morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-02-21
From: Woody Gap

To: Swaim Gap
Miles today: 13.4

Day 4The stopover at the Hiker Hostle was well worth the money I spent. The $17 for the bed is way reasonable a price considering the breakfast they put up. the $12 each way for the shuttle to the trail was a little much, fortunatley the Breakfast off set the price. The hiking today was great 13.4 miles is another day with record distance covered, yea!, Te weather was so, so with everything from sprinkles to sleet, to snow, to fog to deal with and a load of sunshine added here and there. Hiking in shorts definately seems to be my thing though. It was a very strenuous day though, the section between Woody Gap and Neel Gap is probably the most dificult so far. That said I felt great today, it seemed that every hill I climbed was easier than the last. The decent from Blood Mountain was especially interesting. For one there were two guys out with their sons for the day and they followed me down. So, all the way down the boys kept racing ahead of their fathers, and me, then hiding until their fathers came along and trying to scare them. It was comical and a little dishartening to see those three boys springing down the mountain like little billy goats while I was hiffing and puffing going down hill and not able to keep up. It was fun to watch though. The other part of that decent that was memorable was the difficulty of the climb down. There were parts where I was using my hands to climb down the mountain and over bolders. It was fun though.The guys at Neel Gap outfiters were helpful. As I thought there was stuff that I decided that I needed. I picked up a sleeping bag liner (I have a 35* bag), anckle gaiters, some water proof mitten shells (for the rain), and a couple of packets of food with the intention of going on to Dicks Creek Gap before going into Hiawassee rather than goin in at Unicoi Gap as originally planned. From Neel Gap I went on with the intention of stopping at Bull Gap but when I got there, I didn't find water in any obvious place so I decided to go on until I found some. I finally found some at Swaim Gap, a nice little spring at the side of the trail that I had used on one of my test hikes. I ended up camping there on top of a small rise on a little bit of a slop. Got set up and dinner ready in no time. I tried one of the new meals, one of the vegitarian things, that I had gotten at Neel Gap, don't think I will get those again. Then had some trouble finding a spot to hang food. Just before full dark and almost giving up hope I finally got my food hung in a tree were I think it will be safe.
Date: 2012-02-22
From: Swaim Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: light rain

Day 5Short day today, I just never really got going this morning. I think I slept ok last night but don't seem to have any energy this morning and my feet are killing me, they are hurting much earlier in the day than they should be, my back is all so hurting more than normal and earlier rite across the middle. wa, wa, wa, I'll get over it. The weather was ok though so that wasn't a big issue. It did sprinkle on me a few times but never anything too much. I started off at 7:30 and am stopping very early just 12:15. I'll have a big lunch and lay down and likely not move again for a while or until morning. The shelter is in a great spot. There is a creek for water rite in front of the shelter. I am starting the second guess my decision to keep going through Unicoi and go on to Dicks Creek before going into Hiawassee. It seems that I may need a day of rest more than I think I do. I'll deside when I get to Unicoi tomorrow, it will depend on how I feel.
Date: 2012-02-23
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap / Hiawassee
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: broken clouds

Day 6Last night it stormed something fierce, lightning heavy rain, wind and all. Fortunately I was snug in the shelter and the opening was on the down wind side so the rain didn't blow into the shelter. I know I swore off shelters after my last experiance, and there was another snorer in the shelter, but I was able to sleep through it and the storm actually kept me up more than the snoring. I also had a mouse or something jump onto my sleeping bag, that was a nice scare out of a dead sleep, it was gone by the time I was able to wake up and look around though, I had given it a pretty good kick. Well, I guess that little mouse @#$%Q$% didn't like the kick I gave it because it went out and climed up the bear cables where I had my food bag hung and chewed through the bag (the bag is now unusable) and got into all my snak food (crackers, snikers, etc.). That makes the decision to go to Hiawasse from Unicoi Gap for me. I can't make it to Dicks Creek on the food that I have left (well I could if I absolutely had to, it didn't get the oatmeal which I have plenty of but who wants to eat that much oatmeal?) so it is off to Hiawassee I go.The hike from Low Gap shelter to Unicoi gap was nice, not too easy but nice. I made it to Unicoi gap by 12:45 an had hitched a ride with Jake (thanks Jake) into Hiawasse by 12:54, not bad for my very first time ever to hitch hike.Hiawassee is great, I got a room at the Hiawassee Inn (aka Budget Inn)and the same guy owns this one as owns three hotels in Franklin, NC. That means he is super hiker friendly and I will get a free ride back to the trail head (YEA!). So, Hot shower, clean cloths and off in search of a large cheese burger I went. At David's (hotel manager) suggestion I went to the Georgia Mountain Restaurant, it is an AYCE (all you can eat) but also have a 1/2 lbs. cheese burger on the menu that is fantastic, and the sweet tea was perfect also, not too sweet. Then I hit Dill's IGA for what I call alternative hiker food, or maybe it is typicall, I don't know. I picked up some summer sausages, musterd, a block of cheese, and super thin sandwich bread with some special K breakfast bars to give me some more substancial lunch far than candy bars and cheese crackers. Then I hit the Buckhead House Outfitter where I found some Mountain House Chili Mac (sorry I baught her out of the stuff), a new water proof bag to replace my mouse chewed one, and a couple of pairs of sox (I'm changing my sox strategies). I wound down the night with laundry (boy that stuff stank) and a foot long Subway sandwich. All in all a great day.
Date: 2012-02-24
From: Unicoi Gap / Hiawassee

