morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-07-24
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: scattered clouds

When my sons were junior high age and I would ask them what they were wearing to school the next day, they would always answer "whatever is on the top of the stack in my drawer". On the trail when I wonder what to eat for my next meal or snack, my answer is always, "whatever is heaviest". It just makes sense to lighten the load in my pack the quickest, easiest way.Today I have been remembering the old Sunday School song, "There was a wise old king, who had a thousand men. He marched them up the hill, and he marched them down again." Even as a kid, I did not think that was really a very wise thing to do. As a hiker, I am wondering if that same old king is the one who designed the AT. It seems there are way too many pointless ups and downs, with no spectacular views or other reasons for being at the tops.On the way to Unicoi Gap this morning, I heard my phone give me the low battery signal. I had been keeping it on airplane mode and I was only going thru minimal charge each day. Somehow, in my pack the airplane mode was turned off and the phone is now down to 11%. At Unicoi Gap parking lot, I was hoping to find someone in a car who had an iPhone5 car charger. A couple of guys stopped to day-hike and I asked them. I got really excited when they said yes, but their charger was for an iPhone4 and would not work for my phone. oh well. At least they agreed to take our trash bags.  We also met a family of five starting off there for a day-hike. We let them go before us, because with our newly restocked backpacks weighing at least 35 lbs., we knew we would be going slow on the uphill trail out of the gap. We scaled Blue Mountain, Rocky Mountain, and Tray Mountain and stopped at the Tray Mountain shelter at 5:00pm. It was only an 8.1 mile day, but it was a lot of elevation change. We actually got our water, ate dinner, hung our bear bags, and were in bed BEFORE dark for a change, resting up for the morrow which was going to be our longest day yet. It was difficult to fall asleep with a constant buzz of insects in the shelter but it was still a good day to be on the AT.
Date: 2014-07-25
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Buzzard Knob
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: overcast clouds

In my sleep last night, I felt something on my cheek. I brushed my hand across the side of my face thinking I would be brushing my hair out of my face, and I displaced a small, warm furry body of some sort. Mouse? Bat? I don't know, but I pulled the drawstring cord of my sleeping bag and situated my pillow in the small opening that was left and settled for breathing my own stale air for the rest of the night. I could hear bats or birds winging their way through the shelter whenever I was awake in the night. THEN, something heavy enough to move the rocks around the campfire area woke us both up at some point. It was hard to relax enough to go back to sleep after all that.We were up before 7:00am, but still not on the trail before 9:00am. Through the morning we crossed paths with a group of five SOBOs, then a solo SOBO, then two trail maintainers weed-whacking on Kelly's Knob. That was a steep mile ascent with lots of rest stops for me. On the top finally, I broke out in Karen Carpenter's "I'm on the Top of the World", though not quite as good as she sang it. After lunch and rehydrating there, I was hoping for an easier second half of the day. I got some pictures of some interesting mushrooms and flowers today, as well as some shots from the top of Kelly's Knob.There were no usable water sources for the afternoon, so we had to ration our water. It was great to get to Dicks Creek Gap at US 76 and finally get more water. We decided to fix our Mountain House meals and eat our supper at the picnic tables there. While we were relaxing there, a van stopped and a guy bounded up the steps to our table. It was Sir Packs-a-Lot. I had read of him in some trail journals and knew he was from my hometown of Conyers, GA. He now operates the Top of Georgia hostel in Hiawassee and stops at the Gap often to shuttle hikers to the hostel. It was good to meet and talk to him, and even though we didn't need to stay at his hostel, he graciously agreed to take our trash bags for us. After we ate, we hiked past Cowart Gap where we had intended to camp and on to the top of Buzzard Knob for a total of 14.1 miles. It was a cool and windy night at 3750 elevation so I was glad for my warm cozy tent. I was not happy to notice two more blisters on my poor aching feet.
Date: 2014-07-26
From: Buzzard Knob

