morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-06-03
From: davenport gap shelter

To: roaring fork shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: light rain

a day where i experienced a lot of different personalities of the a.t. right after exiting the smokies i crossed my first interstate highway, and then the trail for the next 13 or so miles was mostly in the woods enshrouded by the tree canopy. then, at max patch road, the trail became open to everything, climbing max patch (bald) and was beautiful. never mind that today's weather was completely overcast, this was grand! then, shorly after the descent came some rhododendron tunnels, followed by a levelling of the trail for the 4 miles left to roaring fork shelter, where i'm at now. cheeseburger made it about 30 minutes later, and there were 3 others here already. kevin, an alcoholic having withdrawals, robert, a section hiker to harper's ferry, and stocliff, a leap frogger who drives me nuts as one of those people who need lots of attention and reating expressions when he talks to you, and he is non-stop talking! but they are all friendly people. so after 22 miles i am going to go to bed early to get up early for the landfall on hot springs. kevin also has revealed a 6 inch knife he calls protection from bears. so i kindly placed my spot in the shelter next to him to spare cheeseburger.
Date: 2013-04-08
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: scattered clouds

A short mile day but I was tired and felt like this was enough for today. I have been having trouble hiking in the afternoons and felt like this was a proper stopping place. I understand some, but not all, of the physiology of body rhythms associated with food and exercise. After a meal my body wants to digest food instead of walking and that is contrary to what I want to do,, but my heart can't handle both so it rebels and lets me know I am asking more than a 71 year old heart should be asked of. I have found that smaller "snack" type meals allow me to keep hiking where a larger meal takes up too much energy to be able to digest the meal AND hike at the same time. Ahh youth, it truly is wasted on the young. When I got to camp this afternoon a bunch of new faces started showing up and all of them were looking for space in the shelter so I waited until I thought it would fill up and dragged all of my stuff out and made space for anyone who wanted it. Luckily, just before dark, two hikers showed up that filled the complement for his shelter and I happily set up my tent and contentedly settled down for a restful nights sleep. The first in three nights. On-On
Date: 2003-06-04
From: roaring fork shelter

To: hot springs
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

a day that started off with hard work and ended with relaxation. i got up a 5:30 and left by 7 for hot springs. it was a little bit raining and some fog, so i just pretty much put the cruise on full throttle, and did the 15 miles to town in 5 hours. in town, i claimed a bed at elmer's, cleaned up, got the mail and checked email, then soon after cheeseburger arrived and we would head to the smoky mtn diner. i brought the camera thinking that we'd order a kodak moment meal, but cheeseburger only got a cheeseburger, and had 2 slices of the 14 inch pizza i ordered. but at least we did have ice cream as well afterward. and, oh thank heavens, they sell rolling rock here! it's about time! i mean, i'm supposed to be on vacation here! i weighed myself today. 158+- lbs, down 12-14 lbs. from 2 weeks ago. of course, that's with empty stomach. it's just odd to me to weigh the least i have since i can't remember. high school or earlier. i think i need to go for another pizza. cheeseburger and i still aren't sure if we're leaving tomorrow afternoon or friday morning. either way, i'll make the best of it amongst the town's restaurants and my beers! elmer's sunnybank inn is a pretty classic old hostel. everything in it is aged, but warm and comfortable. some people get here and stay for weeks. as nice as it is i hope that wouldn't happen to me as it would devastate my hiking schedule!
Date: 2013-04-09
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Newfound Gap (US 441)
Miles today: 10.8