To: Unicoi Gap / Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Day 7Today is a 0 day. I am not too sure about this but I think that my body will thank me later if I do this now. It is supposed to rain and get cold later today. After a 74* day yesterday and 68* degrees when I woke up today. I was questioning my decision to stop for a 0 day. Like I said though I think my body will thank me. I'll spend the day doing this (catching up my journal entries) watching TV, and maybe going down to Buckhead House to see about maybe replacing that heavy wet weather gear I have. I hope to be in Franklin 5 days from Saturday.... We'll see.Just an added note Pam at Buckhead House in Hiawassee has a great little store. She is still getting her supplies in but by march 1 she should be all set for through hiker season.
Date: 2012-02-25
From: Unicoi Gap / Hiawassee

To: Vista Camp Site
Miles today: 14.2

Day 8It has occured to me that I haven't said anything about the beuty of the country that I am walking through. I will try to do a better job of including that as I go forward. Today it was really cold, and the wind was blowing about 20mph all day. It was sunny though so when I could get out of the wind it was pleasent. I had three really had climbs today. First was a climb of 1000' out of Unicoi Gap. That wasn't too bad, the next one though was a little tougher. I had 1300' up Tray Mountain, the views made it worth while though. From the top they say you can actually see Atlanta and Stone Mountain, but I wasn't able to. It was quite the vista though. I have pictures, unfortunately I forgot the cable to get them from my camera to a PC so they will have to wait. After Tray Mountain where I meet a boy scout troup, that I kept passing and being passed by the rest of the day, I had 6 or 8 easy miles with laural and other flora. Just before the end o the day I had another big climb. This time 900', and it seemed like it was almost straight up. I ended the day setting up camp on a moutain top with a campsite named Vista that I almost passed by.
Date: 2012-02-26
From: Vista Camp Site

To: Bly Gap Camp Site
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

Day 9Well, today I was dragging just a bit. I think I may have over done it a bit too much yesterday, typical. That said the weather was great and it was a good day to be hiking, if your into that sort of thing. I crossed the GA/NC border today, YEA!, so that is one state down and 12 more to go. I did meet up with a group of guys that had gotten into Hiawassee on my 0 day. Daniel and Charlie are a Vet suffering from PTSD and his Service Dog, Charlie, an Austrailian who are out hiking the trail to celebrate 1 year that he has been with Charlie and off of his meds, Congrats. Also with them were Patrick and Chia Pet, it was fun to hike with them for a while. They stopped to set up camp around 2:30 and I decided to keep going. As far as scenery there wasn't much to look at today, just lots of woods, no great views or anything.
Date: 2012-02-27
From: Bly Gap Camp Site

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 10This morning started off with the mountains being stuck in the clouds. So, there was that oh so fun mixture of fog and rain to deal with until about noon. North Carolina wanted to make a big first impression and started off with a big climb first thing this morning. I thought I was going to be in for another short milege day but after that first climb I stopped and had a good snak/meal around 10am at Muskrat Shelter and felt much better and NC seemed to gentle a bit and I was able to put in a good day. My first impressions of the North Carolina section of the trail is that while GA had better tredway (where you walk), NC seems to be better and preserving some of the natural state of the trail. For example the trail will tend to go around dead fall rather than through it. It also seems to be more seenic, and secluded. Not as much weekend use here as in GA due to the trail being a bit more remote. Hiked all day to day and didn't see or hear anyone until I got to the shelter (another snorer). The guy's name was LASH (Long Ass Section Hiker) who had wanted to do a lot of winter hiking with snow and such. He said that he didn't get a to do a lot of hiking in the snow this year but that he was able to get some snow and winter hiking in through the smokies and parts of VA.Couple of milestones today; my first day over 15 miles, and my first climb over 5000'.
Date: 2012-02-28
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap/Franklin, NC
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

