morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-04-07
From: Gooch Mtn Shelter

To: Niels Gap
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

The night was restless especially with a downpour making it pretty loud. People coming and going at what felt like all hours. Sweaty too. People had been talking about the 100% chance of rain all day so we headed out in full rain gear even though it was just a drizzle. Soon we regretted it.The fog was thick but we were glad to get out of Gooch. We arrived to Lance Creek very quickly- this was where we had decided to stop our day early so as to avoid the 5 mile bear canister section. After a long discussion and promises to offset these extra miles in the future, we pushed on.... in the rain gear!The sun came out and we started to sweat but it meant great views on the summit. Met cheery locals too. I had to unzip almost the entirety of my pant legs. The people at Gooch had not only scared me about the nonexistent rain but also about the descent of Blood Mtn. It was one reason we were really hesitant to keep going that day but it was a piece of cake for us. With strong legs and light packs, we should not have worried as much as we did.Made it to Mountain Outfitters at Niels Gap in time to get a frozen pizza and resupply. Hiked 10 minutes out and set up our tent right as the freezing rain started. It took some extra motivation to get our first bear hang up but we did. Then we bunkered down for the night...
Date: 2018-04-08
From: Niels Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Oo what a morning! Josh's toughest so far. We woke up to a frozen winterland- stunning! Instead of having a relaxing morning, we faced the ice and decided to pack up and roll before everything began melting. Wasn't easy though. Josh was dealing with some personal pains; combined with the ice falling on us, it made for some quiet hiking.But things can change quickly. Trail magic at Tesnatee Gap!!! A couple named Mitsy and Bobby had BBQ sandwiches, green beans, brownies, hot chocolate, fruits and more!! What kindness! With that fuel, our cold dissipated and we flew to Low Gap as the sun slowly crept out. We relaxed and ate the afternoon away once there. Good people here and great conversations. Our stuff all dried out and got some floor space in the shelter.
Date: 2018-04-09
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night, I was shocked to encounter a triple crowned who completed the PCT 2014 around the same time as me. His name is Lumber and he was camping at the same spot. It was really fun to catch up!We had a relaxing morning and made some oatmeal before hitting the trail. It was really foggy all day while hiking. We kept leap frogging along the trail with the fun people we met the night before while chatting nonstop with Lumber. There was some trail magic in the form of chocolate eggs at Unicoi Gap. Instead of stopping at a camp spot we had discussed, we pressed through to Tray Mtn Shelter. We are trying to stay conservative with our miles but we pushed it today so we can set ourselves up for a full zero in Hiawasee starting tomorrow. Tray Mtn is in a beautiful spot out in this ridge. In the afternoon, some sun was popping out through the clouds and gave us a nice sunset.In the last couple of days, I've been seeing lots of comradery amongst hikers and people helping one another out. Friendly and inquisitive.
Date: 2018-04-10
From: Tray Mountain Shelter 

