morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-12-01
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: Erwin Tn
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: overcast clouds

UGH! Snow - and we have to hike 20 miles if we want to make it to Erwin to stay at Uncle Johnny's and stay inside a hostel instead of outside with more snow. The snow is beautiful today! But man is it COLD! we can't even stop for long without our fingers starting to hurt. Unaka Mountain was BEAUTIFUL! We did make it to Uncle Johny's - just in time to catch the evening free shuttle to town for dinner and groceries. We dined at the local mexican restaurant and the guy running the show upgraded us free of charge from the hostel to a private cabin since he found out we were on our honeymoon. Very nice!
Date: 2010-12-03
From: Spivey Gap

To: Sams Gap
Miles today: 13.4

YAY for trail angels! At Sams Gap today we met up with a NOBO we met in the hut system in the Whites - Whippersnap. He picked us up and drove us to Asheville to stay with him and his wife. We went to dinner in downtown and met up with No Pant's daughter and her boyfriend as well. We had a great time hanging out and eating good food. Especially with other trail folks who we can share stories from and learn from.
Date: 2010-12-04
From: Sams Gap

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: light snow

today we decided we wanted to make it to Hot Springs in two days and since Whippersnap was dropping us off at the trail at 7 am, today would be a good day to try and get 24ish miles in. Forecast was rain, turning to freezing rain, turning to snow overnight. We made it 17 miles to Jerry Cabin and weren't doing to bad. A little wet but not miserable. It sure was cold though. We pressed on and that was probably not the wisest choice. By the time we got to Little Laurel Shelter we were soaked to the bone. The rain had come down hard and was freezing to everything. At the shelter we had to get out of the wet clothes and immediately into our sleeping bags. I knew it was going to be a long night...
Date: 2010-12-05
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Log Cabin Drive
Miles today: 3.3

We woke up this morning still with the intention of walking all the way to hot springs. Unfortunately all of our clothes were frozen SOLID. Our shoes were frozen to the shelter floor. It was bad. We used hand and feet warmers and put on one layer of clothes at a time, got back into the sleeping bags and warmed each layer up at a time. I couldn't get my shoes on for an hour and a half. We finally were able to get moving but it was too late to get to hot springs at a decent hour and we were Miserable! So we remembered there was a hostel not too far and we made our way there and rented a heated cabin to thaw out and recover from the day before. Today is the day we realized we weren't going to finish when we thought we would. Lots of new snow on the ground and its still falling. We ate a late breakfast and took a long nap at the hostel. Tomorrow we will try again for hot springs.
Date: 2010-12-06
From: Log Cabin Drive

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: broken clouds

We finally made our way into hot springs. The snow was deep with sections of snow drifts up to our knees. We arrived just before sunset and made a stop at the outfitters. They had just closed and the owner was leaving so he stopped and chatted with us for a few minutes. We are supposed to enter the Smokies in a few days and more snow is predicted. Looks like we may need to wait this out and weigh our options for the smokies. The weather has definitely turned the worst on us...Tonight we are staying at the Duckett House B&B. Its pretty nice and we are looking forward to a good breakfast in the morning. We went to dinner at the Smokey Mountain Diner and met Gina. She is one of the owners of the restaurant and she loves hikers. We spent a good bit of time talking to her. She has offered to help us find a ride to slack pack tomorrow so we dont have to stay outside. We shall see how it works out.
Date: 2010-12-07
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

Today we zero'd. The weather is pretty unbearable and the snow keeps coming. No one is willing to venture out to get us to Max Patch so we can hike back to the town. So we used today to spend time at the outfitters where we bought new winter gear. We were not prepared for this kind of weather. We will try to slack again tomorrow. At the outfitters we met a kind lady by the name of Sally Lassiter. She invited us over to her house and we ended up spending several hours there and enjoying supper with her and her husband Ike. As it turns out, the trail is narrow, Sally is the sister to a friend of Micah's dad's. Crazy! We keep running into people we are connected to.
Date: 2010-12-08
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Garenflo Gap
Miles today: 6.6

