morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-15
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Kale Gap
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: moderate rain

I spent most of the night awake listening to a loud cacophonous symphony of snoring in the bunk room. It was raining, but Flash and I set out at 8 am in a light drizzle which got heavier again a few miles later. Today's hike became a reflective one as we hiked through rain and a trail covered in thick slick mud puddles deeper than my shoe. Climbing was tricky since every step you took, sunk and/or slid back a little. Descents were treacherous as you could ski down the trail. Wet, cold and muddy I thought about a comment a close friend had written to me a couple days ago. He said he would probably never understand my love of getting away and going through such hardships. As I hiked I thought this wasn't really a hardship since I have shelter, food, (wet) clothes plus an exit cord I can pull and quit at anytime. It's a challenge and I am definitely testing my limits in ways I never have or would before. Typically I would avoid the rain and mud in my normal routine. Now I am willingly putting myself out there and although I may be physically uncomfortable, I am still happy to be hiking even in bad weather. Nothing is permanent and everything is continuously changing. The steep climbs eventually descend and the slick descents climb again. The wildflowers are blooming and the ridges are covered in a living green. We passed an older hiker Free At Last whom I had passed on my southbound mile yesterday. She must have been late 60s or early 70s. Good for her! We covered some amazing sections where all sorts of wildflowers are blooming. Too bad we were soaked to the core and too cold to sit and enjoy the scene more. My pant legs were covered in mud almost to my knees.At Lemon Gap we ran into a Captain K who was waiting to be picked up by his wife to attend his induction into his HS Hall of Fame.The cold rainy windy weather kept us moving nonstop so we had covered 20 miles in 9 hours by 5 pm. Walnut a mountain a Shelter was on top of a mountain and the tent sites were very exposed so we hiked on down to Kale Gap and quickly set up our tents in the blustery wind before it started raining again. Just in time! Soaked and freezing we changed into dry clothes and hunkered down in our tents the rest of the evening.While it was the toughest weather day so far and once we were safely tented, it was still a good day!
Date: 2015-04-16
From: Kale Gap

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

After a blustery rainy night, we were happy to wake up and discover it wasn't raining stil. We started off with a climb that warmed us up. It was misty and foggy but the weather improved over the hours. We ran into Twilight Zone who had camped a mile or so ahead of us. Half way through the sun was out and it was warm. We could see signs of Hot Springs a couple miles away. But the descent seemed to last forever as we meandered down the mountain passing a school group on a field trip. We finally got to the bottom and walked down the Main Street. I found Elmer's Sunnybrook Inn and went to check in. Little Engine and Tortoise were already there. Flash and I met at the Smoky a mountain Diner for lunch. Fried Green Tomatoes and Poorman's Dinner (pinto beans, coke slaw, pirate cakes and cornbread). Shower and laundry were next priorities!! Great dinner later that evening with Flash, Tortoise, Little Engine, KBar, Road Runner, Blackout and Jeff, a 2014 AT Thru Hiker who works for Elmer now. Great massage at Hot Springs Spa before bed!
Date: 2015-04-17
From: Hot Springs

To: Log Cabin Road
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: light rain

Today I set out at 7 am to slack pack the next 16.4 miles. I hiked along the French Broad River and then up Lover Leavers Rock where there was a nice view of Hot Springs and the river. More climbs took me up the ridge. Five miles into the hike Turbs came by so we hiked the remainder of my day together. We accidentally went to the Rich Mountain Lookout Tower which I wanted to see anyway and I climbed to get some aerial photos. We also missed a turn and ended up circumventing a half mile on the trail so we hiked it southbound and then northbound again. We ran into Carlos near Tanyard Gap who started the AT on April 1st. The miles flew by as we chatted and we ended up at my stopping point 20 minutes ahead of schedule. My friend Kelly aka "General"was waiting to pick me up. She drove us back to Hot Springs where she got her first glimpse of the AT community and met several of my hiker friends whom we ran into on the street. I was happy to see Patrick, now called The Dentist, and Grandpa whom we left behind in Hiawasssee when they took a zero day. Trailfest begins!!!
Date: 2015-04-18
From: Log Cabin Road