Passed 200 miles shortly after leaving camp this morning, woohoo!Today was another bad day. Ice and snow were still pretty prevalent on the way up, and down, Clingmans Dome today which made for a pretty rough hike. My opinion of today's trail was that it is probably one of the worst encountered so far. What a shame that it is on government land and they have the gall to charge us to hike it! Some of the treadway was thigh deep in places and pretty treacherous to navigate. Having snow and ice on the trail is something no one can control but to have a trail that is a mud pit and dangerous to navigate is unconsciounable when it is supported with our tax dollars!My intended target for today was only 6.3 miles away because I wanted to lay up and come into Gatlinburg on Wednesday due to weather that is supposed to move in but when I got to the turnoff to the shelter it was only 12:30 so I decided to go on into town. The Capri Sands gives a fantastic hiker rate so I decided a hot shower and clean sheets was more than worth the money!When I got to Newfound Gap I stood by the highway and stuck my thumb out,, within just a few minutes a car stopped but they were not going to Gatlinburg so I thanked them and continued my vigil. Shortly a man walked across the parking lot and offered me a ride. What a relief! I had begun to think I would have to pay for a shuttle!I asked the man and his wife two times what their names were so I could thank them in my journal but with short term memory loss (called CRS disease). I'm embarrassed to say I forgot them. Such nice people! Thank you so much!! We had a great conversation as we were driving down to town and they asked me all kinds of questions about hiking and the AT to which I was happy to talk about. I was a little embarrassed to add my hiker stink to their nice clean car but they opened the sun roof and didn't seem to notice the aroma... Now for a zero day to wash cloths, resupply and see what the weather is going to do.On-On
Date: 2003-06-05
From: hot springs

To: hot springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

first zero day today, seemed like a longer day than the rest have been. perhaps it would seem that way because when one is busy (walking) time goes by easier. or because here and there all day i've been able to have a beer if i feel like it. breakfast was great here at elmer's, lunch was good at the smoky mtn diner, and dinner was great at the paddler's pub. and that's all the details of today that matter, right? watched a movie video tonight here at elmer's, cheeseburger and our friend here in town overkill picked it out, it was called "o'brother where art thou?". i could probably follow about half of it or so, but it made the experience of this town stay seem longer, by getting sucked into the plot of that story i feel like i'm being drained from so many things my brain is concentrating on. or something. i just know it'll be fantastic to leave hot springs in the morning and walk off down the trail.
Date: 2013-04-10
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today was devoted to resupply. Cabo and I navigated the local trolley system to get to the Wal Mart in Severeville, a journey that began at 10 am and lasted until 2:30 pm.I have to applaud the trolley drivers who patiently and politely answer all the questions from tourists, and two hikers, that had no clue how to get from one trolley to the next. (One of the hikers was a nervous wreck when the day was over).Dinner was shared with hiking friends at a local steak house.Tomorrow will be mostly rest, checking over and repairing gear and waiting for a storm front to move through so I can get back to the trailOn-On
Date: 2003-06-06
From: Hot Springs

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

quite a pleasant day for the walk out of Hot Springs, which is good because Cheeseburger thought out loud how if it was raining, she'd be all, like, into making back for Elmer's! i of course ordered the three plates of breakfast at smoky mtn. diner, and we did misc. chores on the way out of town, one of which was to stop at bluff mtn outfitters to weigh our packs, and cheeseburger's came to 44 and mine 39 lbs. a little bit mean, but this is one of my largest resupplies so it's only heavy for one or three days. other than the many azaleas in bloom, the trail was rather ordinary in that there were nearly no views for the 19+- miles. it was a particularly pleasant evening here at little laurel shelter, though, as there were pleasant people for company and i carried in hot dogs & chips so as it rained a little and threatened to storm we sat in the shelter in front of my zip ztove's glowing fire with hot dogs on sticks over it like an ordinary campfire. it was a nice relaxing end to a nice day's walk.
Date: 2013-04-11
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Braved the trolley system again to travel to a Radio Shack to see about a "recharger" for my iPhone. They did not have what I was looking for but I picked up an alternative that the sales clerk swore would recharge my phone one time. We'll see. The cost was negligible compared to what I expected to pay so if it works I figure I'm money ahead. The rest of the day was pretty lazy. Hanging out near the entry of the Motel gabbing with hikers.We (well, actually Cabo) have a shuttle scheduled for 8 am in the morning to take us back to Newfound Gap. I had my name on the free shuttle over at the NOC outfitters on the 10 am shuttle but changed to Cabo's shuttle because it will allow us a couple more hours on the trail and should allow me to get to the second shelter out of the Gap. The first shelter has a reputation as a "party" shelter so I will pass that one if possible.The distances between GSM shelters are such that I am going to have to put in a 13 mile day on Saturday and then a shorter day on Sunday, then I should be out of the park.
Date: 2003-06-07
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: hogback ridge shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: moderate rain

