morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-02-28
From: NOC

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: clear sky

Day 20 - 2/26 - Zero at NOC. Washed clothes and sleeping bag. Ate pizza. Slept well.Day 21 - 2/27 - Long up out of NOC. Most of trail covered in ankle-deep snow. Was knee-deep near shelter. Have a toe on right foot that looks pretty ugly from touch of frostbite. Big toe on left foot kept me up all night with stabbing pains.Day 22 - 2/28 - Up and out early, hoping to catch ride from Stecoah Gap to see doctor in Bryson City. Donna from Cabin in the Woods scouted out doctor and accommodations for us (they were full) and sent Phil to drive us. Jeff pulled in just as Phil did, looking for a large group of hikers so he could provide some trail magic. Hope he was able to run some down. Unfortunately, we were heading into town. Phil was very helpful, dropping me at clinic and taking Longhorn over to line up room. Doctor visit yielded mixed results. Ugly toe on right foot gets to stay but toenail will likely go. X-Ray on big toe on left foot showed no fracture but there is likely some soft tissue damage. Hope to return to trail Monday and continue toward Fontana. Picked up meds at Walgreen and ate at Chinese buffet.Notes:Figuring in zero days, we're only averaging about 7 miles per day. Taking out zero days (but leaving in NERO days), we're averaging about 8. Looking forward to better weather and bigger miles.Good news - I've lost 21 pounds in three weeks.Bad news - I'm still haulin too much up them thar hills.So, Brady, when/where are you joining us?
Date: 2015-03-02
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 14.0

Day 23 - 3/1 - Zero in Bryson City. Feet recovering. Watched more basketball in one day than I had in past year!Day 24 - 3/2 - Phil shuttled us back out to Stecoah Gap and we were on the trail by 6:30. Trail still somewhat of an obstacle course with trees, branches, and ice on the AT. Visibility was less than 100 yards until sun finally burned off fog in early afternoon. Fontana Lodge shuttle picked us up and we got our package and were in room by 2:30. We were able to make good time today. Knocked out fourteen miles in less than eight hours. Much better than my usual pace! Planning zero tomorrow and starting Smokies Wednesday if all goes according to plan.Notes:Feet are much better today. Problem toe sore but manageable.Have a few calls to make, pictures to pull off camera, and email to check...after we eat...Really appreciate kind words in guest book. Thanks!
Date: 2015-03-07
From: Fontana Dam

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 42.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 25 - 3/3 - Zero at Fontana.Day 26 - 3/4 - Got shuttle back down to trail and hiked up to Mollies Ridge shelter. Longhorn and I were only ones there. Lots of ups today!Day 27 - 3/5 - Had rained all night and continued raining all morning as we hiked. Pack covers did well keeping backpacks dry but "rain proof" gloves only soaked up moisture. AT was less a trail and more a stream. About the time we got past Thunderhead Mountain, winds really picked up and we got some sleet. A few minutes later sleet turned into snow. Temps dropped quickly and our gloves became blocks of ice. Last few miles to Derrick Knob shelter were bad. Thirty mile per hour winds and blowing snow combined with frozen hands made it miserable. Kept thinking we were close to shelter but it was a long way off. When we finally arrived it was great to see smoke coming from chimney. Several guys had hiked in southbound and had gotten fire going. Longhorn and I thawed out gloves and boots. Ate a lot for dinner and went to bed early. Winds howled all night, knocking ice off trees onto roof. Pretty cold night.Day 28 - 3/6 - Short hiking day to Double Spring shelter. Wanted to be ready for big hike tomorrow. Got in early and then a large group arrived. Had a cold and noisy night in full shelter. Day 29 - 3/7 - Early start didn't help much. We made good time to Clingman's Dome but trail became very dangerous after that. Thaw/freeze cycles made trail very icy. Hikers with spikes did fine. We slipped and slid all afternoon. Enjoyed a little trail magic at Newfound Gap. Drinks and snacks. Thanks!! Hitched a ride to Gatlinburg with a guy and his son. They drove up from Florida to see the snow. Told him we'd seen plenty. Dropped us off in downtown and we got a room at microtel. Great hiker rates. Fueled up at Shoney's.Notes:Smokies have been tough but am happy we have been able to average over ten miles daily in these conditions. Maybe we'll be able to buy spikes before we go back out there.We've been on the Tennessee/North Carolina border. Went over Rocky Top yesterday. Didn't sing. Sorry Vols.When I get pics posted they will be on the blog and/or instagram. Easy way to find those links is in last post on my swim blog. texasswimming.orgBe patient, as I'm not on computers much. Doing most updates on kindle.Love and miss you Clare!Finally able to get a call in to my folks today. Good to talk to them and let them know we are okay.Happy birthday to sister Sue in a few days.Thanks again for guest book notes, rides, and trail magic!
Date: 2015-03-11
From: Newfound Gap