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: overcast clouds

We crossed the GA-NC state line, then stopped at Bly Gap .1 mile into NC for lunch and water refills at a great piped stream. It was a warm, clear day; we have had no rain for two whole days now thankfully. We crossed paths with a father/son hiking team, a solo hiker, a young couple, and two more trail maintainers today. I am very thankful for the many volunteers who trim and maintain the trail so that hikers can use it. After lunch we took pictures of a very unusual twisted tree just inside NC. We had a series of two steep inclines leading up to Courthouse Bald, but then the rest of the day was not so difficult.I discovered that I had poison ivy on both hands. I probably got it from retrieving the bear bag rope in the dark after missing the branch I was aiming for in the dark and having to reel the rope back in to throw it again and again. Having poison ivy could be a really aggravating out here in the woods where I cannot treat it. My sons and I watched a tv show this past year about infomercials for crazy things. One of them was for a band that hikers could put around themselves and a tree to help make squatting in the woods for potty breaks easier. At the time it sounded ridiculous, but now ..... I thought I just might be interested in trying one.We got to lighten our loads again by dropping off our trash at the receptacles at Deep Gap at US 71. We did not reach our shelter until 8:30pm, so it was a rush to fix dinner, eat, and hang the bear bags. There were no cables for bear bags and no privy.  We saw a bunny at the shelter and one mouse right before we turned in for the night.This stop marked the half-way point of this trek. I missed my daily showers, soap, shampoo, and clean clothes, and I was over the novelty of using the woods for my bathroom necessities. I was still glad to be hiking on the AT.
Date: 2014-07-27
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Mooney Gap
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

It took me about twenty minutes to treat and bandage all the blisters and sore spots on my feet in the morning. Then I laid out all my remaining food and divided it up into what I could eat for each meal between now and when Iris' husband meets us at Wayah Bald with our next resupply boxes. It didn't look like much, but it would have to work because it was all I had. I was not going to starve, but I would need to be careful not to run out of food. I had been eating much more on the trail than I thought I would be eating.We had some great views and got some great pictures from Standing Indian Mountain this morning. The cool breezes helped us hike down into Beech Gap to a great water source, which seemed really far off the trail, even though it wasn't marked as such in AWOL's guide. Then we passed several other streams right on the trail that would have worked just as well. Oh well! Unfortunately I had diarrhea three times today. I finally got out the Immodium and took two doses. Thankfully I felt better quickly and was back to normal by lunch time. We only crossed paths with two other guys day-hiking today. We reached Betty Creek Gap before 5:00pm. We had intended to camp there. We rested and ate there and also met a young couple with a one-year-old there who had just hiked in to see the Appalachian Trail. They graciously agreed to take our trash bags out with them. Thanks y'all. We decided it was too early to stop for the day, so we kept going to Mooney Gap at USFS 83. We ate, hung our bear bags, and were in tents for the night by 8:10pm. Tomorrow morning would be a steep, tricky ascent up Albert Mountain, which would mark 100 miles of trail for us! We needed a good night's rest to be ready!
Date: 2014-07-28
From: Mooney Gap

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

So much for needing a good night's sleep! I woke up in the midst of a horrific thunderstorm about 2:00am. We were camped under tree cover, but the rain was pelting my tent like crazy. Lightning was flashing, thunder was crashing, and the ground was shaking! It lasted over an hour. I was so thankful for a warm, cozy tent and very thankful that a tree did not fall on me during the storm!It was hard packing up in the morning, with everything, everywhere so wet. We decided to skip a regular breakfast and just eat granola bars on the trail. In just 1.4 miles we were on top of Albert Mountain. The last .3 mile was like hiking back from the Wilds' Fourth Falls, only with no rope hand holds and with a 30 pound pack on my back! There were scrambles over rocks, grabbing roots and trees for support. We had to collapse our trekking poles and attach them to our packs because they were of no use. Iris had done this section before and had offered to go to the top, drop her pack, and come back to take my pack from me, to help me out, but I managed to get to the top on my own, several minutes after she did. What an accomplishment!!It was VERY WINDY at 5250 elevation, but I did get cell service and was able to call my husband for a few minutes. We took pictures from the top of the fire tower and ate breakfast and relaxed. Iris also talked to her husband who was planning to meet us at Wayah Bald tomorrow. He asked if we wanted him to bring us Subway sandwiches and we jumped at the offer and gave him our orders. The rest of the day was "less difficult" thankfully. From Rock Gap we called Budget Inn in Franklin, NC to try to arrange a shuttle to pick us up at Winding Stair Gap so we could stay in town for the night. The hotel only provides shuttles during thru-hiker season, but they gave us a name and number to call for a possible shuttle driver. Thankfully Beverly answered and agreed to meet us that afternoon at Winding Stair Gap. She picked us up, took us to a Chinese buffet for dinner, took us to WalMart, and then graciously asked us to stay at her house instead of the hotel.   We showered and did laundry, while she played the piano. (She is her church pianist.) We loved the fellowship time with her. She was a true trail angel!!I enjoyed sleeping in a nice clean bed for the first time in ten days! I realized how thankful I am to have had this two week opportunity to hike on the AT. I have come to realize that although I do want to backpack more, I don't think I want to spend the next ten years trying to complete the whole trail. I think I would rather enjoy shorter times on the trail, without having to obsess about completing long sections so I can finish the whole thing before I am too old. I think one week might be my limit in the future. I have pushed myself to my limits on this trek and enjoyed it, I might be giving up the goal of finishing the whole trail.
Date: 2014-07-29
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

