morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-07-10
From: FS 69

To: View Entry
Miles today: 11.63

Day 16 - Back on the Trail11.63 miles. We had another day of fine, cool weather. We got dropped off by ¢Sherpa Al¢ about 9am and resumed our Northward march through the woods.  We all agreed it felt good to be back on the trail. Zero days are nice but there is a simple rhythm we experience on the trail that we miss in town. We had a great morning with mostly pleasant hiking and the kids were hiking strongly. We saw one other hiker all day. It was a man our age named ¢Bones¢. He hiked half of the AT after college graduation in 2001 and now was back 22 years later to finish it!  We had a great time visiting with him. He had actually seen our entries in the trail registers as he was hiking behind us. That was the first time that¢s happened. Our family trail name is ¢So Dang Sweet¢ so that¢s how we introduce ourselves to the people we meet and how we sign the registers. We reached another bald today with a cool stone tower on top. There were families having picnics on the grass (parking lot nearby) and the view was spectacular!Bones was there and he told us how he had slept on a fire tower two nights before. The same tower that was locked when we arrived and our kids cried. Bones showed the kids his photos of the inside of the tower so they at least got to see what it looked like. We took a quick snack break and pressed on deciding to have a late lunch closer to the shelter as rain was in the forecast. We arrived at the planned shelter for the night around 4pm. We didn¢t like the look or feel of it. After some family deliberation we decided to fill water bottles at the spring and then press on. Not knowing where we¢d camp or if there would be water. It was a gamble but we all wanted to get closer to tomorrow¢s destination which should be a good one. We made it another 2 miles or so and the weather was threatening storms again. We found a great spring next to a terrible camp site. Lots of mud s d very slopes tent sites. We decided we¢d have to make it work as the next shelter was 4 miles further and we¢d be pushing up against darkness when we arrived. Erin made our supper while I found a suitable tree for a bear hang. We sat on wet logs and ate our dinner, I was grumbling about the campsite and wishing we¢d pressed on but Erin had a great attitude. It¢s not a perfect site but we just had to make do. Finding good camping for 6 people is a real challenge for us each night. That¢s why we usually go for the shelters. Having things like a picnic table or shelves for cooking on and eating make our life much easier. We¢re hoping for a dry night and a very early start¢¦I just heard thunder rumble and now it¢s raining. We haven¢t had a rainy night in the tents yet. We¢ll see how they do. We all voted that we would skip breakfast in the morning and just start hiking while eating snacks. We have about 10 miles tomorrow to reach out next destination and hope to arrive early because there is supposed to be swimming!
Date: 2023-07-12
From: NOC

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 13.9

Day 18  13.9 miles.  4748ft of ascent 3,307 ft of descent Sunny 68*Today we slackpacked because of the big elevation changes. The kids would have struggled with full packs.  We hit the trail at 7:30 and had gorgeous weather. The trail immediately was interesting with giant smooth boulders of what appeared to be marble. The trail was not overgrown at all and we had several stretches of my favorite - pine needle covered trail. There are few things more pleasant than pine needle covered foot paths, especially if it¢s sandy soil under those needles. It reminds me of playing in the woods as a boy in the piney woods north of Houston. We had about 7 miles of steady ascent but everyone was hiking strong.  We make better time on uphill than downhill. Well, actually the kids go faster than Erin and I on the downs, they seem to have joints made of rubber. We had a lunch of tuna packets and trail mix along with a yummy mango rice bowl. One of Erin¢s many food wins on this trip. One of the kids even told her today that her dehydrated cooking has come a LONG way since our first practice hike.  He¢s right!We filled water bottles in a spring and set off for the second half of the hike. Ups and downs but more downs.  All was well until about mile 10. Then the tears began to flow from the youngest two for various infractions by their siblings such as passing them on the hike or not letting them pass. They were just tired we knew so we got out the speaker and started playing music. It¢s amazing how quickly it can change everyone¢s mood!  We had a fun last couple miles singing to songs and hiking with a lighter step. Right at the end our oldest son got stung by 4 hornets. Collectively we¢ve had about 10 stings on our journey. The usual culprit is some sort of ground nesting hornet.  When you walk by they sting you in the leg before you even see them. The pain is intense. I¢ve gotten three so far. Baking soda (mixed with water and applied to the sting) has turned out to be the most used item in our first aid kits. We finished the hike at 4:25 and had someone pick us and bring us back to NOC. We¢re in our rooms again for tonight and will slackpack again tomorrow so we can make the 14 miles to Fontana Dam. There begins our 78 mile trek through Smokey Mountain National Park. That stretch weighs heavy on my mind. It has the highest climb of the entire AT.  To make it through the park takes 6-7 days if you¢re moving quickly and there is only one resupply point possible.  We¢ll have to average over 12 miles per day on rough terrain.  There is no camping allowed so you have to make it to the shelters each night. It¢s also notorious for rain and known for bears.  It should be fun :)
Date: 2023-07-13
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Fontana
Miles today: 13.85

