morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-02-19
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Got started later than normal as we were at the mercy of our shuttle, but finally got going hiking at 8. It felt good to be on the trail again. Don¢t get me wrong, yesterday¢s Zero was a welcome respite as we had an opportunity to eat some real food and give our muscles a chance to recover, but a Zero day just doesn¢t feel right. In the future each of my hiking buddies and I agreed that a Nero is the much preferred option. A few miles is much better than no miles. Zeros have a way of catching up with you - sooner or later you have to pay the piper. Today¢s hike included a climb over two significant peaks, Siler Bald (5,216) and Wayah Bald (5,342). They call them balds because on the summits there is a large grassy area without any trees. Unfortunately there were no views to be had as both summits were socked in. There is a stone tower on the Wayah summit. What a dank and dreary tower interior, I wouldn¢t want to have to spend the nite there. Other than the climb over these 2 peaks, I thought much of today¢s hike was rather mellow. Lots of long stretches with gentle grades. Our hike today started out with a light rain, and as we gained some elevation we were once again in the clouds/mist with very little visibility. Things started to clear up as the day went on, and the afternoon was rather pleasant. We arrived at our targeted shelter/camping area around 4:15, and elected to spend the nite there as opposed to pushing on. My tenting spot is on a slight rise with a beautiful view to the southeast. It is so nice to arrive at camp a little early, get setup under fair skies, and have a nice relaxing hot meal while discussing the day¢s hike with Night Train, Jeep and Captain Blackbeard (my hiking buddies) - and to discuss the gameplan for the next day (hint:  it includes hiking). I am safe, warm and dry in my tent tonite. Good Nite Appalachian Trail!
Date: 2018-02-20
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: light snow

Early start today, on the trail hiking at 5. No rain overnite, and very little condensation in my tent. Overall it was an absolutely beautiful day, sun was shining most of the day and temps were in the 60s. Shorts and t-shirt weather. At Tellico Gap, which was about 4 miles from last nite¢s camping spot, I enjoyed my second trail magic compliments of Sunshine and Pickles. Chips, a Snickers bar, and an ice cold root beer. Ahhhh,it was so good..Thank You Sunshine & Pickles!Today¢s hike took us through the Nantahala Outdoor Center. They offer a variety of outdoor adventure activities such as kayaking, canoeing, zip lining. We got there at 10:45, had lunch at the restaurant, and ended up killing a couple hours as the guys were printing out their permits for the Great Smoky Mountain National Park which we will enter in 3 days. I printed my permit out at home the day before I left for my trip, figuring if it took me more than 30 days to get to the Smokies I was in trouble (permits are only good for 30 days to enter the park, and you cannot be in the park as a thru hiker for more than 8 days). 3,000 ft. climb out of the NOC, whew!Tonite Night Train and the Capt. got a fire going at the shelter, wood is finally dry enough to burn.  Having a great time. I am safe, warm and dry tonite, sleeping in the shelter.
Date: 2018-02-21
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 21.9

Another beautiful sunny day, with warm temperatures (felt like the 60s). Tough day today hiking wise, we weren¢t initially intending to go all the way to Fontana but now that we are here we¢ll be able to take a Zero tomorrow instead of our planned Nero. This way we¢ll be able to get a good rest before we hit the Smokies on Friday. I was hiking today from 5:30 AM till 5:15 PM. Each of us (the Four Horsemen) hikes at our own pace so we are scattered during the course of the day while hiking, but we have an agreed upon end of day destination. Although each of us is totally self sufficient in terms of gear, food, etc. there is a safety aspect that comes with this arrangement. The Fontana Dam Shelter (aka Fontana Hilton) is by far the nicest shelter we¢ve seen so far. There is a yard hydrant with fresh water, and a restroom that is heated with a shower. Luxury accommodations. I am safe, warm and dry in the shelter tonite.
Date: 2018-02-23
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: overcast clouds