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light snow

After the best night of sleep so far, we got our earliest start. After noticing some irritation in my knee the afternoon before, I slowly walked out of camp feeling  tight. It didn't take long to warm up and start moving well. Passed some friendly hikers along the way down to the road and continued chatting the miles away with Lumber. Unfortunately, the soreness was back by the time we reached the road. Fortunately, we got picked up by the first car we stuck our thumb out for.Haiwassee is a beautiful town. After stuffing our faces with Subway, we did a little grocery shopping and returned to Budget Inn where we were staying with friends. Dinner was Taco Bell. Spent the night kicking it with Lumber, Will, Asshole, Sloppy Baggins, and Sunshine whom I gave a mini shakedown. This community is great!
Date: 2018-04-11
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Yoghurt and fruit. Update journal.Daniels all-you-can-eat buffet.Laundry.Nap.BBQ- Asshole attempts 1 Lb Challenge at Barney's.Beer with other hiker trash.Epsom salt bath and early to bed.We had no idea it would feel this good!
Date: 2018-04-12
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Bly Gap
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 8- Dicks Creek Gap (m69) to Bly Gap (m78)Josh and I used the morning to get a few extra hours of R&R and icing the knee. Took the 11am shuttle out with the three guys we have been hiking near: Asshole, Sloppy Baggins, and Will. They had feasted on Hardee's and we had just tried to finish all the fruit and goodies we had bought at Ingles. Even so, we could not say no to the great trail magic at the trailhead. A group of 4 people from Georgia had BBQ sandwiches, chips, and cookies. They also had baguettes for us to hike out so we both strapped one to the outside of our packs. It was much appreciated and we started hiking with full stomachs!My left knee was still sore which was a bummer for both Josh and I. There was a certain degree of ego that we had to battle with. The expectation was that we would be flying after that luxurious zero but that obviously was not the case.Then all of the sudden, Ping!, my right IT band strains and pain shoots down to my foot. My foot is tingling! This really took the wind out of our sails. We had been planning on going 12ish miles to Muskrat Creek Shelter but I can already tell that ain't happening! It was a long, sweaty, smoky uphill to the North Carolina border. We broke bread their and passed the baguettes around with other hikers at the sign. While it was not as momentous in the moment due to our diminished moods, it was still pretty cool. This is the farthest Josh has ever hiked at once and the first time walking across a state boundary. Only 0.1 mile later is Bly Gap so we called it there. It was crowded but we knew some other hikers and got our laughs in still. We had a little chat about our mindset, recalibrated, and enjoyed the incredible sunset.After a week on the trail, Josh has been kicking butt and I am extremely confident that this summer will go well for him. He has a lot to be proud of and has been really helpful these last two hiking days with my knees. I'm excited for what is to come for us!
Date: 2018-04-13
From: Bly Gap

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: clear sky

Day 9- Bly Gap (m78) to Carter Gap Shelter (m93.3) Today was the warmest night so far for us! Every time I rolled over in the night, I felt moist in my liner. We still got some good 'Z's in though and started hiking at about 9. Of course, it starts with a short but steep climbing. Every step hurt- I think Josh could hear some of my grimacing. Soon we pulled out the muffins (and ibuprofen) and it helped me forget about the pain for a little bit. Since we called it early the day before, we were a little unsure where we would end up today. The weather was clear and bright giving us lots of flexibility so we just started walking. The climbs and descents in the elevation profile looked more gradual than previous sections and thank goodness it was true. Josh had stopped to use the privy at Muskrat and didn't catch up for awhile so we got a long section of hiking separately. We saw some of our first green patches along the trail. The water options were great as were the views from Standing Indian Mtn.Due to the mild terrain, my knees seemed to warm up and the pain was more intermittent! This was thrilling! Great conversation with Sloppy Baggins helped the miles fly too and next thing you know, we were at Carter Gap Shelter 15.3 miles away! I feel extremely fortunate- we passed some hikers (at least 4) that were stepping off the trail at Deep Gap because of injuries. So relieved that I am on the ups.A great day on the trail continued into a great night. The thruhikers around us are an absolute hoot and there were some really cool section hikers too.
Date: 2018-04-14
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 10- Carter Gap Shelter (93.3m) to Rock Gap Shelter (105.4m) After another sweaty night, I awoke early and was able to cajole Josh awake at 7. We could tell it was foggy. The tin roof of the Carter Gap Shelter rang loud from water drops falling from the tree cover. People reading the weather report the night before made us think the rain would be coming so we set out in the sweaty rain jackets... notice a theme? The temperature stayed mild and we enjoyed the coziness of the trees with the low visibility. The hiking in these parts have an easier grade which my IT band was thankful for. We were eating up the miles while singing show tunes. Soon, we started sucking a little wind for the short, fun climb up to the fire tower on Albert Mtn. No view but a really fun section to spice up the day. From there, it was a rolling descent to Rock Gap Shelter. We passed the 100 mile marker. We enjoyed the little spouts of water someone built with rhododendron leaves at most of the springs. Our lunch of tuna and cheese tortilla wraps was enjoyed at the prettiest shelter we've seen so far, Long Branch Shelter. Comparatively, Rock Gap Shelter would be on the JV team of shelters but we were not complaining. Blue had reclaimed the sky and we enjoyed the afternoon reading, stretching, and chatting the hours away with the great hikers around us until after dark. Weather was the main talk around the campfire as it seems a couple of inches of rain may fall with it turning to light snow Sunday night. We still got Asshole, Sloppy Baggins, and Will. Then there is Millie whose Trail name is vigorously being contested. Big Kahuna is here along with Walk It Off, and Queen Bee & Grumble Bee. We also have been hanging out with 4 cool section hikers from GA and FL: Fix, Hustler, Dr. Blueberry, and Joe. Apart from Lumber, we also met Blazer who has thruhiked the AT and PCT too so we did some reminiscing together.This may sound weird but I will always remember the privy from this shelter for two reasons:It faced the trail from the royal throne so I waved and greeted about 10 hikers while in thereI had only the second 5-star poop in my life there. What that means is that you spot wildlife (in this case, a little songbird) and you both poop at the same time while making eye contact. It was amazing!Tomorrow, the alarm is set early to maximize town time while trying to avoid the incoming weather. Looking forwards to some brews and a shower. Then onto the NOC where I will definitely be kayaking!
Date: 2018-04-16
From: Franklin