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today was my first zero day! It started off with a delicious breakfast of waffles, fresh strawberry compote, granola, cantaloupe and apple juice prepared by Elmer. The General and I then hit the town and checked out the Welcome Center and Trail Fest. I entered the fastest ice cream eating contest where we were given a pint of ice cream with no spoons. I got Ben & Jerry's Fudge Brownie Fro Yo. Apparently Hagen Daz mango sorbet squeezes out easier and doesn't require you to chew brownie because the winner beat everyone else by minutes!! We listened to Doug Elliott's storytelling which was entertaining. In the afternoon we enjoyed an hour in the mineral hot tub on the river. We missed the Duck Race in the creek but neither of our Ducks won anyway. Fortunately Elmer cooked dinner tonight and I ate the best meal so far on the trail and maybe all year!! He only cooks organic vegetarian but didn't cook the previous two nights due to Trail Fest and other obligations so I was thrilled he decided to cook tonight since I had highlighted him in my AT book months ago. He did not disappoint. THE best broccoli and mushroom soup followed by an organic salad of arugula, lettuce, cabbage, sprouts, carrots, olives, tomatoes and feta cheese. The entree was an amazing barely sweet curry vegetables over white rice. Japanese Fruit Pie and Spearmint Tea for dessert. We were stuffed!! Most of the ingredients came from his organic garden. Truly lived up to and exceeded expectations! Kelly the General who is not vegetarian loved the meal too! After dinner another guest Rip from Vermont entertained us on the 1894 piano in the music room. He has been visiting Elmer for 26 years. He played Rhapsody in Blue, Deux Arabesque by Debussy, Silent Night arrangement, The Rising Moon by Peter Sullivan, Claire de Lune, Maple Rag Time, GobTo the Mountain jazz arrangement. It was phenomenal and a perfect way to end the evening and the best zero day!! A special thank you to Kelly the General for driving up and spending my zero day with me in Hot Springs! She braved the hiker scene and also brought me supplies! She can now also bear witness I am fine and among friends on the AT! I need to get hiking again after all of this town food!! Time to waddle up another ridge tomorrow!
Date: 2015-04-19
From: Log Cabin Rd

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: moderate rain

The General dropped me off at Log Cabin Road where she picked me up on Friday and I set off at 9:45 am. Today's hike was an obstacle course of big rocks and fun mud. Unfortunately the views on the Big Firescakd Knob were obscured by clouds as it was forecasted to rain 100%. It was a lot of climbing up and down jagged rocks along the ridge so it was a slow mile. I lucked out with just an on and off drizzle until mile 9. My luck with Mother Nature ran out. The rain came down and the mud came up and was thick and slick on the trail and ran like a river at times. Some areas looked like thick brownie batter onto which someone had dumped a lot of water. Other areas of the trail were cambered and it was hard not to slide sideways off the trail as you walked. Once again I was covered in mud. It rained harder and I tripped in the mud and had my first AT fall. Fortunately my hands and one knee just landed in the mud puddle and not on rocks or downhill so I easily bounced back up. I admit I hit a low point at that moment as I was soaked all the way through with no end in sight... Just hours earlier I was freshly showered in clean clothes. With 4 miles to go there is nothing to do but keep hiking so I picked up my pace after that eager to get to the shelter though I wasn't sure what I would do if it were still pouring when I arrived. Finally I arrived at Flint Mountain Shelter where 8 hikers including Road Runner and Breakless (who had participated in the ice cream challenge yesterday) were already in the shelter. It was full but I wanted to tent anyway so I could change into dry clothes. Fortunately the rain stopped so I could set up my tent. Dry clothes and a delicious pad Thai which Captain Planet had given to me at Standing Bear Farm followed by a foot ice bath while I filtered water, I was a new person again. I love the privacy and coziness of my tent!
Date: 2015-04-20
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning started off promising as the skies were bright and birds were singing. However it suddenly started pouring as I was packing up my tent. I was able to relocate my stuff to the shelter since everyone but Road Runner and Breakless had already left. I finished packing up and we stared at the rain for a few minutes. Finally I decided to head out since I was going to get wet anyway. Fortunately it stopped raining a couple miles later. It was a long 3 mile steep climb up Lick Rock and I felt my right calf start to cramp. Not much to do but slow down and keep moving. The cramp was really knotted and never went away but I kept hiking with it along with some weird popping pain that randomly occurred on the outside of my right knee. Not sure if the two are related but these are the first concerning physical issues I have had. Where's my massage therapist?? ?? My feet always hurt somewhere everyday but the knee is more worrisome since I don't know what it is or if it's from sliding in the mud. I kept moving but at a much slower pace. I don't hike fast anyway and typically average 2 mph. I get passed by the younger hikers but I do similar mileage over a longer time, I stopped at Hogback Ridge Shelter to dry out my tent and get water which was unfortunately 0.3 miles away! Ugh!! Back on the trail it was 10.1 miles to the next shelter. We crossed under I-26 and I saw a "Tennessee Welcomes You" sign so we had gone back and forth between NC and TN border again. The trail alternated between lush green wild flowers and barren trees full of dried leaves.The sun was out and I sweat up the 1,666 ft climb up to Big Bald Mountain most of which was over a couple miles. I got up to Big Bald To an amazing view but all of a sudden the skies started to darken and I heard thunder. You are exposed for a mile so I started to hurry as more thunder and dark clouds rolled in. Then it started to rain and hail as I ran over an exposed Big Stamp as I re-entered the treeline. The 0.6 mile seemed to last forever as the thunder got louder and more frequent and the rain fell harder. Finally I saw the sign for the shelter and ran 0.1 mile as Road Runner and the other hikers welcomed me dripping wet. I ate dinner and the storm subsided. I debated sleeping in the shelter but decided to set up my tent instead. It's really windy outside and we are still at 5000 ft.
Date: 2015-04-21
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Uncle Johnny's in Erwin, TN
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: broken clouds

