morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-08
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: light rain

Woke up to gray skies this morning. We had heard about thunderstorms headed our way so we were expecting this. We headed out at about 8:20am and got hit with our first downpour at 9:30am. We got soaked but then quickly dried out once it stopped and the wind picked up. Had we been standing still, we would have froze, but the constant motion of our bodies kept the heat pumping and the clothes dry.        Got to Standing Indian Shelter at about 10:30am and ran into Peach, Doug and ¢O¢ sitting around a fire. We grabbed a snack and kept moving. We hoped to make it 7 more miles to Carter Gap Shelter for lunch and then 5 more miles to Betty Creek Campsite for the day. But on our way to Carter Gap, the sky opened up and rained on us for about 5 miles. Not light rain either; think constant buckets of water pouring on your head for five miles. We were soaked and freezing by the time we hit Carter Gap and we squeezed into the shelter with 9 other soggy hikers at about 2pm.        I was so cold my fingers wouldn¢t work. I immediately changed into dry clothes to stage off possible hypothermia. So I learned today that: 1) my raincoat and pack cover suck; 2) I need one more warm layer: 3) hiking the Appalachian Trail in solid leather boots is bad news; and 4) never keep hiking in torrential downpours.        The downpours kept up until just after 5pm when the sun came out and blue sky appeared. Weird storm. We all scattered to set up tents and hammocks & clotheslines while others started a fire. For the next few hours we all crowded around the fire drying our stuff, cooking dinner and getting to know each other. It was actually pretty nice. But just before dark the rain made one more appearance and we all scattered again to our warm, dry sleeping bags.        Tomorrow, it is 13 miles to Wallace Gap, where a shuttle will pick up hikers and bring them to Franklin, NC. We weren¢t planning to stop, but in light of soggy gear, my broken water bladder, and the 28 degrees predicted for tomorrow night, we changed our minds. They have an outfitter there where I plan to pick up:        -Trail runners (Merrill)        -Water bladder        -Light gloves        -Dry sack for sleeping bag        -Poncho        -One more warm layer        -Better pack coverAnd I will be sending home:        -Crappy raincoat        -All leather boots        -Pack cover (also crappy)I sure hope it¢s a little warmer and dryer tomorrow morning.New people we¢ve met:        -Level        -Crazy Train        -Low Rider        -Jim        -Restless        -Lift & Step        -Peach        -Doug        -¢O¢        -Will & dog Max (aka Hopeful)        -Dead Man Walking        -Boon        -BrianWeather: Thunder & torrential downpours until 5pm. High winds and cold.
Date: 2010-04-10
From: Franklin, NC via Wallace Gap

To: Wayah Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

Slept alright last night. Forgot to turn on the heat, so it was really cold in our hotel room with the freezing temps we have been getting at night. Got up about 6:30 or 7am and started laundry. Then dinked around online while sipping coffee. It¢s amazing how the little things you did at home can be so comforting on trail. Then took a shower and went for breakfast at Wilson¢s Restaurant at about 8am. It was an awesome breakfast with fresh sausage, bacon and eggs, and kick-ass coffee with real cream. I highly recommend to any hikers passing through town (cash only).        After breakfast I headed over to the post office to mail some more gear back to Seattle. I replaced my heavy boots with a light-weight pair of New Balance All Terrain Sneakers. I also sent home the blow-up Big Agnes sleeping pad and replaced it with a Z-lite pad. Way lighter! I also ditched my raincoat and now have a poncho.        Back at the hotel we ran into Limestone of all people! Limestone is from Washington and we had exchanged a few e-mails before the big trip. He started 3 days after us and caught up quick! This is his fourth attempt at a thru-hike, so he has a lot of good tips. I believe he and his wife are both retired now.        We had to cut it short since our ride showed up to bring us back to the trail. On the way to the trail, Ron Haven told us that a group from in town was set up at Winding Stair Gap to hand out snacks to hikers. This was just 3.7 miles down the trail from where we were starting for the day. And if we wanted to we could drop our packs and slackpack (hike without our packs) for the 3.7 miles from Wallace Gap to Winding Stair Gap. We said, ¢Heck yeah!¢ and were off. It took us less than an hour to trail run 4 miles. It was a good way to start our hike today since we lost time in town.        After the slackpack, we still had 10.4 miles to go. We hiked until 7pm today and cruised into a full camp. We found a spot to pitch our tent luckily. Tin Man gave us a hard time for slackpacking since he had started 2 hours before us and managed the same distance we did. We cooked dinner quickly because light was fading fast and we were famished! Now in my sleeping bag feeling exhausted. Time to sleep. We are trying for 15 miles tomorrow to get to NOC.New people:        -LimestoneWeather: Sunny, warm. Very little breeze. Clear night sky.
Date: 2010-04-11
From: Wayah Shelter