I woke up refreshed and clean about 4:40am and could not go back to sleep. I charged my phone, checked emails and facebook, sent texts out to my family, and kept my feet elevated.   After breakfast and packing, Beverly drove us back Winding Stair Gap by 10:00am where she had picked us up the day before. We hiked mostly uphill 4.2 miles to Siler Bald where we had lunch about noon. It didn't take long before our freshly laundered clothes were just as sweaty as they had been the day before. At lunch I had to take off my shoes and socks and elevate my feet to rest them. By midafternoon, my blisters were causing so much pain that I changed into my Teva sandals and finished the day hiking in them. Hiking in the Tevas was much easier on my toes, but much harder on my soles and calves.We crossed paths today with a group of nine college freshman from Bowling Green Ohio. They said they were hiking south to their vehicle at Rock Gap. We had seen a large white van there earlier and wondered if it was for a school group out hiking. We also chatted with a teacher from Florida who was enjoying her last week of summer break by hiking to Siler Bald. We met two older guys dayhiking southbound and two other ladies backpacking southbound. There was also a family of four out on one of the USFS roads we crossed. I think seeing 18 people in one day was a record for us. A couple of days, we have not seen a single person on the trail for the entire day.We stayed between 4000-5000 elevation for the afternoon as we made our way to Wayah Bald, where Iris' husband was to meet us with our next resupply boxes. We thoroughly enjoyed the foot-long Subway sandwiches he brought us; it was the first time I had ever eaten an entire foot-long by myself. Hiking sure works up my appetite! It was great to use the real restrooms there too. There were beautiful views from the stone tower at Wayah Bald, but it was way too cool and windy for us to camp there like we had originally planned. We went through our resupply boxes and packed our new supply of food in our backpacks. It was very tempting to end our hike while we had a getaway vehicle, but we decided to finish what we started.We hiked another .9 mile downhill to the Wayah Bald Shelter. I managed to get the bear bag rope over the tree limb on the second try tonight - a new record.   Since we had the shelter all to ourselves, I set my tent up inside it to let it dry out and air out, and also to keep small creatures from crawling on my face during the night. The night got fairly cold and Iris said she slept in every layer she had with her, even her rain pants. I was nice and cozy in my tent inside the shelter.
Date: 2014-07-30
From: Wayah Bald Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Having a dry tent dry made packing much easier. Things compact better and weigh less when they are dry. Even still, we were moving slowly and didn't get on the trail until almost 10:00am.The terrain made hiking less difficult, except for the fact that my left little toe was digging into its neighbor and killing me with every downhill step. We had a nice lunch at Cold Spring Shelter. It was a tiny shelter; but it was right on the trail, and it had a privy and a great stream for water. I changed into my Tevas at lunch again and wore them for the rest of the day for some relief.We crossed paths with yet another group of college kids, a dayhiking couple with their 12-year-old daughter and dog, and a father/12-year-old son team (PacMan and PacMan Jr.), all of whom were heading southbound.I got cell phone reception from the observation tower on top of Wesser Bald and was able to talk to my husband again, as well as my daughter and granddaughter. I cut up two of my cheddar cheese sticks and added them to a Mountain House Chili Mac and Beef dinner along with some of Susan's crushed Fritos. It made a very satisfying dinner. I liked being able to add boiling water right into the foil bag, seal it to let it rehydrate, and eat it right out of the bag. I only used my stove for boiling water, so I didn't have any dishes to wash. I can't believe these dinners were supposed to be TWO servings though. I had no problem eating a whole bag, so I doubt a whole bag would fill up a young male hiker. Since we were at a shelter by ourselves again, I set up my tent inside the shelter again, to keep me warmer and to keep out little critters.
Date: 2014-07-31
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Swim Bald
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We left Wesser Bald Shelter about 9:15am and hiked 4.9 miles almost all downhill to A. Rufus Morgan Shelter by noon. It was a nice shelter, but it had no table. It did have a nice stream for water. We ate lunch and rested there.I got stung by a bee this morning on my wedding ring finger. I immediately began tugging and twisting my ring and finally got it off. My finger and hand was really swollen. ouch!We only had one more mile to hike downhill after lunch to get to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. It seemed surreal to step out of the woods, cross a busy street, and be in the middle of so many people and so much traffic and noise. We really enjoyed using real restrooms. I used Susan's poison ivy cleanser to wash my hands and arms in the restroom too. I bought a Hershey bar with almonds, a pack of fruit-flavored lifesavers, and a Mountain House scrambled eggs and bacon meal. Susan bought a new headlamp. We left the NOC and started a very long uphill stretch of trail. It was four miles to a spring, but there was nowhere to get off the trail and camp, so we kept going and going . . . uphill . . . another two miles to the top of Swim Bald. It was a long exhausting day and by the time we set up camp, we actually ate in the dark. 11.7 miles may not sound like much and I was completely spent, but it was still great to be on the AT.
Date: 2014-08-01
From: Swim Bald

