a family  with four girls the Malone¢s thru hiking ;Dad Papa bear , Mom Sunshine, eldest daughter 11 Years Horse power, second daughter Sparkle Machine, third daughter Wild Jay... and the cutest of all five year old Bunny Rabbit. The parents are very experienced hikers and I wish I had all the little girls energy . Super Girl Power!I almost forgot I hit 300 miles today, Ooh Rah! Today was a great day!
Date: 2019-03-28
From: JerryÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Cabin Shelter NC/TN

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 39 Thursday March 28 Jerry Cabin Shelter to Flint Mountain Shelter 6.7 Miles. Plus side trails.We scheduled to have a fun day today and take side trails and visit the Shelton Cemetery. The AT has so much history surrounding it and often I don¢t take the time to stop and embrace the local history. I¢ll put a link to the full story of who the Sheltons are, but a short readers digest version is back during the Civil War 13 boys and young men were accused of being Union Sympathizers and were executed. The youngest was 13 years old and his family name was Shelton. Very tragic. I must warn you the story is extremely sad. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik...Snuggs and I. had the honor of having Q join us today, he was all about taking some side trails and enjoying some views.Our first major climb was up Big Butt Mountain. I¢m not kidding that is the official name of the mountain. Q was singing ¢I hiked Big Butt and I cannot lie¢ all day obviously a parody of the old M.C Hammer hit song. The view was pretty amazing off this mountain.Tonight is Snuggs last night on the trail and we are already missing him. He¢s brought a lot of joy to all the hikers he has met and the hikers are already leaving him notes in the shelter log books. Q ,Snuggs ,Paris,Thigh Gap,Yvonne,Skywalker, Moss, Starcrunch , Hollywood, Scooch, Walking Home are all at the shelter tonight.I¢ll sleep in my tent tonight as there is not rain in the forecast.
Date: 2019-03-29
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: SamÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap / NatureÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Inn Hostel Tn.
Miles today: 11.2

Friday Day 40 ,Flint Mountain Shelter to Devil Fork Gap and then to Sam¢s Gap 11.2 miles.Friday ,we woke up and hiked to 2.5 miles Devils Fork Gap where we had dropped off Snuggs vehicle earlier in the week. Snuggs Aka Ben Hayes has a speaking engagement in Rome GA this weekend and unfortunately has to leave us . It is amazing the transformation Snuggy went through in such a relatively short period. He can now climb mountains, eat dirt and dig cat holes with the best of them. We knocked out over 30 miles of some of the prettiest and most strenuous sections of the AT this week. I¢m guessing of course but I believe Snuggs has been bit by the AT Bug and will probably be back at some point. When we got to the gap, Jimmy was there handing out Trail Magic. He had told me he would be there if he could but I had not had cell service for the past two days and we had not communicated so it was a very pleasant surprise to see Jimmy and all the goodies he had for all of us. Scootch, Thighgap, Hollywood and others all gathered to enjoy.Jimmy also offered to slack pack three of us over to Sam¢s Gap approximately 9 miles away, he gave us day packs to carry our essentials-food for the day, rain gear, head lamp, water and water filter and cat hole kit. The weight savings of not carrying our sleeping bag, tent and heavier packs is amazing and we felt like we were flying over the mountains. Thank you Jimmy for all that you do!!!The mountain views were once again spectacular and I really liked a small waterfall that a few hikers actually got in and cooled off .When we made it to the Gap there was a nice lady offering trail magic and I had a coke and an orange. Again people that offer trail magic surely are Angels, Jimmy took us toNatures Inn Hostel from Sam¢s Gap.This Hostel is very nice Taft and Rare Find are excellent proprietors.They offer small cabins for rent by the creek or standard bunk rooms. It¢s also a great place to resupply. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2...I am looking forward to another long day tomorrow back on trail . There is also a heavy snow forecast for Sunday, Jimmy warned me not to send my micro spikes homes just yet unfortunately I just sent home with Snuggs . Yikes!