To: Cold Spring Shelter 
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 12-Winding Stair Gap (109.2m) to Cold Springs Shelter (125m) We opened the door of the hotel room. It looked overcast and a very light snow was in the air. It was chilly but not freezing. We decided to grab the 9am shuttle back to the trail and we were not the only ones. There were a lot of hikers waiting in the parking lot; we didn't recognize most of them. This storm has clumped people together and reshuffled everyone up.The ride to the trail was beautiful. As we climbed, the forest turned white. It was much colder up there and we had decided to hike in our shorts/skirt. We didn't want to get our longjohns wet nor did we want to become sweaty messes in our rain gear. What tested us most was the wind. Regardless of how fast we hiked, the wind would cut us in half. When we reached the top of our climb at the Wayah Bald summit. There was a thruhiker there waiting for a ride; he told us the next shelter ahead was full.Our hearts dropped a little. We had not expected lots of people to be zero-ing in shelters that close to a town. Even though we had already put 10 miles in, there was still gas in our tanks and plenty of daylight left to make it to the next shelter, Cold Spring. We stopped in anyway and, without communicating to each other, were both glad we were not staying there. It smelled and everyone in there already seemed pretty miserable. Plus, we knew it would be a zoo once everyone from our shuttle caught up.The temperature was dropping and the winds were gusting. Hikers heading the opposite direction were very bundled up! We held our breathe that there would be room in the Cold Spring Shelter but we were wrong. There were already 6 people in there and the group went silent when we inquired if there could be room for two more. It was not the reaction we expected but we couldn't force it. Hurriedly, we set our tent up and crawled into the shelter to cook our dinner. The hikers were friendly but were obviously, uncomfortably cold. After food and a pot of tea, we retreated into our tent and got into our sleeping bags. We cinched everything as tight as possible: our sleeping bag liners, the neck collars, and the face holes. We chatted and giggled until sleepiness drifted over us.
Date: 2018-04-17
From: Cold Spring Shelter 