wow! long day! we chose to do 21 miles today, and it feels like 27. in the morning it rained a little off/on till noon, when it rained steady, at times heavy, until 3. my feet just simply were as wet and pruny at the end of the day as i've ever seen them. i enjoyed my day anyhow, as my umbrella keeps me happily sheltered and well ventilated. cheeseburger, on the other hand, didn't bother with her parka and revealed to me imaginations she dreamed of my umbrella snagging something and being destroyed and such, as she walked along soaked with rains flooding down her face and such! we are at hogback ridge shelter, and i think everyone is so beat that we're all going right to bed, we'll leave deciding tomorrow's walk for the morning. blue tarp man is within about 12 miles +- (estimated). he was freaking people (punchie and townie) out last night at flint mtn shelter, 8 1/2 miles south of here. i still have yet to meet this character.
Date: 2013-04-12
From: Newfound Gap (US 441)

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I had my pack ready to go last night so it would not slow me down this morning. I heisted myself down to the only place in town open at 7 am to get a breakfast sandwich and cup of coffee then get back to the motel in time for our 8 am shuttle.Arriving at Newfound Gap by 8:40 we were loaded and on the trail by 8:45. It was misty and foggy and I felt like we were walking inside a cloud for the first hour before it began to clear. The day turned out beautiful and clear with patches of clouds hanging down in the valleys then rising to flow over the tops as the temperature rose.We made good time to the first shelter 3 miles away then on to a well known landmark called Charlie's Bunion, a rock outcrop that provided spectacular views and photo opportunities. Of course I was not going to turn down an opportunity to get a photo on something that had my name! I think the pictures turned out great.The tread way was pretty easy compared to other sections I have hiked in the Smokies and we reached our destination for the day by 3 pm, a shelter called Pecks Corner at 217.2 miles on the trail. I don't like to get to camp that early but the next shelter was further than I wanted to go so we found a sunny spot and sat around talking until it was time to fix dinner and get ready for bed. There are loads of people here tonight and I was able to get a tent spot when the shelter filled up. Gonna be sleeping good tonight. On-On
Date: 2003-06-08
From: hogback ridge shelter

To: no business knob shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: scattered clouds

i like 'em bald. you know, clean shaven, no jungle, nothing to wade through, bald is beatiful. what a panoramic view on big bald (mtn) today. it wasn't any incredible blue sky day or anything, but even when the skies are mostly cloudy it's worth a walk up these southern bald mountains. there's mostly grass covering the landscape there, and from big bald i walked down and then over another hill barefoot. the scenery and the barefootedness and people relaxing there for some reason make me think of things like country time lemonade. the walking was easy so i did 20 miles today, as cheeseburger was feeling up to it. most of the day was a walking reminder of yesterday's rains with moist feet. i'm in the shelter tonight with a thru named luna, but there are about 6-8 people in tents, including cheeseburger. there are bees in this shelter, though they are quiet now, and cheeseburger's allergic to em. i, on the other hand, would just roll over and fall back asleep were i to be stung. still no blue tarp sighting. townie is getting off the trail but punchie will walk on. it looks like the people we've met who were less than desirable to hike with have been left behind. right now i'm thinking about how nice sleep is, with some occational pleasant thoughts about steak.
Date: 2013-04-13
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Crosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: few clouds

