morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-03-29
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 3.6

Did a Nero from Deep Gap Shelter out to Dick's Creek Gap. Lucked into the shuttle driver from Top of Georgia pulling up just as I stepped out of the woods. Got down there and picked up my resupply box. Pat (another hiker I've been chasing) was sitting there waiting for a shuttle back to Blairsville to go to the urgent care facility. Apparently he was coming off trail due to foot issues. Managed to hop into his already paid for shuttle as they were going through Hiawassee on the way. I was happy not to stay around ToG as they're starting to develop a negative reputation.I spent the rest of the day in town hanging around Hiawassee. Cute town. Checked in at the hiker friendly Budget Inn, did laundry while waiting for my room and took a shower. Wandered to Ingles to complete my resupply and got some ice coffee. Hot Sauce and Nick caught up to me later in the afternoon and came down to join me at the hotel. Plan is to get back on the trail in the morning. Joseph and Keegan left in the morning back to Unicoi to begin the section I just completed.
Date: 2019-03-30
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Plumorchard Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: overcast clouds

With rain in the forecast for the night, we decided to do a short day to the closest shelter and wait out the storm. We got the 9 am shuttle from the hotel back up to Dick's Creek Gap. Nick had to run down the hill to ToG to pick up his new sleeping bag so we waited for him to get back before heading out.A short hike and one long climb took us to Plumorchard Shelter, one of the coolest shelters we e passed and the last shelter in the Georgia stretch. It's a triple decker with three floors that had been placed on the mountain by a Chinook helicopter. We made a fire and hung out for the afternoon. Rain came in around 10 pm with thunder and lightning. We stayed very dry. Ridge runner warned of cold temperatures coming.
Date: 2019-03-31
From: Plumorchard Gap Shelter

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

Woke up to mist and clouds. I headed out with Josef with the goal of reaching the Standing Indian Shelter in NC. We passed the NC/GA state line about 4 miles into the day. Joseph stopped to take off his rain coat. I went around the corner to Bly Gap to wait. I waited for about 15 minutes before pressing on. Josef is a strong hiker and I expected him to catch up. NC greeted me with a howling wind through the Gap and back to back vertical ascents up into the 4k feet range. It's was a brutal introduction that didn't improve until I passed the Muskrat Creek Shelter. Even then the whole section felt like a remix of all the worst terrain of the past 10 days. I popped out of the woods at Deep Gap (NC) just as the Baltimore Jack's hostel van was pulling up. Knowing the cold was coming it was all I could do to keep from flagging then down. It was only .9 miles to the shelter to end my day though so I pushed on to the flank of Standing Indian mountain. Tomorrow I will walk over it's summit at 5400 feet, the highest peak yet.For now I am huddled in the shelter as the mercury drops. Hot Sauce and Nick made it up along with Ziggy. Josef apparently bailed at Deep Gap due to hip issues. I'm worried about that guy.
Date: 2019-04-01
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Betty Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.3

I decided to stay with Nick and Hot Sauce today. They leave much later then I like too, but my mental state was not good yesterday. Truthfully I was miserable and considering quitting for most of the day. I was scared of the cold and the wind was chilling. I figured if I stayed with others today it would buoy my spirits.Today was a drastic difference. If yesterday's hike was a brutal welcome to NC, today's was an apology for that welcome. The ascent to the summit of Standing Indian was gentle switchbacks the whole way followed by a meandering decent to Carter Gap. We had lunch in the shelter and pressed on to Betty Creek to camp. The trail dropped into a rhododendron tunnels that ran along a narrow ridge. At breaks in the rhododendron you could see down into the valley. It was some of the best views we've had so far on the trip. Descended to the rhododendron groves of Betty Creek Gap where I am sharing Nick's, now Prometheus, tent for the night to keep warm. Tomorrow we climb to the 100 mile mark.
Date: 2019-04-02
From: Betty Creek Gap