To: Standing Bear Farm Hostel
Miles today: 34.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 30 - 3/8 - Zero in GatlinburgDay 31 - 3/9 - No luck hitching out to Newfound Gap. Saw convenience store open with several employees but no customers. One of the clerks said she'd give us a ride if boss okayed it. Boss said yes and Jeannie Lynn look us to the gap. She's an avid hiker and filled us in on all the details of the area on the way up. Reminded me a lot of my sister, Sue. As we got close to the gap the rain turned to snow. Two highway trucks with plows and gravel were waiting to go to work when we arrived at the gap. After lots of "up" we made it to Tricorner Knob shelter. Trail covered in ice and snow. Group of spring breakers in shelter. Some from Michigan State and Baylor.Day 32 - 3/10 - Windy day! Made it to Davenport Gap shelter. First half of the day we battled snow and ice on the trail. Second half of the day the trail was nearly snow- and ice-free. Winds were bringing down more trees and branches. Gusts pushed us off the trail at times. Had to be over 60 mph at times. Longhorn and Wallace got good fire going which was a surprise given the amount of rain and snow we've had. Heard a few coyote. Shelter has chain link front with a gate so the bears can safely observe us humans.Day 33 - 3/11 - My feet have been hurting so we took a NERO at Standing Bear Farm Hostel. Lumpy and Rocket have been great hosts. We'll get back on the trail toward Hot Springs in the morning.Notes:Smoky mountains would have been difficult enough in good weather. So happy we got through as well as we did.I have some pics for the blog but will have to wait until I can get on a computer to post them.Stopping in at Standing Bear is a must. Even if y'all aren't spending the night it is an excellent place to resupply.Really missing Clare. Being away from her is the toughest part of this.Tomorrow begins with plenty of up so I needs ta gits ta slumberin. Thanks fer follerin.
Date: 2015-03-16
From: S.H. 1182

To: Deer Park Shelter
Miles today: 17.9

Day 37 - 3/15 - We got shuttle back out to the trail at state road 1182. LTD was dropped off at Garenflo Gap to slack back into town. We headed up Max Patch but were too early for a good view, as the sun hadn't yet burned off the fog. We made excellent time most of the day and got in about 18 miles in about 9 hours. Was worried new boots might give me some blisters but they were fine.Notes:Still not seeing many critters. Some mice and chipmunk in and around shelters. We hear coyote, owls, and woodpeckers. We've seen deer, turkey, ducks, and geese. Saw a turtle today.Sent leaking Asolo boots back to Sierra Trading Post and sponge-like gloves back to REI. Will let y'all know if/when they give me a credit/refund.Today's title is for all my former swimmers who trained with pocket suits. It sure was always great to hear "Okay, let's get the pocket suits off" right? Ditching a heavy tent for a lightweight one and defective boots for new ones gave me that same feeling out on the trail. I can move again!
Date: 2015-03-19
From: Deer Park Shelter

To: Devil Fork Gap
Miles today: 38.2

Day 38 - 3/16 - Couple of guys doing weekend hike left early. We followed and got to Hot Springs around 9:30. Got some food at Hillbilly Market and ate out front. Went to Dollar General for resupply. Got on computer at library. Went next door and ate more at welcome center picnic table. Sent postcards. We hiked out of town in the afternoon heat. Steep climb out of town! We were loaded down with food we'd eaten and more in our packs. Made it to Mill Ridge and camped by dirt road. Some folks in a Land Rover came by and dropped off some trail magic (snacks) to Longhorn.Day 39 - 3/17 - Lots of tough climbing took toll. Camped just off trail a bit past log cabin drive. We got into tents very early.Day 40 - 3/18 - Difficult climb up Camp Creek Bald. Big Firescald Knob was a wild rock scramble. Some loose rocks helped make it even more "exciting". View was worth it, though. When we got to Jerry Cabin Shelter we stopped for an early dinner. A senior citizen and his two sons came in. He used to live in Missouri City, TX. Said he used to go through Bay City on the way to Matagorda to fish and crab. We then hiked a couple more miles and camped on an old road. Passed 300 miles today.Day 41 - 3/19 - Rained overnight and continued as we packed up and hiked. Made it to Devil Fork Gap and decided to call it a day. Got shuttle to Erwin, TN. Checked in at Super 8 and got an in-town shuttle to run errands and eat. Nice to have clean clothes and hot shower. Longhorn says it's the cleanest he's been since Hiawassee. Probably the cleanest I've been since Springer. Also nice to get packs and tents dried out.Notes:Sierra Trading Post gave me a full refund for the leaking Asolo boots. Will do business with them again.REI gave me a full refund for the not-so-waterproof gloves. They also take good care of thru-hikers and I'll keep doing business there, too.
Date: 2015-03-22
From: Devil Fork Gap