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 13- Cold Springs Shelter (125m) to NOC (136.7m) The urge to pee reared its ugly head and I reluctantly had to get out of my sleeping bag. As I found later, it was 19 degrees outside. Luckily, my shoes were not ice blocks since they had not gotten very wet the day before. It was go time! We were both up and out in less than half and hour. We didn't do an eloquent packing job or anything but we wanted to get moving. It was going to be awhile for the sun to hit our location. The trail was icy!! After the trails had gotten 2-3inches of rain on Saturday and then froze, certain sections of the trail were long, thin ice rinks. It didn't take long for me to be elated. The ice and rime covered trees glistened once the sun hit them- it was my most beautiful day on the trail by far! Josh was just trying to get warm and shot off down the trail while I oooed and aaaed and took photos.Cold Springs Shelter was at 4,926ft; our destination, the Nantahala Outdoor Center, was at 1,732ft. So as you can imagine, it was a lot of downhill. Even though my knees weren't happy, it lent itself to a marvelous landscape transformation. The ice started disappearing from the trees. Next the white snow was disappearing and being replaced by green plants. The air warmed up and it was time to peel off our puffies and put out warm hats away. Wesser Bald had a terrific observation tower giving us our first clear panoramic views of the trip. We got a clear look at the Smokies with a dusting of white. Also we ran into our buddy, Data, who we have been leap frogging with since our first night together in Stover Creek Shelter.As the three of us went to our lowest elevation so far, the trees began to have leaves. We saw flowers of purple, then pink, yellow, and finally white. It wasn't muddy and there also weren't many water sources until we were within spitting distance of the NOC. For me personally, it felt as if the final miles were dragging on while Josh and Data chatted up a storm.Once we made it to the NOC, we feasted at their restaurant which put us all into food comas. Josh and I stood in the freezing water for 10 whole minutes before we retired to the little cabin we reserved with Data and another hiker named Heather.
Date: 2018-04-18
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Locust Cove Gap
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 14- NOC to Locust Cove Gap (147.3mi)This is why we are hiking. A buddy asked what I am trying to get out of this: "You've already done a thruhike. How will this one be any different?"On the PCT, I had to go fast; my goals were almost all miles based. Now on the AT with my partner, we want more. We want to experience the areas we walk through, deepen our relationship, take time to smell the roses, say yes to opportunities that come our way, and make the miles.So today, we went BOATING!!! I've known about the NOC for years. Even as a kid hosting thruhikers, the NOC sounded like the one of the coolest places on Earth. My dad whitewater kayaks a lot and has since spent much time down there. Getting some water time was a big priority to me and Josh supported it. We enjoyed a lazy morning before renting 2 single-person inflatable kayaks. Also, we got two other hikers to join us, Produce and Zach. They shuttle you eight miles upriver and it was a fun Class 2 ride back to the campus with a single Class 3 rapid at the bottom. We were smiles all around and the valley we floated through was picturesque. It was Zach's first time whitewater kayaking. Produce said after today, the idea of aquablazing sounds very appealing. Josh was nervous to go. Most of his previous experience is our friends bringing him on rivers that are above his ability level so he swims a lot. This ride gave him so much confidence, especially after he ran the final rapid perfectly.A bowl of chili for the road and we headed out to still get our miles in for the day. It was a long hot uphill to Cheoah Bald which presented some of my favorite views so far. I think the multi hour float in the sun drained me a little so I was more tired than expected for this climb. Honestly, it was the first time on this trip that I have felt fatigued; my legs were just tired. That was offset by good views of where we've been hiking the last couple of days and nice ridge walks. We got into Locust Gap around 7 and quickly set up camp and fell asleep.
Date: 2018-04-19
From: Locust Cove Gap

To: Streamside Campsite 
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

After a starry night, it was clear and cold when we awoke from our slumber. Most people had not left camp before us except for Produce, a young Qu©b©cois woman whom we have been leap frogging with since the beginning like Data. Talking about some crazy dreams the night before made the couple of miles to Stecoah Gap fly by. We got picked up almost immediately and dropped off at an Ingles grocery store in the small town of Robbinsville, NC. We took some time to decide what we would need to get us to Gatlinberg, TN. The decision to resupply here means we would have to carry the food an extra 14 miles to the national park but it would be easier and more affordable to do our shopping in this town.Before hitting the trail, I wanted a McGriddle; Josh decided to go for Wendy's. He says he had the best fast food experience OF HIS LIFE!! Shoutout to John from the Robbinsville Wendy's! We walked back to grocery store to hitch back and got a ride even before we stuck our thumbs out. The trail was steep leaving Stecoah Gap with our heaviest packs yet but easier than the day before. We caught Produce pretty quickly and the three of us stuck together the rest of the day. Cumulatively, it was mainly downhill with neither I or Produce are enjoying too much right now. Josh is still kicking butt like always and making it look easy! As always, conversation helped the miles past. We chose to skip the last shelter before Fontana Dam and hoped we would find a small unmarked campsite somewhere between there and Fontana. We traveled another 3 or 4 miles before we found one of my favorite spots so far. I will say it was during those 3 or 4 miles though where my feet and knee started to talk to me and I was thrilled when we found a site near water.We had a deep real life talk around a fire, shared pain relief cream, helped each other hang our bear bags and had just a terrific night. The moon has been beautiful recently- it's a waxing crescent right now- and tonight was no different. There's something.... almost reassuring about getting back in tune with nature's rhythms and cycles in a way I am not in the day-to-day.
Date: 2018-04-20
From: Streamside Campsite 