To: Rock Gap
Miles today: 8.5

The night wasn't as cold as we had feared but shortly after we woke up the temperature began to plummet and it began to snow. So we set off in the flurries with the goal of getting to Winding Stair Gap. Walked about a half mile and started having issues with my right shoe. It has reached the end of it's service life. My heal got a cut so I stopped to tape it up and continued on. A guy at Mooney Gap was hanging out homemade cookies. Took one for the climb up Albert Mountain. The final .3 miles to the summit was best vertical but was still a lot of fun. Crested the top and took some time to take pictures on and around the fire tower. While the tower isn't really the 100 mile mark, it's close enough that it's the best landmark to celebrate at. Rest of the day was meandering down to Rock Gap and the world's most exposed privy.... In full view of the trail. There was a lady handing out carrots and hard boiled eggs by the road and my hiking buddies we're ready to be done so we called the last 3.7 miles and waited for the shuttle to Franklin, NC to show up. We've got 4 hikers in a hotel room and are planning to take the day off tomorrow. Need to get new shoes and call away for some gear swaps. Also need to get my sleeping mat warrantied.Very tired, but clean and happy, right now.
Date: 2019-04-04
From: Rock Gap

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: clear sky

Got back on the trail today at Rock Gap thanks to the wonderful county shuttle service. The first order of business was to get over from Rock Gap to Winding Stair Gap where I had originally wanted to get off trail. That was a less then pleasant climb with a resupplied backpack weight, but it went quickly. Crossed the highway at Winding Stair and as I stepped across these little log bridges in the trail I managed to come up short slightly. There was an audible pop from my left calf muscle and pain bad enough that it roiled my stomach. Nick heard me yell and came back to check on me. We sat for a few minutes while I weighed my options. We were at the road. I could go back into town, but I really didn't want to. Finally I got up and decided to go on. The plan was to get to the Silas Bald Shelter to wait out the rain so we pushed on. The next 3.2 miles were rough. I was limping. I couldn't take full steps with my left leg and I was putting a lot of pressure on my right knee and trekking poles. Finally made it to the shelter though and bedded in for the night.
Date: 2019-04-05
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Wyah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 6.8

The rain came last night and was still going through the morning. Got up at 8 AM because I heard a lull in the rain and Hot Sauce and I went to get our food bags down from the bear line. I reached for the line and my feet went out from under me in the mud. I gashed my arm to the elbow and was just covered in mud. Hot Sauce looked at me sadly and said "It's gonna be a good day". She headed back to the shelter and I heard her yell as she also slipped in the mud and went down. So now we're both covered in mud and laughing but really I'm about to cry. I'm muddy, cold, injured, and I don't know what to do. I really wanted to go back to town at this point. We sat in the shelter until about 11 and decided to leave when the rain finally let up. The plan was to get to the next Gap and call for a shuttle if need be. I was still hurting but it felt like something that could be worked out if I took it easy so I kept going. The climb to Wyah Bald was loooong and painful with my leg but we made it and put in for the night at the next shelter. It was another short day, but I was glad to be done with it.
Date: 2019-04-06
From: Wayah Bald Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

Woke up feeling much better. The plan was to go the 10.5ish miles to Wesser Gap shelter just before the descent to the NOC.Feeling good, I packed up and headed out of camp with a slight limp assuming the rest of the group would catch up with me. Thankfully the leg was feeling much better after a mile or two and I was able to take full strides again. I worked my way up to Copper Ridge Bald and spent the next hour and a half winding around the peaks along the ridge. It was really nice and I was feeling more myself again.I even ran into @nurse4rocks who I've been following on Instagram.Stopped to have lunch at Tellico Gap before the final ascent to Wesser Bald. Wesser Bald itself wasn't too bad of a climb. I ran into a trail runner I had seen at Rock Gap a couple days before and then I climbed the observation tower at the top for some really amazing 360 degree views. The last .8 miles were an easy descent to the shelter. Stopped to get water at a nice cistern fed by a spring.Was done early enough that I put in the hammock to lounge for a bit. Tomorrow we will descended to the NOC and our good weather will be coming to an end for a while it seems.
Date: 2019-04-07
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: The NOC
Miles today: 6.0