To: River Road
Miles today: 32.9

Day 42 - 3/20 - ZeroDay 43 - 3/21 - Tom dropped us off at Devil Fork Gap at around 7:30. Spent much of the day climbing. Found some trail magic on fence posts. Grabbed an apple and a banana. More trail magic at I-26 from Chivo. Mountain Dew, apple, and a hard boiled egg. He even offered to charge phones. His advice (paraphrasing): Pick your head up and look around. You're going to see some amazing stuff. Not long after getting back on the trail we ran into three trail maintainers. One was a 92-year-old gentleman who has been working on the trail for 30 years with his wife who passed recently. His daughter and her husband were working as well. They're Clemson folks and we enjoyed talking with them for a bit. Finally made it to the top of Big Bald. Longhorn was talking with a family when I arrived. They took a real interest in our hike and took our picture. After we'd hiked part way down, a couple of the kids ran down to us and gave us a huge bag of sweet and spicy Cajun trail mix. What an awesome family! We got some water at the shelter and hiked another few tenths before camping.Day 44 - 3/22 - On the trail at 8:30. Another 16 miler. Saw very few hikers. As with yesterday, more than enough climbing to create some pain. Caught shuttle into Erwin from Uncle Johnny's. Resting feet, eating pizza, and watching basketball.Notes:Keep up with Longhorn through his blog. Links to all his sites are there.http://longhornthruhike.blogspot.com/We're going to resupply in the morning and get back on the trail. Not shooting for giant miles, just looking to make more progress toward Virginia.
Date: 2015-03-24
From: River Road

To: Greasy Creek Gap
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 45 - 3/23 - Spent most of the day climbing. Some was gradual, some was steep with plenty of roots and rocks. Went a little past Beauty Spot Gap and camped at water source next to USFS 230. Feet sore but not as bad as yesterday. Left off rain fly in order to see some stars. Woke up in fog that burned off as we packed up.Day 46 - 3/24 - Got an early start and tackled Unaka Mountain. 13.5% climb for a mile and a half. Made it to Greasy Creek Gap early. Went ahead and hiked into the not hostile hostel, Greasy Creek Friendly. Got a ride to town and ate at Mountain Grill. Spending the night in the bunk house.Notes:We use AWOL guide, but noticed a typo in the Thruhiker Companion. There is no shelter at 355.1! It's a water source.Add squirrel and rabbit to critter list. Also saw robins hopping around back at Max Patch.No bear or Bigfoot sightings yet.Food cravings (in addition to the Whataburger potato egg and cheese taquito with spicy catsup) now include potato and macaroni salads. Hitting deli department at next grocery store!Forgot to mention waaaay back, Army Ranger training back in Georgia meant a little extra noise now and then. Saw a couple of Apache choppers flying through a gap one day.We've gone 57 miles in the last four days. Our feet are sore but it feels good to be making better progress.
Date: 2015-03-26
From: Greasy Creek Gap