To: Rufus Morgan Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: clear sky

Got a late start today after pulling such high mileage yesterday. We didn¢t get out of camp until 10am. We cruised to Cold Spring Shelter but then our snack break turned into a 30 minute break. We heard grouse all around this shelter. It was really neat!        Once we hit Telico Gap we were deterred again by thru hiker & Trail Angel, Symbol and his friend Mary who were handing out pop and beer. Score! We sat and chatted for awhile and savored the cold carbonation. We then trucked it up Wesser Bald with heat pounding us back with every step. Once we made it to the top we took cover under the observation deck to cook lunch. A few day hikers and one thru hiker came through. One had an interesting conversation with Opus:-Random hiker-¢Hey man, you got a bowl?¢-Opus-¢No¢¦but I have a cup!¢-Random hiker-¢No, like the bowl you smoke out of.¢-Opus-¢Oh¢¦no man.¢It was really funny.        Then two day hikers noticed our packs and started asking us questions about hiking the trail. Right when we were about to leave they offered us the two beers they had packed up to celebrate at the summit. Score! Trail Magic twice in one day!        And on went the day. Our hike today took forever due to random occurrences. It was a good way to break up the day. We pulled into the Rufus Morgan Shelter at 7pm and just in time to catch McLovin¢ as he was hiking the .8 miles into NOC to grab beers. So we all sat around a fire and sipped beers until 11pm. It was a sweet day. (People were Nightwalker, Kelsey, Lucy, Morits and McLovin¢).New people:        -Symbol & Mary        -Sticker        -McLovin¢        -Nightwalker        -Kelsey        -Lucy        -MoritsWeather: Hot. Sunny.
Date: 2010-04-12
From: Rufus Morgan Shelter

To: Grassy Gap Campsite
Miles today: 3.8

We got out of camp at about 9am today, hoofed it the .8 miles to the road-crossing where the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) , the grocery, showers, and restaurant, where. We headed straight for River¢s End Diner for some good breakfast and fresh coffee. There is a beautiful river that runs right near there that was just blissful. It seemed to pull us in and we spent the day taking showers, doing laundry, eating, re-supplying, talking with other hikers, soaking our feet, drinking beer, eating ice cream and enjoying the beautiful weather.        We didn¢t end up leaving until 5:30pm and just hiked 3 miles up the trail to a campsite. It was a much needed rest day. Just two more days to Fontana Dam and the Smoky Mountains!New people:        -Longshanks        -Leanitus        -Funky Monkey        -Jibbets        -Low RodWeather: Very hot and sunny. Upper 80s. Even warm now at 10pm. Nice night to leave the rain fly off and look up at the stars.
Date: 2010-04-13
From: Grassy Gap Campsite