It rained during the night and the mountain was pretty foggy and cold. I packed up early and headed down the mountain. I had to put on my heavy gloves as my fingers and toes were frozen. A little lower the fog was gone and it was a little warmer. Road Runner zoomed by me an hour later. I met Qui Gon by a stream. Today's hike wasn't as strenuous as yesterday's since the climbs weren't as long. A lot of descent which was good since my knee tendons kept popping ... A little uncomfortable and distracting. I stopped briefly at No Business Knob Shelter for a snack and then tackled the last 6 miles to Erwin. Qui Gon and Grazer caught me the last mile and we chatted to the bottom. Uncle Johnny's was right off the trail. My original plan was to shower and do laundry then hike the next 5 miles to the next shelter. However it didn't look like I would be next for the washer anytime soon so I decided to stay. But I am tenting because I can't handle anymore bunk snoring.The shuttle took us to Unicoi where many of us went to Los Jalape±os for dinner. I met GI Jane and her husband Mu Shu along with Midnight and Drop Bear, an Australian woman who stayed at Bald Mountain Shelter last night. After dinner I ran into Grandpa who has hiked some miles!
Date: 2015-04-22
From: Uncle Johnny's in Erwin, TN

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: few clouds

It's a beautiful morning! Just as so was about to leave, 3D pulls up with Ice Man and his wife Rita. I met 3D and Ice Man at the Appalachian Trail Institute last Nov. it was so great to see them!! 3D started 3 days before I did and I have been following him. He had a phone call so he left a few min before I did but I caught up to him and we hiked 2-3 miles together before the climbing separated us. I passed a day hiker going south who said there was trail magic and lawn chairs at Indian Grave Gap. That put a little bounce in my step because I still forget to sit whenever I stop. I am always fiddling with my gear and remain standing. 4 miles later I descend into Indian Grave Gap and BT ("Brother Tim") is there with his tent talking to another local named Kent who kindly told me to call him if I needed anything in the next 70 miles before he left. BT offered banana bread and brownies he baked himself. Along with sweet tea, coffee and fruit. We chatted and then 8-10 more hikers joined us. Breakless, Australian mom and her daughters, a couple from Naugatuck, CT (my husband's home town!), and several others. I waited for 3D but everyone said he was talking on the phone up the hill. It got really windy and chilly so we took off to warm up. It sprinkled a bit till I put on my rain pants and the sun came out. So I had to stop and remove them because they were too hot climbing. Made it up to the Beauty Spot which wasn't very beautiful and then onward to Unaka Mountain. It was so windy! Gusts up to 30 mph were forecasted and at times, it was really strong. I saw a figure who looked like he was skiing coming towards me at the base. It was Rush who was slack packing southbound and was actually running. "It's amazing at the top! It feels great to be going 5 or 6 mph!!" Uh, I never go that fast slack packing. Maybe I get to 3 mph on an easy section. The climb up Unaka was long and steep. At the summit, I walked through a nice pine forest. I could hear the weather changing since it always likes to get dark and stormy whenever I am on top of a mountain. It sprinkled again but as I descended the weather started to improve. I debated staying at the shelter or continuing but it was another 4.4 miles to a designated campsite over two more climbs. Not ready to gamble camping solo yet I set up my tent just in time as it started to rain but only for a little while. I met Tinkerbell, a Bennington, VT college student from Portland, ME at the water.
Date: 2015-04-23
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 24.6
Weather: clear sky