First  off I¢d like to give a hello to our 5 grandkids: Link, Lucy, Elena, Evelyn, & Charlie. I know you guys are following along on my posts (with the help of your parents of course), I am thinking of you, miss you and love you. Rest assured that Opa is being very safe, not to worry!We were dependent on a shuttle ride from the Fontana Lodge back to the shelter, so we didn¢t get started hiking today till about 8:30. That¢s OK, as this way we got to walk across Fontana Dam in daylight (with our customary 5:30 AM hiking start we¢d of been crossing in the dark and missed the view). The dam is very impressive indeed, nice job TVA. We were also sure to drop our half of our Smoky Mountain thru hiking permits into the box. We now officially have 8 days max. to get thru the park. It was an absolutely beautiful day today, another warm day and lots of sunshine. We had a great 360 degree view from the fire tower on Shuckstack Mt. This is certainly beautiful country here in North Carolina. As far as the hiking today was concerned, the trail was great. Lots of switchbacks which means very gentle grades - great hiking. According to Guthook today¢s climbing elevation was 5,600 ft., but it didn¢t seem like it was that much with the gentle grades. Somewhere around milepost 174 we encountered the North Carolina/Tennessee state line, and will apparently be crossing back and forth between the two states for the next several days. They say that the AT is the state line along a stretch thru the Smokies, so as we are hiking one foot will be in NC and one foot will be in TN. There are two other AT thru hikers here at the shelter tonite (Buckeye and Zilla) and two weekend hikers. We also passed a SOBO on the trail today (Giggles), he is only about 170 miles from finishing. Congratulations Giggles! In general however we have not encountered many other hikers, which is not unexpected being we are well ahead of the hiker bubble. Today on the trail Nite Train saw some wild boar tracks. Mind you I am not a hunter to start with and wouldn¢t know a wild boar track from a turkey track. I have read that wild boars roam these parts in packs. Anyway I asked the guys what I should do in the event there was a big old wild boar bull rushing me. Nite Train commented with a chuckle that I was probably done for unless I climbed a tree. HaHa. Capt. Blackbeard said that since I had a hard head I should head butt the charging boar. HaHa, real funny guys! The reason I am now known by the guys as having a hard head is because a couple nights ago, when getting up during the nite to take a leak, I smashed my head into a low beam in the shelter. I hit it so hard and it made such a noise, all the guys woke up. They had a good laugh over that one too. Happy to provide the entertainment guys. I am having a blast out here on the trail, great camaraderie with my newfound hiking buddies and the scenery is great. I am safe, warm and dry tonite in the shelter.
Date: 2018-02-24
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 19.1

The four of us all woke up early so we were on the trail hiking at 4:45 AM.Rain, fog and wind when we started out, making for slow going with our headlamps on - was sometimes hard to see the trail, and we encountered sections with loose stone making footing placement important. The rain stopped by around 9, and we had a brief interlude around 1 where the skies cleared but that was short lived. Today wasn¢t our highest mileage day so far, but it may have been our toughest. Approx. 6,000 ft. climbing elevation according to Guthook. We did summit Clingman¢s Dome, at 6,658 ft. it is the tallest point on the AT. We walked up the tower, but there were absolutely no views to be had because of the cloud cover. Oh well, so geht¢s leben. We did go over 200 miles today, which is also a milestone. We still have few miles ahead of us. About 1,991, but who¢s counting. HaHa.We are staying  again at a shelter tonite, Mt. Collins Shelter is at Elev. 5,958 ft, which is pretty high up. Staying in a shelter is a requirement of AT thru hikers here in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The only time we can pitch a tent is if the shelter is full, which this time of year is not the case. The shelters here are pretty nice, they are of stone construction with wooden sleeping platforms. Shelters so far all have a stone fireplace (we had a fire going the last two nites), and the open side of the shelter is covered with a tarp.  All the comforts of home!We did see several day/weekend hikers out on the trail today, but hikers are few and far between. Also staying at the shelter tonite is Trunks (so named because he has massive legs like tree trunks), an Ohio State student attempting an AT thru hike just like us. Trunks is taking the spring semester off. He is very fit and really motors down the trail. Please note that I will be posting this report tomorrow (hopefully), a day after the fact, as my cell phone signal is very weak. I also have problems uploading photos to trailjournals.com, I¢m sure this is also tied to a weak signal. In that case I¢ll try to post a photo for the prior day and update my entry, again everything is dependent on reception. I am safe, warm and dry in the shelter tonite.
Date: 2018-02-25
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

We slept in till 6 after the long day yesterday, and it was raining pretty heavy so we delayed our start till about 7:15 when it subsided a bit. It stopped raining about 8:30, and all in all it was a decent day with views.   No sun, but the cloud cover was above the mountains. Now that we are 3 days into the Smokies, I think they are great. The trail and shelters are all in great shape, and the views (when there¢s no mist/clouds), are awesome. Spectacular country. One area kind of interesting that I walked through was a fenced off area to keep the wild hogs out. The informational sign stated that this was to protect vegetation that apparently the hogs destroy. Speaking of hogs I keep thinking of bacon, ham, pulled pork....but I digress. At Newfound Gap we were pleasantly greeted by trail angel Tina. Tina will be attempting AT thru hike next year. She offered us fresh fruit, snacks, soda, and juice. We were all most appreciative, thank you Tina!!!!We had really great views off Charlie¢s Bunion (elev. 5,500), I got some great pictures. At the shelter tonite there are a total of 7 of us Nobos: we four horsemen, Pat, Ghost and Mainer. Looking forward to tomorrow and another great day on the trail. I am safe,warm and dry in the shelter tonite.
Date: 2018-02-26
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Davenport Gap Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