To: Cody Gap
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Got up this morning at about 7am. We thought we¢d beat out everyone else with our 8am headout, but by the time 8am came around, everyone was gone. Even Tin Man, who stayed back at NOC 2.2 miles south, passed us. Geez, you have to get up pretty early to get a jump on any hikers on the Appalachian Trail. I think people are starting early for a number of reasons:        -they want to do high mileage;        -they want to beat the heat;        -they hike slowly;        -or, like us, they like to take a lot of breaks.We¢ll get it down one of these days.        Well, it was a pretty uneventful day. We started the day by climbing 2,000 feet up before the midday heat rolled in. It was another hot day. We noticed today that a lot of trees were tipped over. Almost like their roots were not strong enough to hold up the tree. Maybe some sort of tree disease? We even heard a tree go over last night. Strange. There seems to be all kinds of tree diseases out here.        All the flowers are starting to bloom and the trees have little leaves on them. We are even seeing trillium the last couple of days. It is so beautiful to walk north with the spring season. So much has changed in the woods just in the last couple of weeks. I really want to pick up a dummy¢s guide to plants out here. I am really curious to learn about all that I am seeing.        I have been listening to my IPOD the last couple high mileage days. Listening to Ani Difranco¢s finger picking guitar style just makes me want to pick up the guitar again. And all the evening glow in these beautiful North Carolina valleys makes me want to start oil painting again. Walking has reminded me of how artistic I used to be. Seems like the last five years of my life have been spent being functional: go to school; make money; build relationships¢¦ I am sad that I let my artistic tendencies go dormant.        Well, enough about that. We got into camp about 6pm. It is a nice time of day when the fading sunlight is peaking through the trees while you cook dinner. I¢ve discovered that eating dinner is the highlight of my day.        In bed now listening to the owls¢ calls echo through the valley. It¢s a good life out here on the trail, and I am thankful for the opportunity to be out here.        We have 8.8 miles into Fontana Dam tomorrow. We pick up our Post Office boxes and goodies for re-supply there. We are figuring that it will take us 5 and a half days to hike through the Smoky Mountains. It will be the most food we have carried yet this trip. Thursday and Friday will be rough.New people:        -TwinklesWeather: HOT! No breeze. But¢¦at least no rain. A little cooler tonight, but still nice.
Date: 2010-04-14
From: Cody Gap

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 9.9
Weather: clear sky

I woke up this morning and rolled over to Opus and said, ¢Guess what today is!?!¢ To which he replied, ¢Uh, Wednesday?¢ I said, ¢Yeah, but also hiker Christmas! The day we get drop boxes and goodies from our friends and family!¢         It was indeed, a grand day. We slept relatively well last night despite the night hikers bombing through our camp and the dueling owls, LOL. It was a very eventful evening indeed. Everyone got up early this morning with the promise of a town stop in their eyes. We hiked out the 8.8 miles to NC28 in about 4.5 hours and caught the shuttle to Fontana Village. Here we grabbed our mail, repacked and did laundry. We both packed way too much food in our drop boxes and created a sizeable bump box (a box we bump ahead from post office to post office filled with gear and food we do not need right away).        We got the laundry started and then headed to the Gas Station for beer and hot dogs. We then filled out postcards and read mail. Big shout out goes to my Starbucks crew (especially Mike, Sadie, Anjouli, Kelly, Jesse, Katalyn Anderson and Sean) for the love. You guys Rock. Also to Irene for drawing and detailing the state tree and flower for the first four states I am hiking. You are seriously one of the raddest chicks I know. Also a big shout out to Ging and Mark Baxter (Opus¢ parents) for the PEEPS! I was so happy! ? And finally to my Dad, Grandpa and step-mom Judy for the kind words of encouragement and support. It REALLY meant a lot, guys. Thank you so much. As further incentive for anyone reading this blog to write me, I guarantee a letter back to you if you write to my mail stops.         Well, meanwhile, back at the general store, we got the low down on some hot showers that were free near the community center in town. I got to shave my legs and put on clean clothes. It was blissful!        We got into the shelter site at Fontana Dam near six and cooked dinner while chatting with other hikers. We start the five day Smokey Mountain trek tomorrow and our packs are HEAVY with food. Tomorrow will be tough with all the weight and elevation gain into the Smokies. Onward Ho!New people:        -Grumps        -LB        -Gonzo        -Shags        -Nature¢s Own        -LuckyWeather: Another hot one. Good thing though since we heard all the snow in the Smokies has melted.
Date: 2010-04-15
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