Day 19 - Best Day Yet?13.85 milesSunny skies70*Today we picked up the trail at Stecoah and slackpacked to Fontana.  We got dropped off at the trail at 7:45 and we¢re hiking at 8.  We had tremendously blue skies with clouds hovering in the valleys below us. A mile into the hike was a section known as Jacob¢s Ladder.  We had a 30% grade for about a 1/2 mile. Very steep but the kids were so busy talking I¢m not sure if they noticed!  I certainly did but being early in the day we had fresh legs and only daypacks with water and food so the climb was easier than anticipated. We had lunch in a beautiful clearing (clearing is relative on the AT, the trees were just less dense) sitting in a tiny log shelter.  Our youngest son had somehow found fishing string somewhere so he attached it to his trekking pole and set off fishing in the small spring fed stream.  Since there were no fish in the tiny stream he claimed to be salamander fishing. Like the day before we only saw one other hiker all day. The trail was much better maintained here than further south and more interesting.  We are hoping tomorrow as we enter the Smokies that the terrain changes to something new. We arrived at our destination around 4:15. Actually, we weren¢t precisely sure of the destination. You see there is a Fontana Dam, a Fontana Village, Fontana Lodge and Fontana Marina. You have to keep in mind we¢ve had almost no cell service or internet for over a week. It¢s very difficult to plan the next leg of your trip from just maps and a trail guide. We just knew we were headed to Fontana. Turns out we arrived at the Marina and there was a phone to call the lodge. The phone had a note attached saying it was broken, please walk out to the Marina bait shop and have them call the lodge shuttle. While we waited an hour for the shuttle to show up we had a wonderful swim time at the boat launch. We¢ve missed swimming so much these past few weeks. Swimming is part of our summer routine in Austin. Lake Fontana is gorgeous and the water was warm and clear so we didn¢t hesitate jumping in wearing our hiking clothes.  Our youngest rigged up his fishing pole again and tied some fruit snacks to the end of the line, intent on reeling in a fish. A fisherman walking by took pity on his valiant but fruitless efforts and gave him his tub of his worms. He then returned from his truck with a fishing pole to give him. I thanked him then explained that we couldn¢t except it as we¢d have to carry it another 100 miles. Finally the shuttle showed up and drove us the 3 miles up to the lodge. It was a steal for $99 night - two pools and a lazy river plus a good restaurant occupied our remaining 3 hours of daylight. Erin made several trips to the laundromat 1/4 mile down a steep hill. We all wish we could stay longer and relax but we had to hit the trail early the next morning for our toughest day yet. We were finally climbing into the Smokies.
Date: 2023-07-15
From: Mollies Ridge