On the trail at 5:45, it rained off and on all day, no views today unfortunately. At least it wasn¢t windy. The temps are dropping however, with lows expected to dip into the 30s tonite. We have no reason to complain about the temps however, after all it is February in the Smokies. My sleeping bag is rated to 10 degrees, so I¢ve been sleeping very comfortably every nite. Four of us are staying in the shelter tonite: Night Train, Ghost, Mainer and me (Opa). Jeep and Capt. Blackbeard elected to push on an extra 4 miles and spend the nite at Standing Bear Hostel, the thought of a warm room and pizza being too much for them to resist. We will rendezvous with them tomorrow. We have now been in GSMNP for four days, and will be leaving the park tomorrow by I¢m guessing not later than 8 AM - well under the 8 days allowed by our permit. All in all I think this is a wonderful park, I can understand why so many visitors are drawn to it.Tonite¢s shelter is interesting in that the front face of the shelter is fenced off with chain link and a gate. This is to keep the bears out, so apparently we are spending the nite in an area with known bear activity. The black bears are harmless, they are simply interested in the food we hikers are carrying. Speaking of food, I was ravenously hungry tonite and ate two dinners. Hiker hunger has not yet kicked in, although I do find myself fantasizing about a nice hot roast beef sandwich and gravy now and then while hiking. I¢m sure I¢ve lost a little weight so far, which is good, but nothing drastic yet. I am safe, warm and dry tonite in the shelter - all is well and am looking forward to tomorrow.
Date: 2018-02-27
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: broken clouds

We had just an awesome bluebird day today, clear skies all day, little wind, and comfortably cool temps.  The good Lord was smiling on us today, a good day to be alive and to enjoy this beautiful country of ours. We said goodbye to GSMNP today, and the park was good to us. Well maintained trails, nice shelters and awesome views when we had clear skies. However, Mother Nature, a little more cooperation from you would have been appreciated. You definitely tested our mettle with all the rain you threw our way. Oh well, as the saying goes:  no rain, no pain, no Maine. I stopped at Standing Bear Farm hostel early this morning to pick up a mail drop that Kayanne sent me. Kayanne basically sends me what I request, but I¢m not doing a very good job with my meal planning and ordering because I¢m carrying way too much food. I don¢t need to be carrying all that extra weight. Now that I have a meal routine established, I think I can improve and reduce the weight of my food bag. We had three separate trail magic locations today. One each on either side of I40 (soda, applesauce, cliff bars) and one at Brown Gap manned by Apple. Apple had chairs setup for us and provided cold drinks, chips, and candy bars. He lives in Cincinnati, and travels all the way down here to provide trail magic to thru hikers. What a guy. Thank you very much to all our trail angels, you can¢t imagine what a boost it is to us thru hikers when we encounter these treats. Today we climbed Max Patch, a bald summit covered in a meadow. The views were spectacular in 360 degrees, we were all in awe. I lingered there for an hour, sat down and made my dinner right on the summit. I hated to leave, but it was getting late and we still needed to get to the shelter before nightfall. Seven of us total are at the shelter tonite; besides myself staying here are: Night Train, Captain Blackbeard, Jeep, Ghost, Big Load (whom I hiked with the first two days) and T5000 (formerly Trunks).  We have our own mini hiker bubble going, but we all get along great and like pounding down the miles. I¢m sure we won¢t all hang together all the way to Maine, but we¢ll see how she goes for now. Tomorrow the plan is to hike into Hot Springs, NC. I should be arriving later in the afternoon, plan on spending two nights, with a zero day on Thursday. At $20/nite, shower included, you can¢t beat the price. Am looking forward to some wholesome diner food, visiting the outfitter, Dollar General, post office, doing laundry, etc.I am safe, warm and dry in the shelter tonite. Forecast calls for rain and colder temps tomorrow, but we are accustomed to those conditions and will deal with whatever comes our way. Goodnight all!
Date: 2018-02-28
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hostel at Laughing Heart Lodge
Miles today: 17.9