Made the descent to the NOC in fog and mist. The trail was wet and treacherous, but it wasn't very long. I got some great pictures from the Jump Off. Walking into the NOC, was like walking into a hidden valley full of all my favorite things. Rustic buildings, adventure sports things, and the best outfitter we'd yet encountered.We were greeted by a 2017 hiker who told us there was Trail Magic across the river as well as free resupply. I ended up spending the rest of the day laying in the grass with some beers and friends. We rented a bunk house and got our Smokies Backcountry permits printed before turning in for a stormy night. Hot Sauce and Prometheus stayed with me.
Date: 2019-04-08
From: The NOC

To: Sassafrass Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.8

It started raining almost as soon as we hit the trail. It quickly became clear that raincoats would be useless because we were climbing and we're just gonna sweat.I was feeling extremely strong and pulled away from Hot Sauce and Prometheus. The climb felt nearly effortless and the rain wasn't dampening my spirits at all. It started to get cold as I got over the top of the mountain, but thankfully I arrived at the shelter much sooner then I expected so I turned in and grabbed one of the last few spots. As the afternoon wore on we packed more and more people into the shelter while some people made camp in the rain. The rain did not let up until just after daybreak.
Date: 2019-04-09
From: Sassafrass Gap Shelter

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: light rain

Today was not like yesterday. My legs felt leaden and every climb seemed to go straight up each mountain. Arrived at Stecoah Gap to find two older guys setting up trail magic. Had an apple and a Yoohoo or two and sat around while friends found their way down to the Gap. Took off just street 1pm and o do the Jacob's Ladder climb. That was difficult but rewarding once you were over the top. Set up camp at Brown Fork Gap Shelter and settled in for a really spectacular evening complete with sunset.
Date: 2019-04-10
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 13.0