I had checked today's mileage and realized that my typical distance put me in the middle of a 10 mile exposed area. Since I didn't want to camp at 6000 ft given the wind gusts we had all night, I decided to shoot for 24.6 miles to get me past the exposed area. So I set out at 6:20 and enjoyed an amazing sunrise and pleasant morning hike. At noon, I arrived at Hughes Gap right before the big climb. Fortunately there was amazing trail magic courtesy of Apollo and his two friends. They had everything! Fajitas, veg chili (because they ran out of time to put in the chorizo), tortillas, roasted corn on the cob, salad, MREs for hikers to take, chips, soda, beer, wine, Bloody Mary's, etc. Plus I ran into Tink from ATI Nov 2014 class. I spent 45 minutes enjoying chili, corn, tortillas and spicy tomato juice. They were cooking kebabs and rice later that evening! Reluctantly I tore myself away and started the 3 mile climb which actually wasn't that bad since I was so well fed! Even though I try to eat a bar every 3 hours, it's only a couple hundred calories which isn't enough and why I've been sluggishly climbing, I though the food would weigh me down but it really helped. I am going to start snacking every 2 hours now. Along the way I met FireBall, Wood Chuck, Nine and Lightning. At the top of Roan Mountain it was icy. The wind was still gusting strongly. However after Carver's Gap we finally got to hike up and down the Roan Balds which had amazing views! Then it was the up and down 3.6 mike descent to Overmountain Shelter which was a little lower elevation than the other shelters but still 4600 ft. It was a gorgeous view from the shelter which is a converted barn. Everyone showed up ... The 4 ladies I had met and Tink. After a dinner with a view, I went back to my tent where the wind rocked my tent all night keeping me awake most of the night. However I was toasty warm inspite of the frigid temperature. The moon looked really cool ... Very bright clear crescent.
Date: 2015-04-24
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Vango Abbey Memorial Hostel - mile 405.9
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: clear sky

It was a breezy cold morning and by the time I packed up, my fingers and toes hurt from the cold. So the only thing to do was to start hiking. Amazing windy views on Hump Mountain. I met Vulture on my way up. She quickly left me in the dust. Today's hike had a bit of everything. Grassy Balds, big rocks, nice trail, trail thick with roots... I stumbled more than a few times. The Doll Flats are so picturesque they don't even look real. Wolf Pack told me the night before Saturday is supposed to rain all day. So once again my hiking plan is dictated by weather. Instead of hiking 17 miles to the shelter, I decided to hike 21 miles to a hostel off the trail called the Abbey so I could then hike 12 miles to the next hostel on Saturday and not have to sleep in the wet rain two nights in a row. Around mile 12 I saw a group of female hikers climbing the hill ahead of me. As I drew closer, I saw it was Buffy from my ATI Nov class ... The last classmate I had not yet hiked into. She was with Jan and her friends the 3 Amigas Mindy, Sandy, Vonda who were out for a couple days of section hiking. I hiked with them for the next couple of miles while Buffy and I caught up. I admired how clean the 3 Amigas backpacks were. We took a break and then I still had 8 miles to cover and it was after 3 pm so I set off solo but Buffy and I hope to meet up again in Damascas. I developed a blister on my little toe from all of the downhill the pat couple of days but I didn't want to do anything mid hike so I put a bandaid on it and kept moving but boy could I feel it every step of the way. Finally I made it to the bench where there was an amazing view and from where I took a side trail (which I walked past the first time) down to The Abbey Hostel where Scotty gave me an overview and then I happily showered and did laundry. Kaleb whom I met on the trail and saw a couple times showed up. He was planning to go to the shelter hit I told him about the hostel. Voyager shared our bunk room.
Date: 2015-04-25
From: Vango Abbey Memorial Hostel - mile 405.9

To: Pond Campsite -Mile 423.7
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: moderate rain

It started to rain as I left Vango Abbey just before 8 am. It started as a drizzle and then picked up a little more. Fortunately by 10 am it stopped and I boldly shed my rain gear at 10:30. I was originally planning to hike to Dennis Cove Road at mile 418.5 but the sun came out so I decided to keep going. Thunderstorms are forecasted tonight so I gambled tenting vs spending half a day at a hostel. The camaraderie and meeting hikers is awesome but the hostels can be crowded and dirty too. So I decided to tent somewhere down the trail. I made it to Laurel Falls which was beautiful especially after the insane steep rocks we had to descend first. The trail got interesting as you basically hugged the side of a rock face on the edge of a creek before getting back on a dirt trail. The sun came out and it was hot climbing back up the ridge. It's funny how I was wet this morning from the rain only to dry out and be soaked from sweat a few hours later. Less than 30 hours ago I was freezing cold on top of Hump Mountain. The trail meandered along the creek. Somehow I totally missed the Laurel Creek Shelter but I had planned to camp at Pond Campsite on top of a mountain which may not be the best strategy in forecasted thunderstorms but it was the only campsite listed in the guide book. I knew it was a long climb but it was the longest climb that never ended. I have missed campsites before but figured this one should be obvious since it was actually named. Plus there was a spring 0.1 miles north of it and I had not come to water. I climbed and climbed with no hope in sight. I started to resign myself that I was going to have to hike to Rt 321 and hitchhike to Hampton. I even imagined my veggie subway sandwich (basically the only option besides McDonalds). Finally I turned a corner and saw several tents. The campsite did exist!! I shared a campfire with Scott (now named Nameless), Deac, and PK (Preachers Kid). Hot Chocolate from Australia and another couple went to bed early.