Day 11Had a rough night of sleep last night, my legs were aching until midnight and I just couldn't get comforatable. Despite that, much to my suprise, after a good breakfast and hot cup of tea I felt rested and refreashed and ready to go. I was excited to get to Albert Mountain, I have been hearing on the trail from other people that this will be a very challanging climb, it did not disappoint. Most of today was spent walking through a green tunnel created by Moutain Laural, I litterally could not see more than 50 feet of the trail in either direction and couldn't get more than the occasional glimpse of the surrounding country. Then came the section between Moony Gap and the top of Albert Mountain. It was great, climbing along what could best be described as a goat trail on the side of the mountain followed by a 400' climb with in .1 miles it was great. I stopped and had a small lunch at the top then continued on. After that the rest seemed like a bit of a let down but it was still a very nice walk in the woods. Made all the better because I had a hot shower and warm bed at the end of it in Fanklin, NC. Again today I went most of the day without seeing anyone. It wasn't until the last 3 miles of the day that I passed a group of Collage Girls out for a 3 day hike for Spring Break. I finally got rid of my heavy rain gear and traded it in on some lighter weight stuff. I managed to ship home a total of 6 lbs of stuff from my pack. With the rain gear added back in that should be a net loss of 4 lbs, doesn't sound like a lot but believe me it will make a huge difference. Thanks to the guys at 76 Outdoors in Franklin, NC they really hooked me up. Next stop Nantahala Outdoor Center should be about 2 to 2 1/2 days to there.
Date: 2012-02-29
From: Winding Stair Gap/Franklin, NC

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: light rain

Day 12Shipping home that unneeded stuff sure did help today, it may have been psycological, but my back didn't hurt at the end of the day and I count that as a big positive. It was foggy and raining almost all of the day today, and the forcast was for some rough and stormy weather overnight so we pushed to get to a shelter tonight. I ran into 'Bug Eater' in Franklin, a guy from Huston that I have run into 3 times now and we have decided to hike together for a while. It was kind of nice to have someone to talk to while walking today, but I'm not sure how long I will last with having company 24/7 on the trail. Those who know me will understand this, I'm not exactly anti-social but I'm also not what I would call overly social. I like my ME time. Big Bonus today, we got our first real trail majic today. 'Apple', who is a trail maintainer, had a tent set up in a gap about a mile from our destination for the night. In this tent he had majical cheese stuffed hot dogs, Oreo's, Hot Chocolate, and Coffee. As much as we wanted and also offered to let us sleep in the tent with the a wood burning stove to keep us warm. Since it was supposed to be blowing wind, hail, heavy rain, and the like; we opted to continue to the shelter. We did however scarf up as many hot dogs, oreo's, and hot chocolate as we could though. A big thank you to 'Apple'!!!!After that it was off to the shelter, a very sturdy structure made from logs that were atleast 2 feet thick and sitting low and out of the wind. The water source wasn't 50' from the front of the shelter and the privy was just a short walk away, what luxury.
Date: 2012-03-01
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 13Last night was a little rough, between too much coffee (but it was so good), only having 1 1/2" between me and the hard ground, sore legs and feet, and the storm blowing away just outside the shelter I had a hard time getting to sleep last night. That said, I was very glad that we were in that shelter. The wind blew very hard for most of the night and I heard atleast 3 trees fall durring the night. Lots of lightning at times and of course rain by the buckets. Around 2am though every thing calmed down and got quiet so I was able to catch a few hours of good sleep. Much better weather for hiking today, it was sunny and the temps were perfect. The hiking was almost all down hill today, which believe it or not is almost as tough as the up hill bits. On the down hills you pound away at your feet and knees and it burns up your quads like you wouldn't believe. So, on the down hills you end up with sore feet and sore quads, on the up hills you end up with sore calves and sore glutes. The up hills will only get easier with practic but I am trying to improve my down hill technique so that at least my feet won't hurt so bad.The views were spectacular all day. For most of the day we were decending into the Nantahala Gorge and since the decent was so steep in most places we were able to get some great views of the gorge and the river on our way down. The big pay off was getting to the NOC, and getting to eat at the restaurant. The Onion rings and burger were perfect. Our waitress, sorry don't remember her name (a cross between Goldie Hawn and Drew Berrymore), was also right on time with the food suggestions. We went back there for dinner and here recommendations were once again perfect. The Hostle/Hotel, wasn't the best though. Compared to the other places we have been so far on the trail it was over priced and under serviced. If I had the choice to make again, I would come through, resupply at the outfitter (who were great by the way), eat at the restaurant, and then promptly keep going down the trail. I also upgraded my sleeping pad for one that is lighter and much thicker. For the hostle they couldn't/wouldn't provide sheets and for the hotel room there was no private bath and it was more of a hostle than the hostle was. Not happy with sleeping over at the NOC....
Date: 2012-03-02
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: moderate rain

