morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-02-20
From: Low Gap Shelter 

To: Tray Mountain 
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

Day 42/20/19 15.4I enjoyed my shelter mates last night. No one snored.  This morning was the last I¢ll see of them. They are all listening to their bodies and not overdoing it. Several have sore knees from the steep downhills.Today was just like yesterday with freezing rain. Today had the added bonus of long stretches of ridge line hiking. Normally this would mean great views but when you¢re walking in the clouds all you get is gusty winds with windchill in the 20s. It got a little nippy at times especially when you¢re wearing running shorts and a kilt. I felt a connection my Scottish ancestors as if I was walking in the highlands in blustery weather. The terrain is getting steeper and the climbs longer. The climb out of Unicoi Gap up Rocky Mountain was the hardest so far. The decent was tricky with slippery granite and mud. The air is so fresh that it just makes you happy to be hiking no matter how harsh the conditions. The trail traveled through many different ecosystems. The day started off walking past numerous cascades that flowed across the trail. Later I was walking through a fern ladenboulder field with rocks and fallen trees covered with thick moss. I got to Tray Mountain Shelter around 4pm. The wind was blowing rain into the shelter. 3 hikers were pressed as against the back wall trying to keep their sleeping bags dry. They offered me a spot but my extra body would have made it worse. I went to scout out a safe place to setup my tent out of the wind. All of the established sites were on the ridge exposed to the driving rain. We were right in the path of huge thunderstorms and I was worried about trees or tree limbs falling on me. So I set my tent up right behind the shelter. This protected me from the wind and tree limbs. It seemed like a good spot but soon after I got my tent up rain poured down and a low spot quickly filled with water and a puddle appeared under my tent.  The bathtub floor of my old Duplex allowed water to seep through and I had to devise a way to keep my sleeping bag dry. I was wishing that I had brought my Tarptent. I¢m confident that it would have kept me dry in any puddle because it has. I called Nancy to whine about my problem I might have her mail it to me in Damascus Virginia. The only good thing about Tray Mountain Shelter was I got 3 bars on T-Mobile. One more story about the shelter. As I was pitching my tent I noticed one Crock the ugly shoes that was made uglier because it had a mouse trap with a dead mouse in it. Why are some people so disrespectful and leave gross stuff like that for other people to see. Lesson learned:  Even though the temperature has been in the 30s with windchills in the 20s my feet have stayed warm while hiking. One of the joys of hiking is putting cold wet shoes on in the morning. It¢s not that bad. I even put on my wet socks. Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-02-23
From: Muskrat Shelter 

To: Betty Creek 
Miles today: 16.2

AT trail day 716.2 milesI¢m turning into a real dirt bag hiker. As I was putting on my cold wet shoes and socks I noticed that my socks were still muddy from yesterday. I didn¢t want to unpack everything just to get clean socks to wear. They would just get wet and filthy as soon as I put my shoes on anyway. So I thought what the heck and put on the dirty socks.I hiked in the fog all day. It was cool with the temperatures in the low 40s and not much wind-chill with the exception of the exposed ridges. There would have been some great views on a clear day  There was only one long climb up Standing Indian Mountain which has an elevation of 5500 feet. The trail has a section where many trees have blown over and blocked the trail. You either had to crawl under a tree or take a temporary side trail to pass. A group of weekend hikers came passed me going the opposite direction.  One of the hikers jokingly told me to ¢embrace the suck¢. This is a common expression used by AT hikers to deal with wet weather. This guy thought hiking in a little fog was unpleasant, he should have been out here during the freezing rain. I prefer to say ¢Embrace the Adventure¢ it¢s more positive. Another thing I say to myself is that everything is temporary. The hard climb will be over, the gusty cold wind will stop when I get off the ridge and the weather will eventually get better. My brand new high tech backpack is giving me problems. The suspension system consists of horizontal bars and vertical rods. All of these parts used to fit snugly until my pack became saturated from 6 days of rain and fog. The horizontal bars keep popping out and make it impossible to adjust the pack correctly. I hate to waste valuable hiking time messing around trying to fix my pack. The middle bar came loose and fell somewhere on the trail. Equipment problem are bound to happen and are just part of the adventure. I almost had a hike ending accident. I setup camp at Betsy Creek Gap. I found a spot tucked away in bushes that appeared to have good drainage. There is a creek to get water nearby. I took off my gross wet shoes and put on my sandals. I went down to the creek to get water and I slipped on a root and injured my big toe. It bleed for a long time. I used my first aid kit to clean it up and I put a large bandage on it. The bandage stopped the bleeding. It doesn¢t hurt too much so I hope it will be better tomorrow. This incident reminded me of how important it is to be careful.It¢s 8:45 pm and it started raining again. It supposed to be a nice day tomorrow. Two more miles to finish my first 100 miles of the AT It rained hard last night The wind came in strong gusts that you could hear roaring up the Gap. Then it would hit and the trees would thrash about and some trees would squeak as if they were ready to break in half and fall on my tent. My tent kept me mostly dry.  The air has that earthy smell of wet leaves Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-02-24
From: Betty Creek 