I didn't leave Pecks until 8:30 this morning and came in at Tri-Corner Knob at 12:30. I had thought once yesterday of passing Pecks and continuing on to Tri-Corner but after doing the math I'm glad I stopped where I did, I would not have made it to Tri-Corner until 7 pm.Today's hike was not as spectacular as yesterday, but, still, it had its moments. At one point I'm walking this ridge and looking at the spectacular mountain vistas on my right when there came a break in the trees and I could see houses and roads to my left. I had to laugh. There are times when I feel like I'm hundreds of miles away from civilization only to look around and realize its never far away. I went ahead and staked out my tent site when I came in this afternoon, I figured the shelter would fill up like Pecks did last night and I was right. I went ahead and set up my tent then walked down to the shelter to verify that I Am legal. I was. Figured I would be. Temps this morning were close to freezing, I kept my coat, gloves and toboggan on until I stopped for lunch. Then, every time the trail went around to the shady side of the mountain I would get cold again.Tomorrow I am headed to Standing Bear Hostel. After I get there I will make the decision as to whether I will stay or go on. It is a bunkhouse type hostel and if it is jammed up like the past two hostels have been to then I will move on. No sense in paying good money to listen to someone snore!On-On
Date: 2003-06-11
From: roan mtn shelter

To: campsite
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: clear sky

is every day like, a long day, or what? until about 5 pm the weather was fantastic. went over a few balds and a bald ridge, and it was just so incredible to me. i still don't think that the mindset of this journey has fully set in yet, as i am simply amazed that i am out here doing this. at 5 pm it rained for about 30 minutes, enough that my shoes are wet and we walked about 21 miles today to camp at low elevation by a river of some sort, so there are plenty of bugs and perhaps bears but i don't tend to bother to hang my food. cheeseburger seems to think it's funny how nearly everyone on the trail doing the trip we're doing is in some sort of pain, yet i am like perfectly fine. she has plenty of mosquito/bug bites, and blisters on her feet, other people have blisters, yet i don't have any. i've found this to be another amusing way to tease her. tonight we were sitting around my stove fire and the talk of food appears to be intensifying. before hot springs we dreamed of food there 37 miles out. now we're 64 miles out of damascus and beginning to examine the books for what's there! i can only imagine-we're in damascus on tuesday morning, shouldering our packs for the woods, thinking about what there is for food in the next town!
Date: 2013-04-17
From: Deer Park Mountain

To: Hot Springs, N.C. 
Miles today: 3.2

I woke with a start at 5 am. A flash of lightning and then thunder only seconds behind brought me wide awake. As I unzipped my tent to bring in some gear I had left outside I heard Cabo say "Sparky what do you think about packing up before the rain hits and get on in to town?" I replied that I thought it was an excellent idea...so that's what we did. At 5:50 we hit the trail with headlights, pack covers and rain suits on. In minutes I was drenched with sweat and starting to regret getting into my rain gear before it actually started raining because we were climbing straight up the mountain for close to a mile and it was WARM!Finally the rain came and cooled us off and the trail leveled off so that we were able to get to town without working up a sweat again. We tried unsuccessfully to get a room at 7:30 in the morning but the guy just told us to come back later, so we went to the local diner and had breakfast. After days of oatmeal it was an eating orgy of eggs, hash browns, biscuits and gravy and homemade apple butter! Oh man I was nearly sick I was so full...but, not so full I wasn't able to polish off a huge Cheeseburger, fries and two yuenglings for lunch!!After spending a fortune at the local Outfitter, Dollar Store and a Mom-n-Pop grocery I am resupplied and ready to start the next leg of the journey toward Erwin Tn, an expected six to seven day journey. My food weighs more than at any time since I started and I dread climbing the mountain out of town.Rain is expected for Friday but I'm going to go ahead and hike out tomorrow. The way the weather has been acting, there is still a chance that it will go around. The forecast for today was for thunderstorms all day and except for a few showers this morning, it has been sunny and clear!On-On
Date: 2003-06-12
From: campsite