Woke up to the sound of coyotes calling across the lake from The Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). It was a prelude to our trip through the GSMNP. We started our day by walking across the Fontana Dam. It was really FAR down when you looked over the edge. Pretty cool. At the end of the dam was the classic ¢Welcome to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park¢ sign where we stopped to take obligatory photos. From there it was 13 miles uphill for 5,000 ft. And this was our introduction to the Smoky Mountains.        It was nice to spend a whole day not crossing roads though and the park was littered with a billion little purple flowers and glacier lilies that sprung up in the last two weeks after the last of the snow melted off. We heard Warblers and Owls everywhere. We definitely feel more of that wilderness feeling out here.        At about 10 miles into our day, we came to Mollies Ridge Shelter. It is a stone structure with a huge tarp draped over the front and rocks to hold it in place. It was less than inviting. The next shelter is the one we are in now. This one is one of the last shelters in the park with a chain-link fence in the front. It looks like a prison. We were hoping to use our tent, but everyone is required to stay in the shelter if there is room. So here we are, spending the night in our first shelter. We let it slip to the others that this was our first time and a lot of ¢poking fun and hazing jokes¢ ensued. I¢m not looking forward to the mice¢¦or the snoring¢¦or being the only girl here.        We caught back up with T-squared and his son Kevin (Stogie). And we hiked with a new hiker, Gonzo.New people:        -Fig        -Soul Patch        -Jersey DaveWeather: Warm but never above 80 degrees. Some high clouds looking ominous, but turned into empty threats.
Date: 2010-04-16
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: clear sky

Slept in the shelter last night. The snoring and mice were not that bad. Only complaints I had were the ¢locked in¢ feeling and the hardwood floor. I kept waking up all night wanting it to be light out so I could get out. I think the chain-link fence shelter experience has ruined me for other shelter experiences.        We got on the trail by about 8:30am and were soon the caboose of the gang yet again. We move slow comparatively and stop every 3 miles. I think everyone else has fast paces and stop very little. I like our pace. It makes the day seem more like just another normal day, rather than a race to the finish.        We had some great views on our way up to Thunder Mountain. And we made pretty quick time to Derrick Knob (9 miles in) for lunch. Gonzo caught up with us here and we all hiked together the last seven miles to Double Springs Shelter. This made this our longest day yet with some sizeable climbing as well. We were all hurting, even the fast people.        So Gonzo is a Tennessee native who has been living in Baltimore for the last 6 months. He¢s about our age and very friendly. I¢m glad we had a chance to hike together. Hopefully, he¢ll catch up with us after his break in Gatlinburg tomorrow.        Most of the people we are hiking with (Leanitus, Lowrod, Funky Monkey, Jibbets, Gonzo) are all getting off at Gatlinburg tomorrow. Only me, Opus, Soul Patch, Jersey Dave and Fig are continuing on. This will be our longest time without showers or re-supply¢¦FIVE DAYS!        Fig is a cool guy. He¢s in his 60s (I think) and this is his third time thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. He¢s a Maine native with a mighty thick accent. I love hearing him talk. Not to mention he has a wealth of information. He is planning the same high mileage as us the next couple days, so we¢ll get more time to pick his brain a bit.        There are supposed to be thunderstorms tonight and despite rules and rain, we set up our tent anyway. It kind of feels like home now.        Tomorrow we¢ll be going over Clingman¢s Dome, the highest point on the AT. I have been there before, but I think that it will feel like I earned it more now since I¢m walking to it.        Well, I¢m beat. Time for bed.New people:        -Noah        -LifeguardWeather: Sunny, warm, but never above 80. Lots of clouds and cool breezes. Another picture perfect day in the GSMNP.
Date: 2010-04-17
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: Icewater Springs Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Started out the day hiking in evergreen forests, much like Washington, through a rolling cloud of mist. Saw a couple deer hanging around the shelter in the morning. It was 3 miles straight up to the top of Clingman¢s Dome. No views, but beautiful in its own right through mist/fog. Still some lingering snow near the top, but for the most part, the Smoky Mountains have entered summer hiking season.        The fog hung around until our lunch break at Indian Gap, and then the day turned sunny with wind gusts sporadically blowing through.        I was really tired today and really wanted to go into town. We have been pulling some long days and I didn¢t bring enough food. I think the rationing is making me less energetic each day. I¢ve definitely lost some weight in the Smokies. Just one more day tomorrow and then I can eat normally again on Monday.        My mood was lifted in Newfound Gap where thru-hiker Tim¢s parents showed up with cookies, cream soda, root beer, Dr. Pepper and Cherry Coke for us hikers. I think my eyes got as big as apples and my jaw dropped to the ground. We got to sit on a grassy knoll drinking soda after soda with Noah, Gonzo, Tim and Kelly. It was AWESOME! It was even better since I was so hungry.         We didn¢t make it to camp until 6pm and we caught a little grief from Fig who doubts our ability to do 20 miles tomorrow with the rest of them (Fig, T-square, Kevin, Jersey Dave and Soul Patch). I am determined to prove him wrong. Lots of people at the shelter tonight due to its proximity to the road and it being Saturday night. Really pretty view from 6,000 ft though very cold.New people:        -Tim        -KellyWeather: FOG then SUN then WIND then HOT then COLD then WIND again. May get below freezing tonight.
Date: 2010-04-18
From: Icewater Springs Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: clear sky