To: Wine Spring Camp 
Miles today: 20.4

Day 8 on the AT20.4 miles to Wine Spring CampIt¢s 8pm and I¢m huddled under my sleeping bag trying to keep myself and my phone warm. I¢m at 5300 feet and there is a wind advisory. My wet socks started to freeze an hour ago so I stuffed them in my backpack with my shoes. Not only is the wind cold but it could knock dead limbs from trees or even blow over an entire tree. I leaned on a small tree today and pushed it over. I can hear a creaking tree right now. What a difference a sunny day makes. All morning I was singing the song ¢It¢s going to be a bright bright sunshiny day¢. The views were great today. The Appalachian mountains have there own special beauty. The hike took me through some magical areas. I even got to walk through streams that didn¢t have any rocks to hop. The first climb was up Albert Mountain. The climb was short but very steep. My efforts were rewarded on the summit because of a beautiful view and the 100 AT miles hiked sign. Only 2092 mile to Katahdin. I met several hikers today. A guy from Colorado has the trail name ¢Urgent Cat Hole¢. A hikers cat hole has the same function as a cat¢s cat hole Most of today was easy. The uphills had strenuous sections but they didn¢t last too long I filled up my water at a peaceful little stream. I sat there in the sun eating lunch enjoying the sounds of the rushing water and the fresh air. I was hiking along one section focusing on my rhythm and the wind blew a little branch off a tree and it hit me in the head. I¢m glad it wasn¢t a big branch. I saw my first Bald today. It was very weird. Your hiking up this mountain with trees everywhere and then you pop up on a large flat field. Towards the end of the day I came up behind a hiker and I tried to say hello to get his attention so that he could let me pass. I got no response. The poor guy was having a meltdown. He was actually crying and whining the whole way up the mountain. The climb wasn¢t even that hard. I waited for a wide spot in the trail and ran past him. I felt sorry for him and was also concerned that he would end up camping where I was heading. I didn¢t want to camp alone with a mental person. I saw his friends later and they said he was having a tough time. One guy was going to drop his pack and head down to help him out. They never made it to this campsite. I¢m at Wine Spring campsite. There¢s a shooting range nearby. The place is still muddy from all the rain. I talked with a local and he said that these were record setting rains. I got my first Trail Magic this afternoon. A young man that thru hiked the AT last year was packing in fruit to give to this year¢s aspiring thru hikers. I enjoyed a juicy orange. I thought today¢s hike was going to be 18 miles but it ended up being 20!  I felt strong the whole day. The toe I injured yesterday felt okay and only hurt a little towards the end of the day. I just braved going outside to pee and was rewarded with a beautiful night sky full of bright stars. Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-02-27
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter 

To: Fontana Crossing 
Miles today: 11.4

AT trail day 11I apologize for the short post today but town days are busy and it¢s late My legs felt a little heavy today due to the challenging climbs yesterday. I got to Fontana Crossing around 12:30 and used the phone by the bathroom to call the Fontana Lodge for a shuttle. They didn¢t have anyone to pick me up so I got to hike at least 2 bonus miles to the lodge. The hike was mostly up steep the steep highway. The kind of grade that they put highway markers on to warn truckers. The rest of the day was used to organize my resupply box contents and call family members. They don¢t have guest laundry machines and I didn¢t feel like walking to the laundromat so I did my laundry in the tub. I had washed my clothes yesterday at the NOC but my socks were filthy. Tomorrow I head out in the rain to hike the Smokies  I¢m very excited for this upcoming adventure. It might even snow.
Date: 2019-02-28
From: Fontana Crossing 