To: 19E
Miles today: 26.6

Day 47 - 3/25 - Went a challenging seventeen plus to Overmountain Shelter. Climb up Roan Mountain was tough. Windy and cold near the top and no view due to fact we were in the clouds. Still some ice on the trail as well. Hustled down to Carver Gap and tackled the balds as the winds picked up even more. Got to shelter (actually a barn), cooked/ate, and slept up in loft. Met some folks from Indiana doing just a short trip. They, like most folks out here, were very nice.Day 48 - 3/26 - Got a late start but still made it to 19E early in the afternoon. Tough climbing over a couple of balds and very steep going over Hump Mountain. More high winds today didn't help. Really had to lean into gusts to keep from being pushed off the trail. Guide shows nice descent down to 19E, but there was quite a bit of slow going due to rocky trail. Plenty of great opportunities to twist your knees and ankles! Got a couple of days resupply at hostel and hitched to pizza place with Longhorn and Scout. They got a hitch back while I ran an errand. Took me a while to get a hitch back. Sister and brother who'd just moved here from California gave me a lift. Couldn't thank them enough! Rain in forecast for tonight with snow tomorrow. We may not make many miles tomorrow.Notes:Bill, don't forget Tennessee! Yeah, it would be nice to get to Damascus around then. Depends on the weather, terrain, and how whiny I get.Had nice chats with a couple of guys around my age this evening. Great people out here!Looking forward to breakfast here. Supposed to be the best on the trail.Longhorn had a rip-roarin' fire going but rain drove us into tents. I've squeezed everything into my little tent so it's a bit crowded. Hope I can get some sleep.Longhorn men on fire at NCAA's! Keep it going guys!!Forgot to thank Scout's friend (no trail name, so I'll call her Mystery Girl) for giving us a lift for a meal and resupply the other day.Also thanks for the nice comments on guest book. I hope those of you who are getting ready to hike have a great and safe walk in the woods.Hostel WiFi is great. Getting signal way out here in the tent!Time fer some snorin'. Thanks fer follerin'and thanks to the nice folks who pick up us scruffy lookin', rotten smellin' hikers.
Date: 2015-04-01
From: 19E

To: Damascus
Miles today: 75.0

Days 49-54 - 3/27-4/1Mary's breakfast was out of this world! Do not miss it! Maintained a comfortable pace today even with light rain and snow. No accumulation due to warm ground. Made Mountaineer Falls shelter early (2:30). Got good fire going and dried out tents. Passed 400 mile mark.Got down to low 20's or high teens. Several inches of snow. Drifts near knee deep around Moreland Gap shelter to Coon Den Falls trail. Hiked in to Kincora hostel. Couple of guys gave us ride into Elizabethtown for Mexican food. Did small resupply. Stay at hostel can be summed up in two words: cat pee.Serious climb after Laurel Falls (13% for 2.5 miles). Traded roar of the falls for roar of U.S. 321. Hiked around Watauga Lake and camped above dam. Another cold night.Late start due to rain. Lots of wind and "ups". Made fire and camped. Couple with dog tented here.Good start. Great trail magic near Tennessee 91. Went in to Shady Valley for lunch and to charge electronics. Hitched back to trail. Area popular with bikers who enjoy U.S. 421, a.k.a. The Snake. Camped just before Button Gap (Guide called it "unnamed gap"...so we named it).Got to Damascus early and took care of lots of odd jobs along with consuming lots of calories. Stayed at Dancing Bear. April Fool joke is weak town-wide WiFi.
Date: 2015-04-13
From: Mt. Rogers Visitor Center

