morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-03-27
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

We were up before dawn to get started on the Smokies. We stopped at the dam for pictures and then headed on up the trail. We soon found a spot for breakfast and took a break. Our first climb was up Shuckstack to the firetower. We got to the side trail to the tower and dropped our packs and grabbed the camera. There was a 360 degree view that was breathtaking. Our next climb was to Doe Knob which was about a 4 mile climb. We were headed to Mollies Ridge Shelter when we came upon these small flowers coverimg the forest floor. It looked like a wonderland and it went on for well over a mile. We arrived at 2 and new that was way to early to stop. We took a break and then headed on to Russell Field Shelter where we stopped for the night.    So tell me if this makes any sense to you. You are not allowed to tent at the shelters in the Smokies. As a thruhiker you have to stay in the shelter. . . Unless the shelter is full. The thing is is if a section hiker shows up at any time and the shelter is full a thruhiker has to get out and set up their tent. Make any sense? Not to me either.    All in all a good first day in the Smokies. We'll see how this shelter thing works out.
Date: 2012-03-28
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

What a tough day! The A.T. has definitely raised it's game here in the Smokies. Our first night in the shelter turned out Ok. There were only 6 of us in a shelter for 14 so we all had room. We were up and gone by 7. The day was one climb after another. Our first climb was to Rocky Top that had a great view, then we moved on to Thunderhead Mountain. We stopped for lunch shortly after that trying to energize our bodies. The rest of the day was filled with nameless mountains but they certaintly made an impression on us. We stopped at the Derrick Knob Shelter to take a break and get some water. With that done we headed for our final destination of Silers Bald Shelter. We were almost there when a young man named Metro North caught up with us and asked if we used a Katadyn water filter. We said yes, why? Well he said someone had left one back at the last shelter. . . Yes, it was us! We thanked him for bringing it the 5 miles to us. As he was leaving he said to Suzie "I'm naming you Katadyn". So as of now Suzie's trail name is Katadyn. The only other bright spot in the day was we had the flowers covering the forest floor on and off all day. Tomorrow we reach Clingmans Dome, the highest elevation on the entire trail at 6588 feet. After that we will head to Gatlinburg fo resupply.
Date: 2012-03-29
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Clingmans Dome
Miles today: 4.8

Rain came over night amd we were glad to be in the shelter and not have a wet tent to pack. There were only 3 of us on the shelter last night. Our bunk mate was a guy called Lake. He is doing the Eastern Continental Trail that runs from Key West Fl. well into Canada. The A.T. Is part of the trail as well as the Florida Trail. He asked us of we wanted to get up early to see the sunrise from Clingmans Dome. We said yes but when the rains came we knew there would be no sunrise so we laid in until 7 hoping our sore, tired legs would get better. We finally crawled out of our bags and got moving by 8. The mountain was again covered in fog and quite cool but we only had about 4 miles to get to Clingmans Dome. The hike was mostly up hill and went through a good sized pine and fur forest. The moss covering the trees were like something out of a fairytale. So cool! We made it to the tower and confirmed our thoughts that there would ne no view today. We headed to the parking lot in hopes of finding a ride down to Gatlinburg. A young couple we had seen on the trail offered us a ride and we accepted. (Thanks Jay and Allie). We got a room at the Grand Prix Motel amd started the usual routine of laundry, shower, and food followed by resupply. We ate at the Smokey Mountain Brewery and the food and beer was fantastic. After our chores were done we went back to the motel to repack and rest up for the rest of the Smokies.
Date: 2012-03-30
From: Clingmans Dome

To: Icewater Shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Up at 6:30 and took another shower just because we could! Then we headed out to breakfast at the Flapjack Cabin. There is something about town food now. It just tastes sooo good. We have been eating about 1000 calories a day on the trail and the average hiker burns 5000 to 6000 calories a day so needless to say town food is on our mind daily.    We made it back to the room and got packed up and headed out. We had decided to hitchhike back to Clingmans Dome so as we started to walk up the road a guy stopped beside us and asked if we needed a ride. We told him where we needed to go and he took us the whole way to Clingmans Dome. (Thanks Nick). We got back to the spot where we got off yesterday and headed out. We were just taking our time today and came upon the Ridgerunner Billy who's sole job is to travel from shelter to shelter and make sure things are Ok. Talk about a dream job! My left knee has been sore so we were taking it slow. We stopped for a break and Suzie suggested I put on the knee brace we had brought. I did and it seemed to help. We had 3 miles to go when the thunderstorm started. It came down in buckets all the way to the shelter. The shelter was packed up but we had alot of fun fixing dinner and joking around.
Date: 2012-03-31
From: Icewater Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: light rain