To: Spence Field Shelter 
Miles today: 19.4

AT trail day 12Spence Field Shelter 19.4 AT miles plus a bonus 1.5 road walk is not too shabby for a man going on 66  The Fontana Lodge doesn¢t offer a shuttle back to the trail until 8:30. I wanted to get an early start so I set the alarm for 5:30 and was ready to go by 6:30. That is until I did a last minute equipment check. My Inreach was missing again. Panic pack explosion and I still couldn¢t find it. I looked under all of the beds and under the sheets and still nothing. Then I noticed that the drapes were closed. Sure enough it was on the floor behind the drapes. By the time I repacked everything it was 7:15. I was lucky that I checked. I started my 2 mile plus road walk and was happy that it was mostly downhill. I heard a car coming so I stuck out my thumb to no avail. After about 1.5 miles I heard a second car coming around a bend. I looked back and saw a small bright red sports car. I decided not to even try so I turned around and kept walking. To my surprise the VW bug stopped and a woman asked me if I wanted a ride. Of course I said yes. She was heading to meet a friend for a short backpacking trip. Molly was a really nice lady. We chatted away about backpacking and somehow I got her on the wrong road and we had to turn around. I had to use my Guthook app to get us headed in the correct direction. She was a great sport about it and insisted on taking me where I needed to go. It was now 8:05 which put me at least 35 minutes ahead of when the shuttle would have dropped me off. It was about a 3 miles walk along Fontana Lake to get to the trailhead that takes you into the Smokies. The first 10 mile hike up into the Smokies had some strenuous climbs. There were a lot of trees and bushes that had fallen and were blocking the trail. I talked with a Ridge Runner (works for the AT organization) and a volunteer trail maintainer. They said that the trail got easier after the Mollies Ridge Shelter. They said that volunteers normally get out in January to start clearing the trail but they couldn¢t get out early this year because of the government shutdown. It was supposed to rain all day but luckily it only sprinkled and then the fog came in. I made it to Spence Field Shelter at 4:00. I was the first one here. It¢s a large double decker. The water source has a rusty pipe that I didn¢t want to use. They were all sorts of bear warnings posted on Guthook. One other hiker named Don¢t Care showed up later. He¢s a flip flooper that is still trying to finish up last years hike. Tomorrow will be a day of highlights so I hope that the rain stops. Clingmans Dome is the highest point on the AT and marks the 200 mile mark. The Smokies have been nice but I can¢t say that I¢ve seen anything different than I have for the last 12 Days. Last night we were in the clouds with off and on rain.I¢m concerned about the frigid weather coming this way. Lows are forecast to be in the teens to the single digits. I might need to spend a couple of nights in Hot Springs. Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-03-01
From: Spence Field Shelter 

To: Double Springs Shelter 
Miles today: 13.5

AT Day 13Double Springs Shelter: 13.5 milesLast nights stay at Spence Field Shelter was uneventful. No bears or rodents bothered us. Of course it was so foggy that a bear could have been standing right next to me when I went outside to pee in the middle of the night that I couldn¢t have seen it. The worst part was when we took off our stinky wet filthy shoes and socks. They gave the place quite the aroma. Just think what the shelter would smell like with 12 dirty hikers. This morning I could just barely make out where the bear cables were. It was difficult but I managed to find the correct tree that the cables attach to.  After I retrieved my food bag I headed back in the direction of the shelter. I kept running into brambles. Don¢t Care, the other person in the shelter coughed so I turned in that direction and could just barely make out the shelter¢s roof. I had wanted to make it to Clingmans Dome which marks the 200 mile point and is also the highest point on the AT. The weather and the trail double teamed me and I fell 2.8 miles short. I had plenty of time to get to Clingmans but then I¢d have to hike another 3 miles to the next shelter. On a normal day I would have kept pushing but this was no normal day It was raining hard when I started and it continued to rain all day. I had on all my rain gear and stayed dry. The big problem was that all of the rain we¢ve been having saturated the ground and the trail became a slippery muddy mess. It¢s easy to tell where rocks and roots are to keep from tripping but a perfectly good section of trail could become a skating rink in an instant. These conditions made for slow going on the descents. I slipped numerous times and fell more times than I can remember. My worst accident happened when I tripped with my left foot and stepped on the edge of the trail with my right foot. The edge of the trail gave way and I fell down and slid about 5 feet down the slope. I grabbed a tree to stop myself. My back still hurts. Needless to say I was a wet, muddy, and battered hiker.  The majority of uphills seemed very steep, which also slowed my pace considerably. It was quite an ordeal. I did my best to just make it through the day in one piece. The good thing about not making it up Glingmans Dome today is there wouldn¢t have been any views. It¢s not supposed to rain tomorrow so maybe I¢ll get to see something. I got to the Double Spring Shelter around 3:30 and called it a day. It might get below freezing tonight so I will need to put my water filter and electronics in my sleeping bag with me. Something just went running across the roof of the shelter. I guess the mice are coming out to play. I have the shelter to myself.
Date: 2019-03-07
From: Roaring Fork Shelter 