We still weren't able to get a ride out to Max Patch but we were able to get one to Garenflo Gap. Gina herself took us there. The weather is getting a little warmer but its still cold. We hiked the 6.6 miles in less than three hours. Staying again at the B&B. We've decided that Smokies may not be a wise idea right now with the snow being so crazy. So we are going to get to the Standing Bear Hiker Hostel just north of the Smokies and see if we can get around them somehow and then come back once the snow settles down.
Date: 2010-12-09
From: Garenflo Gap

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

Knocked out some miles today. Gina's friend took us back out to Garenflo Gap this morning, where he happens to hunt. So another free ride which was much appreciated. We made it to the shelter in decent time, just after dark. The snow is nice because you can just follow other's foot prints...unless they go the wrong way...which happened to us today. We got lost. Lost the trail. Got to a fork of foot prints and tried all ways and nothing. One took us to a house and the tracks went around the house and back down to where we started. We finally figured it out. Back on the trail, an hour off schedule. ICK! Once we made it to the shelter we promptly snuggled up and went to bed.
Date: 2010-12-10
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Green Corner Rd
Miles today: 7.2

Today Mom picked us up at the Standing Bear Farm Hiker Hostel. We have decided to go home for a couple of nights. We are gonna do some work for Mom and Mark then grab two trucks and head to the section of trail South of the smokies we need to do. The Smokies can wait. Rumor is that the snow is pretty bad up there.
Date: 2010-12-11
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we spent the day helping out around the house at Mom's house. Mo worked on a storage building Mark had started and i helped mom put up Christmas decorations. We had a good time. It was nice not to be out hiking, even though the day was beautiful. Another snow storm is predicted for the area we are headed to tomorrow...but we are going to slack pack ourselves for a few days to avoid sleeping outside in the nasty weather.
Date: 2010-12-12
From: Stecoah Gap

To: NOC
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: light snow

This morning we drove up to the NOC. We started hitting some bad section on the road - ice and slush before we left GA. 4-wheel drive on the curvy roads up and through mountains. Once we arrived at the NOC we had to wait on the outfitters to open. I needed to buy some water proof shoes...it makes hiking in the snow much more comfortable. We finally started hiking around noon and made our way back to the NOC from Stecoah Gap. The snow kept falling and we were getting into drifts on the ridges knee and thigh deep. The snow does not make hiking easy. We crossed paths with some guys doing just the opposite of us...So we are now base camping at the NOC with two trucks so we can slack ourselves the two days north of the NOC and two days south of the NOC. This will bridge the gap from the southern smokies to winding stair gap near Franklin where we hiked after thanksgiving. Once we finish this section all we will have left is the smokies and the last 2 days in GA. At the NOC we crossed paths again with the hikers we saw today. They are also base camping out of the NOC. The weather is supposed to be bad again tomorrow. When we went to pick up our trucks this morning - only 20 miles one way - it took us over an hour to get there and an hour to get back. The roads wont be better tomorrow.
Date: 2010-12-13
From: NOC

To: NOC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Took a zero today. The roads aren't good for getting our trucks out today. The hikers we hung out with yesterday said some SOBOs are expected in today at the NOC. We are going to talk to them about the smokies. We would like to get up to the smokies after we finish this NC section.
Date: 2010-12-14
From: Wayah Gap