Rained all night so we were in no hurry to get going. The shelter had 18 in it so we just sat there and watched the chaos as it unfolded. After it had somewhat settled down we gathered up our gear and headed out. Suzie was in the lead and smoked down the trail. My knee was feeling good so we moved much quicker today. We came to Charlie's Bunion but the fog was so thick we didn't even bother with the photo op. Most of the day was ridgewalks with some ups and downs but very few views. We had 8 miles done in 4 hours and we just coasted in the rest of the way. Suzie and I were first to the Tri-Corner Shelter so we set up to get our spot. We went ahead and had dinner before the crowd arrived. A very good move as the shelter soon filled up. A different crowd from the night before but still a good group. Tomorrow will be our last full day in the Smokies and we have really enjoyed ourselves.      Suzie and I are so grateful for this wonderful experience. We truly feel so lucky to get to do this hike. We have had several friends already go down to injury, some temporary and some have had their quest end. We are fully aware that our hike could end at any time to injury so we feel so blessed for every day on the trail. We love this trail and it is our greatest belief that, as my dad used to say, "if the good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise" we will be on Katahdin at the end of this hike.
Date: 2012-04-01
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Davenport Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I am thankful for God, knee braces, and Aleve! Another packed shelter last night with lots of snorers. Everyone started packing up and moving out around 7. Suzie and I stayed out of the frey and were still gone by 8. Most of the day was going to be downhill with just 2 climbs, one at Cosby Knob and another at Mt Cammerer. My left knee has been doing pretty well but today the right knee decided it was getting tired so after about half the day Suzie made me put a brace on the right knee and take some aleve. We made the last climb with difficulty but the last 4.5 miles were all downhill and the knees did much better. We are going to start off easy tomorrow with a 3 mile downhill then resupply at Standing Bear Farm before heading on toward Hot Springs which is about 3 days away. Tonight we are staying in a shelter that has chainlink fence across the front. We're not sure if it is to keep us in or the bears out! Should be an interesting night.
Date: 2012-04-02
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: light rain

Well, no bears came to see the caged humans last night. We were up by 7 and didn't bother with breakfast because we were headed to Standing Bear Farm to resupply and knew they had breakfast sandwiches from Jimmy Dean in their freezer. We headed down the trail knowing we had a little over 3 miles to go. As we made our way down we zigzaged back and forth across a beautiful stream with waterfall after waterfall in it. Soon we could hear I-40. The trail actually goes under the interstate. Just as we got to the bottom of the trail at the road there was trail magic! We had brownies decorated like Easter eggs and grabbed some Gummy Bears for later.    We made it under the interstate and followed the trail to Standing Bear Farm. What a cool place! They have a bunkhouse, another building that is the kitchen, another set up as a general store, and even a little shed that houses the "internet cafe". To top it off there is a creek running right through it. Suzie and I got the 10 cent tour from the owner and began our shopping spree at the store. With our resupply in hand, we turned our attention to breakfast. As we looked over the frozen breakfast sandwiches we also noticed they had Digornio Pizza in there. We opted for the pizza for "brunch". After eating we cleaned up, said our goodbyes and headed out.    We knew we were about 7 miles to the shelter but the first 4 were all uphill. It didn't take long for Suzie to realize the pizza was a bad idea. The stomach was working on the pizza and had no energy for the legs. We finally made it to the top and were rewarded with a bald on top of Snowbird Mountain. We laid down in the grass, took off the boots, and soaked up the sun while enjoying our gummy bears. After that we made our way to the shelter and went through our normal routine. We do get to stay in our tent tonight now that we are out of the Smokies. Suzie is very happy about getting back in the tent for a good night's sleep!
Date: 2012-04-03
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