I shot awake this morning at 6:30am with the knowledge that Fig was already up. The gauntlet had been laid yesterday by Fig that we couldn¢t cover 20 miles today. But little did everyone know, we were planning an early escape despite the below freezing temps. T-square walked by us while we were rolling up the tent at 7am and said, ¢Wow! I¢m impressed!¢ To which I replied, ¢Hey, we¢re mountaineers¢¦we are used to a 12 midnight wake-up call for summits. We got this one!¢ Everyone has been used to us leaving camp last and rolling into camp last. NOT TODAY! We shot out of camp at 7:25am with Fig chasing closely behind; then T-square and Kevin, Jersey Dave and finally Soul Patch. Tempts were somewhere below 30 degrees with bone-chilling winds. We stopped at Charlie¢s Bunion, a rock outcrop with amazing views about 2 miles out of camp. We walked ridgelines almost all day with breath-taking views on either side. Definitely a day for the books. Tempts raised ever so slightly, but we stayed pretty chilled all day.        We covered 12.6 miles by lunchtime at 1pm and then cleared the last 7.7 miles to Cosby Knob Shelter at 5:30pm; putting today as our highest mileage day yet. Fig was a bit surprised, but also happy the whole group was together one more night. Fig covers multiple 20 mile days in a row, so we will loose him tomorrow.        I¢m looking forward to the Standing Bear Hostel we hit tomorrow. This will be my first shower in five days. I also lost a lot of weight because I didn¢t pack enough calories, so I¢m looking forward to eating two whole pizzas. No¢¦seriously.        TIRED. BED.Weather: Cold. Freezing with ice on the tent this morning. Tempts never got over 50 degrees. Sunny and blue skies all day long though. ?
Date: 2010-04-19
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept in a bit today. I really felt the miles this morning. We were last out of camp again today. We hiked an easy 10 miles downhill to Standing Bear Farms Hostels. The trail took us across a bridge and under I-40 today. There were even white blazes on the guardrail.        On our way up the gravel road to Standing Bear we ran into Mike and Laura. They started four days before us and we¢ve been hoping to catch up with them since. They were just leaving Standing Bear as we walked up. We chatted a bit and then we were off with promises of showers at the Hostel. We figure we¢ll catch up with them again in Hot Springs, NC or Erwin, TN.        Showering after five days of hard hiking felt great! And the shower was open-air, so I got to stare into the woods and smell fresh mountain air while enjoying hot water. All of Standing Bear Farm is really rustic: the showers are open-air, the toilet is a moldering privy, the bunkhouse is a tin-roofed log cabin with a wood burning stove and the laundry is a washboard and sink. There are about five dogs running around the property, one pot-bellied pig and an opossum that finds its way into the bunkhouse every night. The re-supply closet is on the honor system. Hikers just go in, itemize and tally up their merchandise on an envelope and drop the money in the box. And there are beer runs into town every evening.        The crew we had been hiking with through the Smoky Mountains are all here; T-square, Hotfoot, Soul Patch and I-40. We all decided to take a zero day tomorrow because there is supposed to be a bluegrass band, free food and a hiker social at the farm.        We spent the evening around a fire, drinking beer and chatting. Hotfoot got his trail name tonight because he always tends the fire using his foot and he always flies up the hills when he is hiking. Jersey Dave also got his trail name today. He has been eating only dried, cold trail food and has been unable to crap for about a week. We all sympathized after laughing at all the colorful sayings Jersey Dave had when eating, like ¢Gotta keep the traffic jam movin¢¢. LOL. So when Jersey Dave finally took a crap under the I-40 today, we gave him his trail name of I-40. Ha, ha. Trail life is grand, ain¢t it?New people:        -Cindy        -Dan        -Catfish        -Set-in-StoneWeather: Cool, sunny, no bugs.