To: Derrick Knob
Miles today: 12.1

Day 21 -  A Slumber Party and Bears!Today has been a good day. A long hard hike but a memorable day. We¢re in a shelter tonight with 13 people!  It¢s our first experience having a slumber party with strangers. There¢s an REI hiking group, an optomologist and a ridge runner (sort of like a back country park ranger).  We¢re all squeezed into this 12 person, 2 level shelter like sardines but it¢s kind of fun.  Where else do you take your kids to sleep outdoors next to strangers?This morning we woke up late (7am) at Mollie¢s Ridge shelter. There was heavy rain during the night and we woke up in a dense cloud. All of our hanging clothes were soaking wet even though they were covered. The air was just too heavy with moisture for anything to dry. After getting on the trail we hiked about an hour and then came around a corner and saw the sight we¢d all longed to see - a black bear in the wild. Not just a bear but a mama bear with 3 adorable cubs. She looked at us for about 5 seconds and then went back to grazing. Two of the tiny cubs scampered up a tree and amazed us with their climbing abilities. They looked like large kittens as they made their way 50ft up a tree trunk in no time. We all stood still and watched them for about 5 min, then bid them farewell and went on our way, thankful for another unique experience.  We hiked on until late afternoon when we arrived at Derrick Knob shelter. There was already a good sized group there when we arrived. We made introductions and then had the somewhat awkward moment of everyone wondering if we should pitch our tents or ask the group to move all their bedding so we could squeeze in. I voted for tents but the kids and Erin outvoted me. So we opted for askungvto squeeze in and it turned out to be a fun time. The whole interaction somehow reminded me of trying to not make eye contact with passengers on a Southwest flight as you¢re hoping no one will take the middle row seat next to you. Except we were those last on passengers who took someone¢s middle seat.  But then, just when we thought the cabin doors were closed, another, even later passenger arrived and took the final seat. Our shelter was now a full flight.  One of the most common comments our kids get from people we meet on the hike is ¢Wow, you kids are so lucky to have parents who take you to hike the AT. You¢ll always remember this.¢  Kind words and completely true. However I always chuckle inside when I look at my kids, grimy and exhausted after carrying heavy packs for 12 miles and people tell them how great their parents are :). I wonder if they feel that way at that moment? Despite the hardships, I think they already realize the benefits they¢re reaping. Grit and gratitude are two attributes we hoped to instill in them, it appears to be working.
Date: 2023-07-17
From: ClingmanÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Dome

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 8.0

Day 23 - 8 Miles on our Zero Day Today was supposed to be a zero day for us. In order to break up our Smokies section into two 3 day segments though we had to slackpack on our zero day. We wish we could have had more downtime today, especially being Sunday but this was the only way we could get the schedule to work. We headed up at 9am to Clingman¢s Dome to resume the trail. It¢s a half mile of steep sidewalk to get back to the starting point. The air was thick with cloud, visibility was 100ft and the temps were in the upper 50¢s (50* cooler than back home!)When we got back in the trail it was absolutely soaked from the deluge the evening before. The entire trail was a stream with water flowing down in little waterfalls over the roots and rocks. It was a magical flooded forest gorgeous to look at but impossible to hike without getting wet. The going was painfully slow as we hopped from rock to rock, trying to stay dry.  We had cell service at the top of the trail so I immediately texted our shuttle driver that we would not make the pickup time 4 hours later, he¢d have to give us more time. We hiked for about 5 hours without a break, munching a few snacks as we walked.  The scenery was wonderful and a continuation of yesterday afternoon with the added beauty of water flowing everywhere.  Our youngest kept finding little pieces of mysterious forest and would say ¢after we finish hiking can we come back to this spot so I can go over there?¢  One of the ironies of this hike is you are often too pressed for time to really stop and enjoy a certain place. We try to slow down for the kids but there is a practical side of getting to your shelter or camping spot in time. One of highlights today was our oldest son caught a baby mouse on the trail. He¢s become quite adept at grabbing snakes, toads and other critters along the trail. The baby mouse was adorable and very calm. Each kid held it and petted it and of course asked to keep it. We returned the mouse to its home and kept pushing onward. We made it to our pickup spot late but have a gracious shuttle driver. We came back to the motel, grabbed lunch, showered and took naps. We had friends from home unexpectedly in the area so we met for dinner. It was so nice to visit with old friends and have playmates for the kids. The wife gave Erin a ride to the supermarket to grab a few items. After they left we organized all of our food, filled water bottles and repacked our backpacks. Tomorrow we begin our final segment of the trip. We plan to end once we get through the Smokies. That will be 250 miles total and feels like a great ending point for us. We will have completed the Southern section of the AT, climbed the highest peak and hiked just over 10% of the total trail.
Date: 2023-07-18
From: Newfound Gap