Well, first things first, Happy Birthday to me! What an amazing day we had. We had a slow start as Suzie let me sleep in. We knew we had some steady uphill to start off but the climb went well. We dropped into Brown Gap and there was Trail Magic! Trail Angel Apple was there with water, sodas, snacks, and honey buns! We sat down and had a soda and a honey bun. Just the sugar rush we needed. We were headed for Max Patch. To anyone who knows about the A.T., Max Patch is one of the crown jewels of the trail. Let me say it did not let us down. Imagine being on top of a mountain with no trees and nothing but soft grass at your feet. The sky was blue and there was a light breeze. We could see probably 30 miles in all directions. The packs came off as did the boots and we streched out on the grass for a break. I kept waiting for Julie Andrews to appear and start singing. It was hard to break the spell of the moment but we knew we still had 6 miles to go. Suzie said all she needed now was a nice flat piece of trail and the day would be perfect. She got her wish. The next 5 miles were a walk in the park. The last mile and a half was uphill but the day had been so wonderful we really didn't care. We made it to the shelter just before a thunderstorm set in but we had enough time to eat and get setup in the shelter. No tent tonight. All in all a very special birthday that I was lucky enough to get to spend with my wonderful wife. Thank you Sweetheart!
Date: 2012-04-04
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs N.C.
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

After last night's rain we woke to clear skys. Our plan today was to just do 10 miles so we would just be 3 miles out of town for a walk in tomorrow. We were in no hurry to get going and we took our time up Bluff Mountain which was supposed to be our only climb of the day. We spent a fair amount of time stopping for pictures as well. As the day went on we kept coming to climbs we didn't remember being on the map. At one point Suzie stopped and said I'm takimg a break, this hill isn't supposed to be here! We continued on and arrived at Deer Park Mountain Shelter where we were planning to stay. Our buddy Hot Feet who we have been traveling with was just finishing his lunch and announced he was heading in the last 3 miles to Hot Springs. Hmm, what to do, what to do? Well of course we headed into town too! We flew down the mountain and were standing in Hot Springs in an hour. Our plan was to tent at the campground tonight and get a cabin for the next two nights and hike out on Saturday. Of course the cabins were all booked so we wandered back into town and found the Iron Horse Inn. A very nice room with a view of the mountains. We have taken the room for 2 nights and we will find something else for friday as the price here doubles on the weekend. We picked up our package at the post office and had a wonderful burger at the Creekside Tavern. After that we headed to the Iron Horse Restaurant for some live music with several of our hiker friends.
Date: 2012-04-05
From: Hot Springs N.C.

To: Hot Springs N.C.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

You would think two intellegent people could figure out why the name of our hotel was the Iron Horse Inn. Let's see, it just happens to be next to a railroad track. We were awakened by the train horn 4 times during the night as it rumbled by our window. So after a "restful night" we woke at 6 and began our zero day. First came breakfast at the Smoky Mountain Diner. The food was great and the portions were huge. We then started the routine of laundry, resupply, and Suzie spent what seemed like forever putting photos up. Photo Bucket sure doesn't seem very user friendly. Photos are up but not in order. Suzie will fix that when we have unlimited time on a computer. We then went to have some lunch and hang out with some of the other hikers. Three of us decided we needed a haircut so we went to the only place in town in hopes of getting that done. We walked down a side road to a singlewide trailer with a sign on the side that read "Beauty and Tanning Salon". We walked through the door an inquired about getting our heads buzzed. You could tell we had caught her off guard. She had one lady in the place and tried to tell us she was all booked up. We pleaded with her for a while and she agreed to take care of us. I went first, followed by Brian, and then Hurricane. Let's just say I don't think she does many haircuts for men. We returned with ten dollars less in our pockets and very little hair removed. Oh well, we stopped at the Dollar General and bought an electric hair trimmer for 10 dollars and Suzie will redo the cut tomorrow. After that we had dinner and called it a night. We will take one more day off tomorrow to let our bodies recover before we head out on a five day hike toward Erwin, Tn. on Saturday.
Date: 2012-04-06
From: Hot Springs N.C.