To: ElmerÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Sunnybank Inn Hot Springs 
Miles today: 17.9

AT Day 19To mile 274.9 total 17.9I don¢t know why the total mileage is off. To date it should read 274.9 per Guthook. I found one entry that posted twice so that maybe the problem. This will be a quick post. I¢m in Hot Springs at the Sunnybank Inn. It¢s a beautiful 1840¢s house you have to see to believe. Check it out on any of the AT guides or Guthook. The trail did not disappoint today. You most definitely could have built a snowman today. Most of the day was spent hiking in the snow. It finally warmed up when the sun started shining. The uphills were pretty tough today. They were long and steep. The downhills were also long and steep. The snow was perfect for hiking in. It wasn¢t slushy or slippery. The dirt was frozen but not slick. For the most part the stream crossings were the only places you had to worry about ice. There was one spot on the trail away from streams that must have been a small spring that had frozen over and turned into a stealth ice patch. I stepped on it and went down. I made it the 17.9 miles to Hot Springs by 3 o¢clock. I stopped off at the Laughing Heart Hostel to pick up some repair parts for my backpack. I told the owner that I really want stay at the Sunnybank Inn and she said I¢ll drive you there. She didn¢t even charge me for holding my package. On the way to dinner I had to walk about 0.3 miles south on the AT where I had branched off to go to the hostel so I can keep continuous footsteps. I then turned around and hiked back north. It¢s getting late and I have to pack up for the next leg of my trip to Erin Tennessee. Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-03-08
From: ElmerÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Sunnybank Inn Hot Springs 

To: Little Laurel Shelter 
Miles today: 19.7

AT day 20 19.7 miles to Little Laurel Shelter Hi Scarlet, Urgent Cat Hole mentioned that a member of your hiking club asked if he had run into me  I left Hot Springs around 9am. The AT runs right down their Main Street. The sidewalks have these cool looking AT signs embedded in their sidewalks. It¢s right on a large river and it has several river related businesses.The climb out of any town is going to be steep for a while. Hot Springs had one of the steepest so far. In fact the entire hike had many steep climbs. It started raining around 10:00 am. It was a cold hard rain. Luckily it warned me with sprinkles so I could stop and put on my rain gear. My umbrella is attached to my shoulder strap so I can use it hands free. Today my umbrella was driving me crazy. The straps holding it seemed to be plotting against me and the umbrella wouldn¢t sit right. It would flop to one side. Even when it¢s adjusted correctly the umbrella blocks your eyesight when hiking uphill and I have to occasionally push it up on the front to get a good view of what¢s coming up. My backpack was causing me problems again. The top horizontal bar came out and it threw my packs balance off causing the pack to keep sliding towards the right. It was very annoying to hike almost 20 miles having to constantly move my right shoulder strap back where it belonged. I wish I had bought an Osprey Exos/Lumina.Luckily I had a great morale boost when Urgent Cat Hole showed up. I haven¢t seen him since before the Smokies. He is a very fast hiker and likes to do big miles. He is also a genuine nice guy. His wife and 3 year old son came out to visit him for several days. That¢s how I got to see him again today.  Later in the day I hiked through some light snow and then sleet. It didn¢t last long. But at 3:30 with another 1.5 hours of hiking to go it started pouring. I rigged up my umbrella and it worked great this time. It¢s very helpful in keeping the cold rain off of your rain gear. I got to Little Laurel Shelter around 5:30. Urgent Cat Hole was already there eating. I don¢t like shelters but it was late and raining and only Urgent Cat Hole was here so I decided to hang out in the shelter. Later on a somewhat annoying AT hiker showed up and spread his wet gear all over. Tomorrow the plan is to hike 23.8 miles to Hogback Ridge Shelter. Then I¢ll have one more day and a wake up to get to Uncle Johnny's Hostel near Erin Tennessee. It¢s currently 9:25 pm and two of four hikers are snoring. I¢m next to a wall and it¢s echoing off the wall. It sounds like there¢s a creature in the corner. I wish it would stop raining hard so I can go outside and pee. Happy hiking, Silver Streak
Date: 2019-03-10
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter 