To: PeckÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.5

Day 24 -  The Beauty of the SmokiesToday we hiked 10.5 miles, and the prettiest miles so far.  Our shuttle driver, Mike, dropped us off at Newfound Gap at 9am. We got a photo with him and some hugs. He said he felt like he¢d become part of our adventure the past week. Certainly your shuttle drivers are an indispensable part of your team and Mike had been instrumental in getting us through the Smokies. Once hiking we felt like we¢d been transported to a different mountain range, something out west. The air was drier and finally had that fresh mountain air scent. The views were more numerous than ever. We even hiked for a mile along a ridge, sometimes only 5ft across, with steep drops and long vistas on both sides. We saw many other people on the trail this morning for a change. The first 4 miles from Newfound Gap, where we started our day, the AT is a popular out and back day hike out to a viewpoint. After that viewpoint, we saw no one else on the trail all day. We had lunch in a grove of conifers with a deep, soft bed of pine needles on the ground. We spread our sleeping pads down, sitting on them and leaning against our packs.  The air was cool, the breeze light and fresh, and lunch was sandwiches. We were as comfortable and content as we¢ve been anywhere on the trail.  We have only 3 days left until we¢re scheduled to reach our endpoint. We take it slower today, drinking it all in. For fear of falling asleep we got up and continued hiking.  We rolled into the shelter (only option in the Smokies, no camping allowed) about 4:30 and began our routine. An hour later, Vanessa, from Baton Rouge walked into camp. We enjoyed hearing about her section hiking adventures. Then another hour later our youngest son ran down from the privy and said ¢Bones¢ was here. Sure enough our trail friend Bones had showed up again, on his birthday in fact, so we had a nice group of 8 in the shelter. Now we¢re all fed and bathed and brushed and lying in a row in our sleeping bags reading or journaling by headlamp. It¢s 9:14pm and way past our bedtime.
Date: 2023-07-19
From: PeckÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9

Day 25 - Nearing the End12.9 miles Cloudy/part sun  58*Today was a long day for the kids. Our youngest son struggled for several miles. Erin, myself and our oldest son took turns carrying his pack most of the day.  The trail was good most of the way. The first hour we hiked through a dense cloud but later the sun peeked through the thinning clouds. The views were impressive but hazy when they did present themselves but mostly we were in deep conifer forest. We saw two more families today, each with two teenage kids. In both instances they were on 3-4 day backpacking trips. It¢s always nice seeing other families on the trail.   We reached Cosby Knob shelter about 4:30 and we¢re happy to see Vanessa, our shelter-mate from last night, here waiting for us. In fact, she had already swept off the upper platform for us to put our bedding on. Vanessa has grandkids in Austin so we have a connection with her. It felt great to be expected and welcomed to the shelter after a hard day¢s hike. Shortly after arriving the kids spotted something on the bear hang cables. We went to investigate and lowered the item. It was a ziplock baggie full of candies for the kids. They said, ¢It¢s from Bones!  We saw him using these same baggies¢.  Well, they were correct. We later found a note from him to the ¢So Dang Sweet¢ family saying he arrived in early afternoon and decided to keep walking on to the next shelter.  We¢re sad to miss him but hopefully we can arrange for some trail magic for him further up trail once we get off the trail tomorrow. Since this is our final shelter stay I decided to give the family a special treat. Thankfully the water source for this shelter is only 10 yards away and it¢s a good flow.  I filled our kettle up and brought water to a boil 4 times, each time pouring it into our portable shower. I mixed in equal parts cold spring water and we all had a perfect warm shower for our final night.  Erin and the kids loved it, how nice to have a special treat. So here we are on our final night on the trail.  It¢s hard to believe we made it this far. We¢ve experienced so much during our time.  Struggles, triumphs, pain, suffering, joy, excitement, anxiety, friendships, accomplishment and so many other words could describe our 4 weeks on the Appalachian Trail.  We still have 10 more miles tomorrow so I¢ll save the reflection for after we¢ve officially finished this journey.
Date: 2023-02-22
From: Amicola Falls approach trail