To: NOC
Miles today: 21.4
Weather: clear sky

Worst day ever...well except for the day we froze in between Asheville and Hot Springs. We met up with the other SOBO's yesterday (Boss Lady, Sherpa, Crazy Talk, and Pre-life Crisis) as they hiked in to the NOC. Micah took them to get re-supplied in Bryson City and they are going to slack with us today. The goal: drive to wayah bald then hike back to the NOC. 17.2 miles. Not the easiest day but not too bad either. We knew the snow would be a damper on things. then we tried to drive to Wayah Bald...go to wayah gap and the road to wayah bald was completely iced over. So we started at Wayah Gap. Added 4.2 miles to the day - total 21.4. Great. And we were starting at 9:30. And we didn't stop til 9:30 that night. That is how long it took. The temperature never got above 20. We just trudged on and on and on. The snow was average calf to knee high. Drifts even higher. It was so cold we couldnt stop for a meal...just keep walking and eating...By the time we made it back to the NOC we were all completely worn out...done. And of course to make things worse, Mo and I were locked out of our room. So Mo had to go on a hunt to get our room key. Then I was feeling pretty aweful from fighting a cold all day so I took a hot shower and went to bed while Mo went to find us some dinner. We are over the snow...
Date: 2010-12-15
From: Winding Stair Gap US 64

To: Wayah Gap
Miles today: 5.9

We all slept in today. Yesterday kicked our butts. We dropped off the other SOBOs at Wayah Gap - they are hiking about 11 miles to meet up with Crazy Talk's mom who is going to help them finish the trail out strong. Mo and I drove over to Winding Stair Gap and hiked back to Wayah bald to connect the sections of trail we needed to do.Right before Wayah Gap we met two hikers who were out on the trail in the crazy cold nasty weather. We eneded up taking them with us back to the NOC because it started snowing again and the weather was predicting some freezing rain/snow tonight and tomorrow.So - We ended up at a barbecue restaurant near franklin before driving back to the NOC. Good food!
Date: 2010-12-16
From: NOC

To: NOC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today we were going to try and make it to the Smokies. But its raining...freezing rain. Not good hiking weather. I spent some time texting friends who were going through the smokies to see how they were and what the conditions were like. Not good news. John the Hiker bailed out two days in with waist high snow and chest high snow drifts. Sage - who is working on becoming a triple crown - bailed out only one day in to lower trails. The conditions are not favorable. So what now? Tomorrow we hike again - from Stecoah gap to Fontana Dam....then we will try and get some more miles in GA. Then try the smokies again?!
Date: 2010-12-17
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

The rain yesterday melted a lot of the snow, which is a nice change of pace. Although on the ridges and shaded side of the mountains there was still a good bit of snow. When we arrived at the Fontana Dam, we decided to walk to see the famous Fontana Hilton Shelter. On our way I stopped in the bath room and who was in there?! But Sage! The soon to be triple crowner! We talked with her for a while. she had stopped in heated bathroom to dry out before hiking on to the next shelter. We spent some time asking her questions about her snowshoes and how they fared in the smokies. She said the snow was pretty ridiculous but the snow shoes did help. She said she had to stick to the lower elevation trails instead of the AT...After talking with Sage, Mo and I went to ARby's in Bryson City for dinner then drove down to Neel's Gap in GA. We are going wait on the Smokies and hike a couple of short days in GA, go home for Christmas and try again afterwards. Once we got to the hostel at Neels Gap - it was pretty late ~930. (which is late for hiker time!). We were greeted by Pirate - a well known individual on the trail. He offered us some beverages and chatted with us well into the night.
Date: 2010-12-18
From: Neel's Gap

To: Helen
Miles today: 0.0

So Olin and Ashley called us up and asked if we would like to join them today in Helen to go zip lining and stay at a friends cabin. Uhm...YES! So we set up our trucks for tomorrow's hike then went to Helen. We met up with our ol' pal Boy Wonder who we hiked with up in New England. It was so great to see him and catch up. After that we drove out to Sunburst Stables to meet up with Ashley and Olin and Pete and Brooke. It was my first time to ride Zip Lines - so awesome and fun! Though it was pretty cold. The cabin was cozy and Mo enjoyed the hot tub. We slept great and enjoyed getting to hang out with friends and family!
Date: 2010-12-19
From: Neels Gap