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter 
Miles today: 15.4

Day 16- Another great day for Team Cheesy Josh! A lazy morning to ourselves at a stunning campsite was a great start. It was four miles along the edge of Fontana Lake to the Fontana "Hilton" Shelter. The shelter was large with bathrooms, a charging station, and a patio with a view yet it wasn't extremely appealing personally as a place to stay. My guess is that it is swarming with people and kind of loud. We continued onto the Fontana Dam Visitors Center where we got another AT Passport stamp from a sweet couple who volunteers there. They maintain a box of trail magic so we grabbed some cheese crackers and Josh got a little tour of their museum before heading out across the Fontana Dam and onto enter the Smokies National Park. Josh relayed the dam's history to me as we walked across the top of it. The sun was shining and we were a little giddy to be at this place that we had heard so much about. We deposited our backcountry permits at the park entrance and started the climb. It was hot but I wasn't finding it as difficult as the climb out of the NOC. Around the Dam, there was foliage creating nice shade. As we went higher, the trees were bare and I got super sweaty. The ascent was steady and brought us to the Shuckstack Fire Tower for some terrific views while we munched on a late lunch of tuna and cheese on tortillas.Still more climbing ahead. This is when we started meeting other hikers heading to the same shelter. Once we were up on the ridge line within a couple of miles of the shelter, the trail began winding through these meadows filled with little white flowers! It was absolutely stunning and a great way to end the hiking day.There were many people at the Mollie's Ridge Shelter already but we were still able to grab the final spots in the shelter. We met our first Ridgerunner of the Smokies named Carl who was an absolute rockstar. It's meeting people like him that makes me want to work with public lands in some form or another. We only knew two of hikers there and it gave us an opportunity to meet a lot of new thruhikers. It's exciting to finally be in the national park!! Tomorrow is forecasted to have clear, sunny skies and we cannot wait to see what the trail has to offer. If it is anything like today was, I'd be thrilled!
Date: 2018-04-21
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter 

To: Silers Bald Shelter 
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 17- The shelter was busy by 7am with kick butt Carl the Ridgerunner overseeing all of the commotion. The mood was light and a lot of people were ready to enjoy the sunny day. While we were some of the last people out of our sleeping bags, we still had a good head start on most people since we don't cook breakfast.The day was mostly an ascent with lots of little dips and rises along the way. The weather couldn't have been any better so we decided to go for our biggest day so far. Rumors are that rain is coming tomorrow and we would love to get into Gatlinburg earlier rather than later. The landscape changed a lot and became a lot more like what I expected balds to be which is many grassy. There were still these tiny little white flowers with us through all the miles. We've figured out the flowers open and close with the temperature- very cool! Also, for most of today, my knees felt great.There were four other people pushing with us: Unbound, Reflex, Ox, and Produce. We saw them periodically throughout the day. Birdsong was common and we spotted whitetail deer and large turkeys too. Still, we were very excited to have reached the shelter at the end of the day. I was tired and the shelter was almost empty compared to Mollies' the night before. Tomorrow we are going to reach the AT high point, Clingman's Dome, and then into Gatlinburg to see a friend, Oceana!