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 103.3

Day 60 - 4/7 - Caught bus back out to the visitor center and started hiking in the rain at 9:30. Warm but wet. Stopped at Lindamood school but didn't go to Settlers museum. Got snacks at the I-81 truckstop and then hiked to the Davis Path campsite. Used to be a shelter.Day 61 - 4/8 - On trail just after eight. One of our tougher days. Climbed up Little Brushy, Walker, Brushy, and Lynn Camp mountains. Warm weather and sore feet made it a rough sixteen miler. Feet really starting to smell bad. Missing Clare but no service to call. Camped near VA 625. Day 62 - 4/9 - Strong storms overnight. Long climb up to Chestnut Knob shelter. Took lunch break there. After that, the up/down trail design gave us views of same farm from seven different angles (along with a chance to step on every rock in the county). Stopped at Jenkins shelter for dinner before hiking another three miles. Camped near trail.Day 63 - 4/10 - Had another night of storms. Up at six. Got to U.S. 52 by 10:30. Hitched to Bastian and ate at pizza plus. Hitched to Bland library. Nice folks helped me take care of paperwork I needed to send in for fall job. After post office it was time to resupply at Grants. Caught third hitch of the day back to trail. Hiked to VA 612 and camped near creek. In tent early.Day 64 - 4/11 - Loud night due to truck traffic on I-77. Also loud crash of falling tree around 2:30. On trail at eight. Cool, dry, sunny day. Passed 600 miles. Took several breaks but still got to suspension bridge by 4:30. Trail magic was an O'Doules. Walked to Trents to eat and charge phone. A few hikers there. Walked back to trail and hiked up to around 609/610 and set up tents. Started planning for Pearisburg NERO on Monday.Day 65 - 4/12 - On trail just after eight. Very nice and easy start. Stopped for lunch just after Wapiti shelter. Then came the climbing. Wish I could say the view at 619.2 was worth the insane steep ascent. It wasn't. Had dinner at Docs Knob shelter and then hiked another couple of miles to camp. Finally lost a toenail. Two more will go soon. Made more plans for tomorrow's NERO. My boots smell like rotten silage.Day 66 - 4/13 - Hiking at 7:15. Steep descent down to Pearisburg. Caught great hitch right to the door of the all you can eat Chinese buffet. Resupplied at Food Lion. Checked in at the motel. About to get cleaned up and do some laundry. We'll order pizza later and enjoy some time off our feet. Notes: Mark, if we hold this pace we should be at McAfee Knob this Saturday or Sunday. If you're able to, send us a text to our trak phone and we'll text/call you when we're closer. Eight two eight three four two six zero four eight. Reminder - I'm slow and smelly.Hike your own hike kind of reminds me of the old Mama Cass tune "Make Your Own Kind of Music". Make your own kind of music. Sing your own special song. Make your own kind of music, even if nobody else sings along.Thanks for the positive comments in the guest book. Glad to know y'all are still follerin.
Date: 2015-04-16
From: Pearisburg

To: Stone Creek Valley
Miles today: 19.8

Day 67 - 4/14 - Had breakfast at hardees. Skeeter shuttled us to the trail. Light rain became heavy by the time we reached Rice Field shelter. Took a long lunch break there. Hiked on in heavy rain. When it let up we set up our tents in a hurry. We probably should have either stayed at previous shelter or gone on to the next one.Day 68 - 4/15 - Took a while to get moving. Cold and rainy. Stopped at Pine Swamp Branch shelter and tried to get dried out. Ate lunch and decided to get back to town to really dry out. Tom shuttled us back to Pearisburg.Day 69 - 4/16 - We are taking our first zero in a while and expect to be back on the trail tomorrow.Notes:We've hiked in much worse weather than this but figured resting our feet was a good idea.Twenty miles in three days means we won't be at McAfee Knob until early next week.
Date: 2015-04-21
From: Stone Creek Valley

To: Daleville
Miles today: 73.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Days 70-74 - 4/17-21Camped last night at Lamberts Meadow. Was tough to find a dry spot for tent. Stream had been out of banks earlier. Hiked nine miles to town and got room. Ate lunch, visited outfitter, and resupplied. Did laundry, sent postcards, and shipped home cold weather clothes and bag. Ate dinner in room.Reached the one third mark. Here's my "Best" list for the first 729 miles:Hostel - Mountain Harbour, Roan MountainHotel - Holiday Inn Express, HiawasseeShuttle - Tom and Marie Bradford, ErwinMoonshine Sample - can't tell ya (not in Gatlinburg)Outfitter - Mt. Rogers Outfitters, DamascusBreakfast - Mountain Harbour, Roan MountainLunch - Daniel's, HiawasseeDinner - Homeplace Restaurant, CatawbaLibrary - DamascusTrail Magic - ChivoView - McAfee KnobNotes:Weather warming up. Need to start carrying more water. Circling buzzards must have noticed my empty water bottles the other day.Passed some good-smelling spearmint patches.I've lost 45 pounds since we started at Springer. Another thirty or so would be nice.Lost another toenail. Not sure how much those weigh.Surprised at how few hikers we see some days. Saw only two others Friday.Slipped/fell coming down from Dragon's Tooth Sunday. It wasn't hiking, it was rock climbing in the rain with thirty pounds on the back. No broken bones, just a little sore. Sorry, but no video.We lucked out and enjoyed great view from McAfee Knob Monday. Not long after that, we got caught out in a thunderstorm. Lucky the hail was small. Yes, Longhorn shot some video of that.Looks like I'll be going back to work in the fall. Need to finish hiking by mid-August. We've only done four miles of slack-packing so far. Would like to start doing more. If y'all know of any good opportunities, please let me know via guest book.Took more pictures on this stretch. View them on the blog here:http://zipperthruhike.blogspot.com/2015/04/tidmore-retiring.html