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

Well we planned to hike about 10 miles today and have some friends and fam hike with us...but they all bailed. So we hiked the ten miles ourselves and really enjoyed it. today was the first day since the Wednesday after thanksgiving that we didn't hike in SNOW! and it was wonderful. Blood mountain is definitely one of my favorite hikes in Ga. Hiking it today was so refreshing and motivating. And it reminded me that I do enjoy hiking...just not winter hiking.After the hike we drove up to Blairsville where we enjoyed a Christmas party with Alpine and Princess Brat - Jimmy and Jennifer Ingram. They helped us a lot when we were planning this hike, spent time with us at Neel's Gap talking gear and other advice as they worked at Mountains Crossing. We had chili dinner with them and joining us was Pirate and Cola Monkey - Cola was another Mountain Crossing employee who helped us during the preparation phase of the trail. After dinner we returned to Neel's where we spent some more time with Pirate...
Date: 2010-12-20
From: Woody Gap

To: Horse Gap
Miles today: 9.9

This morning we woke up to a voice mail from Crazy Talk...turns out the hiked into Neel's Gap last night and are hiking part of the same trail we are today. So we met up with Crazy's mom and got in touch with Crazy Talk, Boss Lady, Sherpa, and Pre-life who had already started on the trail. We made plans to meet them at Woody Gap after lunch. Great plan! We hiked the last ten miles in 4 1/2 hours with a few breaks. Very nice! After the hike we drove the gang back to their cabin at Blood Mountain Cabins and stayed for dinner. We cooked up left over trail food.After dinner we drove home to Mom's house. Hiking is done until after Christmas. Can't wait to be done and move to Florida.
Date: 2011-01-02
From: Newfound Gap

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

alpine and princess brat let us borrow their snow shoes for the smokies. Though for the last few days the temp has been well above freezing and yesterdays rain helped get rid of a good bit of snow in the smokies. So we weren't going to take the snow shoes with us, until a hiker we met at Newfound said it might be a good idea. So we carried them...for no reason it turns out. There were patches of snow and ice - so we used our MicroSpikes instead. It was still slow going and we didn't start until 10:30. We made it to Peck's Corner around 5...to go to the shelter we wanted to go to we still had to go another 5.5 miles. and it would have been 3 hours of hiking. So we opted to call it early and hunkered down at the Pecks Corner Shelter.
Date: 2011-01-03
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

Another good day in the Smokies. So glad we waited for this. The trail is much more pleasant. The first half of the day we were still in some crazy snow sections...some sections of the trail were pretty icy. But nothing compared to the stories we were getting a couple of weeks ago. We stayed at Cosby Knob Shelter...we thought about going on to Mt. Crammerer Fire Tower but were nervous that for some reason it wouldn't be open. So we stopped at Cosby Knob and set up camp. Quickly got into the sleeping bags. Then I guess Mo got bored. So he found a mouse trap and spent the next several hours catching mice. It was so disgusting. But he was entertained.
Date: 2011-01-04
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Green Corner Rd
Miles today: 10.8

Again - another good day in the smokies...hardly any snow or ice today. We were going down in elevation - so no snow and ice. So nice! We made it back to the Standing Bear Hiker Hostel where we had parked my car and then drove to Gatlinburg. We ate a late lunch/early dinner at a mexican restaurant then found a hotel. Ended up staying at a nice Double Tree Hotel. Sad news though - rain and snow headed this way again. The forecast changed. We were supposed to be good through Friday. This is not good.
Date: 2011-01-05
From: Gatlinburg

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We decided we were going to try and hike to Newfound from Fontana Dam. so we ventured over that way in my car, leaving Mo's truck at Newfound. Once we got to Newfound the wet weather started. So we decided to go to stay at the Fontana Dam Resort Lodge for a night and try again tomorrow.
Date: 2011-01-06
From: Fontana Dam

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

The weather has turned bad. After speaking to the Rangers, if we don't get Mo's truck down from Newfound today -it could get stuck up there for a very long time. We could still hike up there then risk driving the truck down on icy roads and get the rangers to let us out, but they are expecting some major snow. So we decided to wait on the rest of the smokies until the spring. We are going to go home and summit Springer Mountain on Saturday...
Date: 2011-01-08
From: Horse Gap