To: No Business Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 20.7

Day 2220.7 miles to No Business Knob ShelterThis morning I felt like I was in a Nature Valley Granola Bar commercial. The one where young, fit and I¢m sure good smelling hikers effortlessly hike up to a beautiful spot, sit down and enjoy a Nature Valley bar while soaking in the view. I had a Nature Valley moment this morning on top of an unnamed Bald that had sweeping views, a light fresh breeze blowing and a perfect log to sit on. I would have ruined the commercial because I¢m old and I can smell the stink from my shoes as I hike. Sam¢s Gap (3700 ft) to Big Bald (5500 ft) 7 mile climb. In my opinion it was the hardest climb to date. It was steep and took forever. I kept saying to myself that ¢this to will pass¢ and ¢every step is one step closer to the mountain that matters¢. Eventually the torture did end and I reached the summit of Big Bald. A young local guy brought soft drinks and snacks for AT hikers. I gladly sat down and enjoyed a Cheerwine soda and some peanut crackers. After a short chat I took off quickly energized by the sugar flooding my system. I met a couple that were AT Glampers. They had an RV and a car. They would park one at their endpoint and then drive back to the starting trailhead with the other. Hike with lightweight packs to the end and then drive back to pick up the other vehicle. As they say HYOH or hike your own hike. As long as they have continuous footsteps on the AT they¢re thru hikers. I reached No Business Shelter with plenty of sunlight left to get my chores done. I was the only one there so I slept in the shelter. Someone started a rumor that it¢s haunted but the only weird noises I heard was from night creatures scurrying around looking for scraps. Some people may be wondering why I hike 20 plus miles. It has to do with the spacing of shelters. Today I had a choice between 13 miles or 21.5 miles. I would have been done at 1 o¢clock if I stopped at the first one and then I¢d be bored. The topography of these mountains also makes it hard to find a flat spot to pitch a tent . The areas next to the trail are steep and covered with trees and bushes. Even if you found a spot up on a ridge there probably would not be any water nearby. Leave No Trace principles means that you should leave the land like you found it.
Date: 2019-03-11
From: No Business Knob Shelter 

To: Uncle Johnny's Hostel 
Miles today: 6.1

Day 236.1 miles to Uncle Johnny's Hostel I forgot to mention in yesterday¢s entry that 10 March marked the end of my third week on the trail. Today I hiked an easy 6.1 miles to Uncle Johnny's Hostel to pick up my resupply package and rest my legs. This has been my favorite stop to date. I¢m staying in a private cabin room. The staff goes out of their way to make you feel comfortable. They have a very good selection of backpacking supplies. Tomorrow I head out for a 6 day hike to Damascus. It¢s only 127 from here. I can¢t believe that I¢m almost there. I will be passing the 400 mile mark and hopefully I¢ll leave Tennessee and North Carolina behind. I¢m looking forward to the Roan Highlands, they are supposed to be spectacular. I hope that spring will finally come with wildflowers decorating the forests and hills. I will stop at Boots Off Hostel to pick up the replacement pack that ZPacks is sending me. I was so happy they would replace my pack. I hated it. I¢m sure it must have been a lemon because everyone else that I¢ve met on the AT with the Arc Haul love it. Let the adventure continue!