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

Today I realized I only had one more night on the trail. On the one hand, I was ready to be done with the hike. On the other hand, I didn't want it to end. We slept in after yesterday's grueling hike out of Nantahala Gorge. We got on the trail late and then stopped .9 mile away at Sassafras Gap Shelter to use the privy and to get water and eat some snacks. I enjoyed reading the trail journal there. It was almost noon before we left, and we had almost 9 miles left before our intended shelter for the night.We only saw one southbounder who started at Katahdin and was almost finished with his thru-hike. I bet he had some great stories to tell, but he was in thru-hiker mode and didn't waste much time talking before he kept on hiking. At Stecoah Gap at NC 143 a nice girl took our pictures by an Appalachian Trail sign for us. She also agreed to take our trash bags for us. I am really thankful for the many people who have been willing to do this little act of kindness for us and lighten our loads a little.Even though today was a shorter mileage day, we got a late start and took long breaks mid-morning and for lunch. Consequently, by the time we got to Jacob's Ladder, it was already supper time. It was aptly named, because it really did feel like we were going to hike straight up into Heaven. IT WAS A LONG, STEEP STRETCH OF TRAIL!Just as we finally got to the end of Jacob's Ladder, the rain started.   A gentle rain actually feels good after hard hiking, but this rain was pouring and pelting us for the last .2 mile to the shelter. We tried jogging, which I'm sure would have been comical to see with our thirty pound backpacks bouncing up and down with each step. Since it was getting dark already, it was got cooler quickly. I was totally exhausted by the time we made it to the shelter, made dinner, and got things ready for bed. Iris went to fill her water bottles and returned to let me know there was a great spring, but there was a steep trail to get to it. I was too tired and decided to wait until morning and hope I was refreshed by then. After we ate, Iris took my water bottles back to the spring and filled them for me. I was so thankful for her act of service for me!The rain let up some as we were getting ready for bed. I had cell service and was able to text my husband and talk to my daughter for a few minutes. The rain returned in the night with a vengeance. It pelted the tin roof all night, while lightning flashed, and thunder crashed around us. Branches and acorns sure can make a lot of noise on a tin shelter roof! Even the sleep-aid I took and the ear plugs I used did not help much. It was a long night and I was thankful to be in a shelter.
Date: 2014-08-02
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Visitor Center
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

It was still raining lightly when we woke up this morning. We were 13 miles away from the Fontana Dam Visitor Center where we would meet our husbands and return to the civilized world.We hiked 6.1 miles to Cable Gap Shelter and had lunch there. We chatted with a couple of southbound guys who were eating lunch there when we arrived - a young teacher/coach from Plant City FL and a 15-year old guy. We stopped there after them and left before them.We made pretty good time from the shelter to Fontana because it was mostly downhill. It was wet though, and the slippery rocks were our nemesis today. I was the first to slip and fall. I scraped my right shin, banged my right elbow, and landed on my backpack like an overturned turtle. It took some doing to right myself. Later Iris fell on a tough rock scramble. I fell a second time later in the afternoon, this time banging my left knee and left elbow.   I guess I will be taking home some souvenirs to help me remember my last day on the trail.We finally crossed NC 28 and headed toward Fontana Dam Shelter. We stopped at the HUGE shelter to enter our last trail register entry and then headed toward the Visitor Center. It was uncomfortable hiking on the asphalt in the sun after being in the woods on the trail for two weeks. What a relief to walk down a hill and see our husbands waiting there for us! We did it! Iris and Again, Springer to Fontana, 7/19/14-8/2/14
Date: 2014-08-11
To: home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I am preparing for my next section hike on the AT - the 72 miles through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. After 38 years, I will be hiking the same stretch of AT that I hiked in 1976 with my high school classmates. After that trip, while staying in Gatlinburg, we heard a bluegrass group singing, "Don't let the Smoky Mountain smoke get in your eyes, If you do, I'm telling you, You'll want to live there for the rest of your life, Once that Smoky Mountain smoke gets in your eyes." I haven't been able to live there all my life, but the Smokies have been pulling me back for many years now.This will be a different kind of hike. The weather will be cooler. I have hiking shoes that are bigger and hopefully will not cause blisters under my toenails. I have some experience and can be a bit more relaxed. We have a couple of friends coming with us so we will have a bigger group.