To: Black Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.3

I rented a car from Orlando International Airport on Sunday.  This was a holiday week and I was afraid I would have an issue with renting a car.  I stood in line for over 2 hours and finally got a rental car.  Later that day I heard on the news that all the rental cars at the airport had been sold out and people who had reserved and paid for cars were just out of luck. Thankfully I picked my car up early.  I met my 2 daughters for lunch and said my goodbyes.  I left home on Monday afternoon and drove about 1 hour away from Atlanta airport where I had to return the car.  Tuesday morning I returned the car at Atlanta airport and got a ride from a shuttle driver to Amicola campground where I met up with Rebecca and her husband and Paula and her husband.  My emotions were all over the place.  Days leading up to today I was crying ,anxious, excited and scared.  Today Wednesday February 22nd I woke up at 5 am to start my first day of hiking. I slept at the campground in my Big Agnes Tent which I love , love, love.  My friend Mosetta(Teresa who completed AT 2 years ago recommended this tent). My previous tent was a Zpack duplex but I had issues with water and condensation and didn¢t want to deal with this on the trail. It had rained a little last night but I was nice and dry.  It was 57 degrees and sunny and the perfect first day to start the hike. I feel a bit disorganized with my gear but this is only day 1.  I had my kchava drink for breakfast, green belly protein bar for lunch and my dehydrated chop meat and instant potatoes for dinner.  Hiked the approach trail from the campground to Black Gap shelter ,a total of 7.3 miles and I feel good. Lesson : get water when you see it on the trail.  The next water spot maybe 1/2 Mike off trail
Date: 2023-02-23
From: Black gap shelter

To: Hawk mountain campsite
Miles today: 8.9

Last night was awakened by what sounded like a train.  I was a bit disoriented because I was on top of a mountain with no trains nearby.  It got closer and louder and then a big gust of wind blew the tent.  It was as if there was a train sound from above the sky and then gradually came closer to the ground and then the huge gust of wind.  I was a bit scared because I was always told that a tornado sounds like a train. Needless to say I was up for about an hour due to the noise.  Started hiking around 8am weather was cloudy but no rain.  As we approached Springer mountain it was raining and misting.  There was no view from Springer but got pics by the rock. Rained on and off all day. There was a gorgeous waterfall .1 mile off the trail. The last 2 miles was uphill and I was exhausted.  Finally got to the campsite in the rain. Set up my tent in the rain for the first time and did a good job. I tied my food ursack bag to a tree and hopefully it is still there in the morning   Lesson:  drink drink drink lots of water
Date: 2023-02-24
To: Devils Kitchen 
Miles today: 7.0

I didn¢t leave camp until 8:30 am.  Slept really well last night. Cloudy and sunny today and was a great day to hike.  Just started raining as we got into campsite.  Wanted to get to shelter but it was another 1.3 miles and I was just too exhausted to go any further. I have been so tired at night I haven¢t been eating dinner(except for the first night). Still slow at setting up and taking down the tent but can put tent up in the rain without everything getting wet. Rebecca decided to quit hiking today.  I was shocked.  Have to rethink this whole hike now. ( Backstory- Rebecca and I met on a hike over the summer and talked about hiking the AT.  Her husband was going to bring their RV and pick her up at the trail every 5 or 6 days to resupply and shower and laundry. She invited me to hike with her and keep my resupply in the RV.  Paula was only going to hike a week and then go home.  )  Do I continue or do I go home??  I didn¢t want to quit but I had to figure out what I was going to do with all the resupply I had in the RV. (Resupply in RV was a month worth or food and personal toiletries and extra hiking clothes and gear).  Lesson today : Take care of gear.  If it is wet dry out on the trail when I take food breaks.  Take time to put on rain gear and cover pack so my clothes don¢t get wet and stay dry
Date: 2023-02-25
From: Devils Kitchen 

To: Woody gap
Miles today: 6.1

Today was an easy day.  Hiked with Paula and ¢Timeout¢ (She has a YouTube channel). Rebecca picked me up and I camped at Vogel state park.  Paula and Timeout slept at a hostel.  Went through all my stuff in RV and will mail some stuff home and some stuff I will forward to hostels or post offices for future use.