Woke up at dawn determined to get to Fontana before the post office closed. I'd had my tent shipped to me to replace my hammock. It had just been too cold for the hammock which is why I've been shelter hopping. I also had Big Agnes send me a warranty replacement for my sleeping mat which has been losing air overnight causing me to have to blow it back up every night. Finally, I'd had a 5 day resupply shipped in to get me through the smokies.I left camp at about 730 and pushed hard. The first half of the hike was really nice with rolling, easy slopes and great views. Once you hit Cable Gap shelter the trail turned uphill hard and there was a pretty significant climb to the top of the ridge overlooking Fontana Dam. The descent proved even more difficult and was punishing on my knees. I dropped down onto the road and checked the time. 12:20. I'd made it in less then 5 hours. The shuttle pulled up within minutes and by 1pm I was at the post office and had my packages. I sat on the front porch and reorganized my new supply of food and my new equipment and shipped off my replaced gear. The. I hit the general store for a drink and some additional resupply items before wandering down to the pit stop for two chili dogs. Then I caught the shuttle back to the Marina and walked the final 1.1 miles in to the Fontana Dam Shelter where I took a shower, did laundry...in the shower, and set myself up to wait for my friends. They never showed up because they bailed at the marina and went to the village to spend the night. So I'm alone tonight without them. They want to zero tomorrow...but I'm ready for the smokies. I haven't decided what I will do.
Date: 2019-04-11
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Well my crew decided to zero at Fontana. I had raced the clock to get there yesterday just so I wouldn't have to zero. It was a tough decision to go push on on my own, but I decided I needed to do it. I pushed the 14.9 miles in to Russell Field Shelter in the Smokies. I crossed the Fontana Dam and dropped my permit in the iron ranger and began a long climb. I was mostly by myself today though I ran into Dishwater and Two Sticks at a couple intervals. I ran out of water and was parched by the time I strumbled into a Gap with some water. I sat there to eat lunch and heard a noise behind me. A massive black board and about nine piglets came running down the trail before veering into the woods just before the gap. That was definitely a new experience.Made it to Russell Gap Shelter around 230. There are a bunch of Carolina good ol' boys here for the night, but there was room for me and with rain in the forecast I'm happy to be in the shelter. Tomorrow I plan to do 15.5 miles or so. I'm considering going to Gatlinburg on Saturday if I can get over Clingman's Dome. That will give Joe, Prometheus, and Hot Sauce time to catch up.I miss my tramily.
Date: 2019-04-12
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Day started out with light rain which quickly intensified to driving rain and wind as I started the climb up Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountain. It intensified the higher up I got. I passed Redbeard and his son near the top of Rocky Top. Everyone looked pretty miserable. As I started down the other side of Thunderhead, a mountain that I spent my whole time on praying it wouldn't live up to it's name, the trail was a river with little waterfalls spilling off of every step, rock, and root. The rain stopped shortly after I started my descent, but the water was with me for a while. The rest of the ridge was constant up and down. It was perhaps as difficult as the climb the day before. I made it to Derrick Knob Shelter where Brother Bear and his crew we're waiting out the day, planning to night hike. There was also a very annoyed looking Ridge Runner standing around out side. She clearly was unhappy to be there. The next six miles to Silers Bald Shelter we're rough. The trail was thick muck. The kind that sucks at your shoes and makes walking take extra effort. My feet were wet and I was starting to chafe badly. I was pretty unhappy. And with 2 miles to go to the shelter I started to see bears. The first one popped up as I was taking a break on an incline. Looking back down the trail I was in time to see a massive black bear walk up onto the trail. I quickened my pace and made it about half a mile down the trail before seeing another one down off the trail to my right. I made the final mile and a half to the shelter and was surprised to find it empty...except for Two Sticks who was going to press onward. My feet told me that we were not doing the same. I sat alone at the shelter and made dinner and got ready for bed. I was almost ready to crawl in for the night when other hikers started showing up including, Dishwater, Redwood, Cricket, Nemo, Pippy, Salamander, Redbeard and son, and Kitty. The shelter ended up full as it got dark and everyone went to sleep. Clingmans Dome is ahead.
Date: 2019-04-13
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 12.2

What a day! My brother bear and I were section hiking the trail and came across this hiking human lady. She noticed us I think and tried to pick up her pace, but com'on....we're bears. You're not gonna get away. Anyway...long story short we caught up with her and she had nicely packaged herself into one of those three sided bear feeders they put up here for us. And bonus! She had brought about 11 friends so we ate soooo well... 10/10 would feast again.Nah, I'm good. Left the shelter at about 745 and headed for Clingmans Dome. Big landmark and was excited to get there. Got some good sunrise photos from the saddle between Clingmans and Silers Bald. When I reached the next shelter I was delighted to find a gentleman and his son had set up shop and we're serving coffee, fruit, donuts, and mimosas for breakfast. Heaven!Leaving the shelter after about an hour of sitting around, eating and chatting, I headed off to begin the ascent of the Dome. We quickly entered an honest to God pine Forest. It was amazing. Like being home in NH. The air smelled like fresh pine and the ground had that bouncy pine needles underfoot feeling. Everything was covered in thick moss. It was truly magical. The climb really wasn't so bad considering the past couple days and It was exciting to have views at every vista. The clouds were staying out of the way and while it was heavily overcast, there was only a couple of raindrops. Reaching the top I was excited to walk the spiral walkway to the observation tower. There were plenty of people around who had come up the auto road for the views, and it was hard not to feel a little smug having walked 200 miles to earn my vistas. I felt like a mythic hero walking among mere mortals. ((Shhhh...let me have this.))I spent a lot of the past couple days thinking. The smokies feel different then everything that has come before. Everything feels older...ancient. And while you focus on conquering each peek and ridegeline, you're only on top for a moment and these mountain will outlive every hiker that ever has or will climb to their summits. It's humbling.The rest of the day was spent rambling the 7.7 miles down to Newfound Gap. Weather warnings for Sunday had been echoed by every person we had met so the plan had been formed to escape the mountains for Sunday. I had no sooner popped my hedge over the ridge at Newfound Gap when a woman walked over from the parking lot to ask if I needed a ride to town. We waited for my hotel buddies for the night, Manifest and Frodo, to catch up before all piling into her car for a ride down to Gatlinburg.Driving down the mountain we got our best look yet at the fire damage from 2 years ago. It's awesome inspiring how much was destroyed. Almost every slope had some large section covered in skeletal charred trees, standing like twisted finger bones against the sky.Our wonderful benefactor dropped us off at the Day's Inn at the top of the Gatlinburg strip. This is a noisy silly place, but I'm happy to be safe off the mountain for a day. I'll be back on Monday and I'm going to try to reach Standing Bear in 2 days.
Date: 2019-04-15
From: Newfound Gap