To: laurel fork shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: light rain

mostly cloudy today, nothing wrong with that. blue skies right now at laurel fork shelter, 150 feet above the laurel falls. shoes/feet wet/moist all day. a somewhat gloomy day for me. hardly met one person first 17 miles, cloudy, pm rain, mostly just a simple trail through the woods, much rhododendron. was waiting for moreland gap shelter for lunch but underestimated mileaged to which and got bugged. late afternoon got a pick-me-up, though. hit dennis cove rd and walked 1/2 mile to laurel fork campground for shower, launder socks, two burgers and chips and hoho's and sodas, carried two pints of ice cream 2 1/2 miles to this shelter where i'm camping with cheeseburger, who was all excited for ice cream after a tough day. her feet are having a rough trip right now. walking out of laurel fork campground i was singing joyfully as i was clean and had a pretty full stomach! this shelter is nice after how we camped last night. i first walked down to the river intending to lie in it and soak like club med, but it was quite frigid and just endt up soaking my feet. there's also a stream only 150 feet from the shelter good for the same thing! after 19+- miles i'm ready for a good sleep.
Date: 2013-04-18
From: Hot Springs, N.C. 

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up at 6 needing to go to the toilet, which was in Cabo's room (this is an old, old building converted into a hotel that, unfortunately, sits above a bar, so, yes, we got to enjoy the party downstairs until nearly midnight when I finally put my earplugs in so I could go to sleep) so as I passed his bed it woke him and we decided to go ahead and go down to the diner for breakfast. There were only a few people in the diner this early so our food came out pretty quickly and we were finished and back to the hotel by 7:30, packed and headed out of town before 8 am. While we were at the diner we started talking to an older man who asked if we were thru-hikers to which we replied yes and then started telling him about having the room above the bar and listening to the merriment till all hours of the night. He laughed and said, "oh you mean the BREW hikers?" We all got a laugh out of that.As I expected, the climb out of town was pretty tough with 7 days food supply weighing down my pack and by the time we reached the 2,200 ft crest of the mountain north of town I was drenched in sweat even though the temps were in the high 50's. at the 279th mile there was a pond with an impressive concrete dam, out in the middle of nowhere that we saw our first snake of the year! A huge black snake was easing along the waters edge unconcerned that we were within 10 feet of him. I got a picture but its hard to see. He slithered on out of sight and still never acted like he was aware we were anywhere close by.Our intended destination for the day was the Spring Mountain Shelter but we passed it by and opted for a camp site a mile further up the trail. There is a virus (Noro Virus) that has been rumored to be in the shelters between Hot Springs and Erwin TN so not many people are stopping at shelters to try and avoid the virus. I have a bottle of sanitizer and clean my hands as often as I think about it and try not to touch ANYTHING that does not belong to me.Thunderstorms are predicted for tomorrow morning and we are thinking of bailing out at a Hostel that Cabo has found, 5 miles up the trail. It's always nice to have somewhere to go when the weather gets bad. Lucky for me that Cabo is a planner. @ Cabo's sis, we are watching out for each other On-On
Date: 2003-06-13
From: laurel fork shelter

To: vandeventer shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: light rain

a really easygoing day, today we've walked 15 1/2 miles from last night's to this here vandeventer shelter. we've eaten and got a fire going, i'll eat again and rather than spend the night here, we'll try walking 7 miles to the next shelter by the full moon tonight. it's something i've wanted to try and cheeseburger digs it and fortuneatly the 7 miles is relatively level elevation. cheeseburger's feet are doing better; i think that walking all these miles even when feet are wet are tough on hers (feet). the vandeventer shelter is on some sort of a ridge and 15 feet behind it is a fantastic view. which is where i sit as i write this and the sunset off the sky's clouds and light dimming up mountaintops is a favorite sight of mine. the past hour or two of conversation has intensely involved food. we've actually written up a sort of grocery list of things for when we make landfall in damascus in +-40 hours. yet it's a topic we can talk and talk and talk on and on about! writing this entry is interesting to me as it is unusual from past entries in that i am pausing and can look up to gaze some more at the view and also because this time i won't go to sleep afterward, but hike on by a moonlit night.