On the trail again today hiking at 5:15 AM under headlamps. Someone asked in my guest book entry why we routinely start so early. Well for starters Night Train is a retired Master Sergeant and 4:30 AM rise and shines are in his system, HaHa. Truth be told all four of us Horsemen are early risers (before I retired my rise and shine was typically 5 AM). Also getting an early start helps to ensure that we¢ll be at our agreed upon camping destination when there is still daylight. It is so much more pleasant getting into camp at the end of the day with some daylight left. I also find it rather enjoyable hiking in the early morning, occasionally hearing an owl with its ¢who who....who cooks for you¢, and then watching the daylight ever so slowly make its appearance. Watching the sun break over the horizon is also special (when there¢s no low cloud cover of course).I am happy to report that my inflamed achilles are completely healed in both heels, Yippee! Thank you to everyone for your well wishes, your concern was much appreciated. Physically everything is working for me right now. Over the years I¢ve had both knees operated on arthroscopicly (torn menisci and arthritis), but they are holding up well (thank you Dr. Daino). Downhills are of course hardest on the joints, but so far so good. As far as today¢s hike was concerned, it was intermittent rain and low cloud cover just as forecast. No views, but I was still visually reliving in my mind the spectacular day we had yesterday and awesome views off of Max Patch. Night Train and I really hustled down the trail today, and we arrived at the Hostel at Laughing Heart Lodge at around 12:30. I think we were driven by our desire for a nice hot meal. We were both famished so we dropped our packs at the hostel and immediately made the short walk into town to the local diner. Soup, a steak sandwich with fries and cornbread, and a strawberry cobbler with ice cream were all delicious and hit the spot for me!  That was followed later in the day by a dinner of a large salad and half a pizza. I am now laying in my bunk at the hostel absolutely stuffed - I¢d be hard pressed to even waddle down the trail right now, HaHa.  According to the scale here at the hostel I¢ve lost about 10 pounds so far on my thru hike (but that was before dinner - I¢m sure I gained some back).Tomorrow we are taking a Zero day here in Hot Springs to give our bodies a chance to recover from our days in the Smokies, resupply, laundry, etc. For tonite I am safe, warm and dry (and also stuffed like a pig) in my bunk at the hostel.
Date: 2018-03-02
From: Laughing Heart Hostel in Hot Springs

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: light rain

Climbing elev 6,100This will be a short entry as I am in my tent camped at elev. 3,652 ft., it is cold and the wind is howling. I am fine, no worries, but it is difficult to type. Great day to hike today, as it was dry and the sun was shining. Some very light snow on the dead leaves at higher elevations this AM, and windy - but a day without rain is a good day. The forecast called for overnite lows in the 20s, so I filled my water bottles with hot water and have them shoved in the bottom of my sleeping bag so they don¢t freeze. I also have a pee bottle with me, which I¢ve joked to the guys is one of the best pieces of gear I own on a nite like tonite. Goodnite everyone, I am safe, warm in my sleeping bag, and dry.  All is good, looking forward to tomorrow.
Date: 2018-03-03
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Cold start this morning, on the trail hiking at 4:45 AM with temps in the 20s. It didn¢t take long for my water bottles to start icing up. The key is to have wide mouth bottles (I use gatorade bottles) and to keep them upside down in your pack - otherwise you will quickly end up with an ice plug in the neck of your bottle with no way to get the water out. Also when it¢s cold like this in the mornings the best remedy is to break camp quickly, get moving, and keep moving. I wore all my layers (merino wool base layer, fleece, down sweater and rain jacket) and was fine, no issues. Several times during the course of the day I adjusted layers as conditions dictated, as it is so important from a moisture management standpoint not to overheat and start sweating. I¢ve now experienced a full gamut of conditions (from raining/warm to cold/dry) and overall am very pleased with how my gear is performing. The cold temps notwithstanding, it was a beautiful day with clear skies and lots of sunshine. Lots of hoar frost on the trail today, visible well past noon. It was very windy this AM as well. Hiking on the leeward side of a hill/ridge, one felt warm; on the windward side the cold cut through you. The ability to properly layer up/down is key. I was on the summit of Big Butt Mt. with The Ghost, and we caught a great sunrise. I also experienced a variety of trail conditions today that included both rock scrambles (short sections up/down on Big Butt) and several areas of open meadows, in addition to the usual trail through the woods that is typical. All in all a good day, although I am tired tonite (although I won¢t admit that to the young bucks that I¢m hiking with). 42.4 miles and 11,600 ft. in climbing elevation over the past 2 days is tough for this 66 year old body to take - I am not as young as I used to be, HaHa. The plan for tomorrow is a 20 mile day, followed by a short 6 mile day into Erwin where several of us will take a Nero. To respond to a guest book entry asking why I switched from an alcohol stove to propane:  the alcohol stove was slow, and required a little bit of futzing. Watching others use their small lightweight propane stoves, I became a convert. They are fast, lightweight and so easy to use. I¢ve cooked my dinners the last two nites on my new MSR propane stove, and am glad I made the switch. Even with the cold temps I¢ve had no issues with heat output, and have not had to resort to placing the fuel canister in my sleeping bag with me to warm it up. Again thank you to all of you that are following along on trailjournals, I read every guest book entry and appreciate all of your comments, questions and words of encouragement. - it means a lot!!! And a special shout out to my good friend Bill Schweinfurth, who is keeping me motivated with regular ¢Go Opa¢ and ¢Good Luck Reinhard¢ photos that he is sending me via text messages. Thanks Bill!I am safe, warm and dry tonite - all is good!