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We were delayed getting out of Gatlinburg because the wind and rain and sleet and hail had taken down several trees and the road had been closed. About 25 hikers milled about at the NOC outfitter waiting for a shuttle and news that the road had been reopened. I had a chicken biscuit and was very happy to wait.As soon as we got word that it was clear the shuttle from the Baptist Church loaded as many as they could and we were off. The Newfound Gap we were dropped at was not the one we had left. Everything was covered in ice and the wind was howling through the Gap. Everyone raced for the bathrooms to pile on the layers. I debated even heading out and felt maybe I should return to town, but as each hiker disappeared into the woods I decided to follow.The terrain after Clingmans Dome is completely different then everything that had come before. We were now rolling along ridges above 5000 feet. The elevation changes were easier and we were surrounded by pines covered in wind blowing ice. It felt like we were walking through a crystal fairytale forest. I took a ton of pictures of ice encrusted trees and snowy peaks. In spite of the appearance of the trees, the ground itself was not frozen and there was little ice on the path. I made good time past the first two shelters and decided to push for the third. I arrived just past 5 pm to find a large group already there. Thankfully there was still plenty of room in the shelter. I love shelters. I had a hasty dinner and stripped out of my sweaty clothes and crawled into bed. The temperature was dropping and I was already chilled. I ended up throwing on my rain she'll to trap a little extra heat and eventually stopped shivering. Around 930 I was awoken by a headlamp in my eyes and a voice announcing that it was from the park service. Two paramedics were peering in on us, apparently looking for someone who had called 911 from the shelter 10 hours earlier. The distressed hiker turned out to be sleeping in a tent behind the shelter and the paramedics were able to wake him and assess the situation. He was suffering from severe muscle spasms and was unable to walk out of the park without assistance. The two rescuers debated plans for getting the man out while they made dinner and then they crawled into the shelter to sleep until daylight.
Date: 2019-04-16
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 18.4

The paramedics were still present when I woke up. They had called in an additional 2 park staff to help extract the man from the mountaintop. Leaving the pros to their job, I quickly packed up in expectation of a long day. I wanted to make the push all the way out of the park today to Standing Bear Hostel. I made excellent time. It was a little strange watching as the pine forests began to give way to the kinds of forests we'd been seeing before Clingmans, but the trail was not too difficult and was mostly downhill, dropping from 6000 down to about 1700 over the course of the day. I left the park behind at Davenport Gap and followed Pigeon Branch down towards the I-40 crossing. Just before passing over the river I encountered double trail magic, two groups handing out candy, sodas, and hotdogs. Gave me just enough fuel to make the 1.8 miles to the hostel.Standing Bear is an interesting place. They sign you in and hand you a piece of paper that serves as your tab. It seems like it's a major hangout for the locals. While rough around the edges I actually really enjoyed the place. I paid for a tent spot by the creek, a pizza, and a couple drinks that we're way too strong and had a good evening getting to know some of the hikers I had been walking with the past couple days.