Day 14Despite being very disipointed at overpaying for being underserved at the NOC hotel/hostle. I did sleep very well in a real bed in an environmentaly controlled room. The hike out of the NOC was a tough one but that was expected. What wasn't expected was the heavy storm that blew in about 30 minutes before we got to the shelter. Bug eater and I ducked into the shelter with the intention of putting on our wet weather pants then pushing on. 'Rocket Man' was there though and convenced us to look at the weather radar before we left. We had 3G service so after looking at all the red on the weather radar Bug Eater and I decided that we had gone as far as we were going to for the day. Especially since the next shelter was some 9 miles away and it was expected to be a big storm again that night. So, we are hunkered down for the night after a short day of not quite 7 miles.
Date: 2012-03-03
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Black Gum Gap
Miles today: 16.6

Day 15Last night it stormed big time. Lots of lightning, and wind. We heard that there were lots of tornados and such in the area. Fortunately all that missed us and all we got was some wind and a light show with a lot of rain. It was a good day to hike today, tough but good weather. Lots of nice views of the surounding country. The high light of the day was the climb up Jacobs Ladder. A climb of only 600 feet but it was done in a very short distance with no breaks. The big disappointment was that after the mountain kicked your butt with that very hard climb the trail skipped the last 10 or 15 feet to the summit of the mountain that was being climbed. Well, I wasn't going to let that mountain kick my butt then not let me finish the climb so I bush wacked my way to the top and was rewarded with a very nice view through the trees. Unfortunately, the trees blocked the way to getting a good picture but it was nice to look at. Still hiking with Bug Eater, great guy but I am going to have to find a way to let him know that I want to hike alone at least durring the day. It is nice having someone at a shelter or tent site that you know. Especially, nice to know that you are expected somewere at the end of the day so that if you don't show up someone will know you were supposed to. Anyway, I'll figure something out. We tented at Black Gum Gap tonight.
Date: 2012-03-04
From: Black Gum Gap

To: Fontana Visitor's Center
Miles today: 5.5

Day 16Another short day today. We are going to stop over at Fontana Dam to get resupplied and get laundry done for our first leg of the Smokies (Smoky Mountain National Park). I slept great in the tent last night. Seems like it was the first night in the tent in a long while. I got to hike most of the short hike today alone. I was done packing up a good 15 minutes before Bug Eater and since it was Freezing I needed to get moving and left before he did. We meet up again down at the HWY 28 crossing were there was a WARM rest room and a phone from which we called the Hike Inn to come and pick us up. We, arainged to meet up with Nancy from the Hike Inn at the Fontana Dam Visitor's center about 1.2 miles down the trail and headed out for the dam. On the way we stopped by the 'Fontana Hilton' so called because it is a very nice shelter that sleeps about 20 people, has running water, rest rooms near by (with porcelin and running water) and showers within .3 miles down at the visitors cednter. If all the shelters were like the Fontana Hilton I would be more eager to stay in them.The Hike Inn is a great little operation. Nancy and Jeff really go out of thier way to service the hikers. For $65 (which sounds like a lot) you get a private room that is comforatable and clean, Nancy will do your laundry for you, you get shuttled to and from the trail, and you get a shuttle into town in the evening for Dinner and a trip to the grocery store for resupply. It truely is a great place to stay on the trail.I also had a discussion with Bug Eater at dinner. We will continue to hike at the same pace (starting and stopping at the same places) but won't hike together durring the day. That is perfect.
Date: 2012-03-05
From: Fontana Visitor's Center

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 17So, turns out that through the Smokies it is a requirement to stay at shelters. At each shelter there are 3 spots set aside for Thru Hikers only and the rest (9 or so) are set asside for section hikers with reservations. If you are thru hiker #4 and the shelter is full then you have to move on or tent at the shelter (which is frowned upon [if you are caught]). Had a great hike today, it was nice to be hiking alone. Bug Eater and I did pass one another a couple of times, but we each maintained our own pace rather than keeping together. The smokies are very scenic and the views and the trail it self was cool to hike through. Today was mostly up hill from Fontana, but it wasn't too steep anywhere so it was a fairly easy day of hiking. They are fairly stingy with the white paint used to paint the 'white blaze' that marks the trail. There were several times that I questioned if I was still on the trail and had to hike another 10 or 15 minutes before seeing a white blaze. This is especially disconcerting when there are places where the trail splits off to other trails. When we got to the Russle Field Shelter it was empty but it was early in the day so we decided to push on to the Spence Field Shelter. There we meet up with other thru hikers; 'Maybe', 'Old Timer', and 'Ground Hog'. That made Bug Eater and I thru hikers 4 and 5 and there were probably 16 section hikers there as well. Seems that the park service wasn't paying attention and scheduled 16 section hikers into a shelter that only sleeps 12 with 3 of the 12 spots reserved for thru hikers. So, into the Tents we went. Truthfully, I didn't mind that much because as cold as it was I was warmer and it was much quieter for me in the tent than it would have been in the shelter.