To: Springer Mountain, GA
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today is it! We summit Springer Mountain. Its been a long time coming. Only about 3 weeks later than we thought. Wow - 2179 miles...well except for those 42 in the Smokies - but we will get those in the Spring. A feat many cannot claim. The journey and adventure and new friends along the way - so perfect. We had highs and lows...all wonderful.Today we had several of our friends and family members join us:James and Jennifer Mom and MarkBarry and KayBecca, Matt, Kristen, Bobby and GaleAshley, Nona Wynn, and PeggyBoy WonderKristyThank you for coming and finishing out the trail with us. We summitted around 3:20...we shook up some champagne and sprayed it all over that mountain! We celebrated and took a ton of pictures. After we finished our hike, we all drove out to Dahlonega and enjoyed supper at the Yahoola Creek Grill...a new gem in Dahlonega. We want to say thank you to all our friends and family and friends of friends and friends of family who have supported us throughout this journey. God has truly blessed us in this adventure and we look forward to the many to come!
Date: 2009-03-20
To: 10 years of waiting - the beginning is in sight
Miles today: 0.0

After 10 years of waiting Carol and I are nearing the beginning. After my knee replacement in 1999 I was told I could no longer run but I could walk as much as I wanted. I began walking and finding out what I could about long distance hiking on the Applachian Trail. This seemed a natural because both Carol and I had been marathon and ultramarathon runners when younger. (Hence the knee replacement in 1999 and hip replacement in 2006). We are now only 98 days to retirement and after we retire we will be visiting in Canada for a couple of weeks, and then we are going to Australia to visit with our oldest daughter for several months. Upon returning we will begin training in earnest. We continue to speed walk at this time 4 to 8 miles a day to keep fit.
Date: 2009-03-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

There are 3 major trails running north and south in the USA. The oldest and most traveled is the Appalachian trail. There is also the Pacific Crest Trail and the newest north south trail is the Continental Divide Trail. The Pacific Crest Trail is the second most traveled trail and the Continental Divide Trail is the wildest and least traveled. Those that hike all 3 are known to have hiked the triple crown. Few have accomplished this but 2 or 3 individuals have hiked all 3 in one calendar year. Quite a feat when you consider winter weather, snow and about 9 thousand miles.We became interested in hiking the Applachian trail due to its proximity to where we are living. In addition it is interesting because of the trail culture. Hikers have a culture all there own. As they proceed along the trail they use a trail name rather than their given name. Some give themselves this trail name, but it is suppose to be a name that is given to you by your fellow hikers. Carol and I have been tempted to give ourselves a name but we have resisted and will wait until it is bestowed on us by other hikers.
Date: 2009-05-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We are now 32 days from retirement and we are continuing to do our power walking to keep fit. Once we retire we are going to build in some gym work to increase the strength of our upper bodies. I have been asked at work if I thought I would make it from Georgia to Maine in one thru hike, as only 10 to 15 percent of those that begin make it all the way in one year. This started me thinking about our chances of completing the hike. On the pro side of the equation is our experience with marathon running and our ability to toil in long tiring endeavors. We also have been thinking about this for 10 years and have read a great deal about the A.T. so we know what to expect. We also are not over weight, and have and will continue, to take our traing seriously until we start. On the other side of the equation is our age. We are mid 60's. This really means we will have to listen to our bodies and hike our own hike. In addition to that it is always possible to fall and break a bone, or get ill several weeks. I also have to worry about my prosthetic hip or knee failing. My knee is particularly vulnerable as it is 11 years old and has a limited life expectancy. Hiking up and down steep grades is tough on everyones knees. Carol also suffers from Raynaud's syndrome and her hands blanche white even in mild weather. We have some special gloves and hand warmers for her but it limits her ability to assist with camp chores.All in all I think our chances remain good to complete this hike in 20 or 21 weeks.