To: Hot Springs N.C.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Only one train last night so we really did get a good nights sleep. We got up around 7 and Suzie gave me a proper hair cut before anything else. We packed up our box to send home with some of the cold weather gear and our 15 degree bags. We finished up packing our backpacks as we needed to check out of the Iron Horse and find somewhere else to stay for the night. We dropped off the box to ship home at the outfitters and paid for the UPS shipping. With that done we went back and checked out of the hotel and headed for breakfast. Since town only has one place for breakfast we were back at the Smoky Mountain Diner. Delicious as always, isn't apple butter wonderful?We then headed in search of a place to stay. First stop was Elmer's Sunnybrook Inn. No luck, it seems we were just about 5 minutes late. Oh well, on to the next spot. The new hostel in town (Laughing Heart Hostel) is run by Chuck Norris and Tigger, two wonderful people from Florida we have had the pleasure of meeting before back home at the ATCF. When we arrived Chuck and Tigger were there to greet us but after our inquiry about a room Chuck told us they were full. . . "but wait, we do have an unfinished loft up over our living quarters you could stay in if you want." Just what we wanted to hear! In a snap we were all moved in and set up. Chuck and I had a nice conversation about the trail and living a simple life. After that Suzie and I headed out to do the only thing we hadn't done in town yet, soak in the warm mineral springs. What a great time, the warm water felt so good on our hiker bodies! The rest of the day was spent just making sure we had everything we needed to hike out tomorrow. We have really enjoyed our time here in Hot Springs. What a great little town!
Date: 2012-04-07
From: Hot Springs N.C.

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Well, first off, Happy Birthday to my wonderful wife! We started packing up about 7. We said our goodbyes to Chuck and thanked him for his kindness. We headed down for one last breakfast at the diner before heading out. I'm pretty sure we are part owners now from all the money we have invested there. Of course the day after we send back alot of our cold weather gear the temp this morning was in the upper 30's. The walk out of town was a bit brisk to say the least. Soon we were climbing and heated right up. It sure felt good to be hiking with fresh legs. The climbs were managable and before long we were up at the Rich Mountain Lookout Tower. We stopped for lunch but didn't make the climb up to the tower. We had one last climb up Spring Mountain where the Spring Mountain Shelter resides. We opted for the tent as there was a nice flat spot and the shelter was in pretty bad repair. Dinner made and water filtered, we turned in early as it was beginning to cool off already.
Date: 2012-04-08
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry's Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Happy Easter everyone! We were up and hiking by 7 on a beautiful morning. The first few miles this morning were just a rolling downhill towards Allen Gap. It's funny how when I am on a stretch of trail were I really don't have to think to much my mind wanders. I was kind of expecting to come out here and have all these deep thoughts about life and it's meaning in the grand scheme of things but so far all my mind can muster is to rerun all of my childhood memories that I have not thought of in years. I don't know, maybe that's how great thoughts start. I'll let you know later. Back to today!    After Allen Gap the climb began. We had a 7 mile climb from Allen Gap to the top of Camp Creek Bald. We stopped long enough to each eat 2 Snickers bars before the final push. After the climb we soon came to Big Firescald Knob which is a mile amd a half rock scramble. We quite enjoyed the scramble and the views were fantastic. We then had a nice 3 mile stroll to the shelter. As the sun moved lower it began to cool off quickly so we got our chores done and called it a day. Oh yea, we just went over 300 miles done! Pretty cool.
Date: 2012-04-09
From: Jerry's Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

We had a cold restless night! It figures we send most of our cold weather gear home and it turns cold. We were slow to stir with it so cold. We were finally moving by 8 and headed up and over a meadow that had frost on it! The sun started to warm us and before long we were shedding what warm clothes we still have.   We came to several family gravesites today. One was that of 2 Confederate solders, David and William Shelton from the 2nd N.C. Infantry. A lot of history in these old hills!    Soon we were at Flint Mountain Shelter for our lunch. Cliff Bars are an ok lunch but not long after we were met on the trail by 2 trail angels, Janet and Wanderer. They were handing out HOT DOGS AND SODA AND FRUIT! Man that hot dog tasted great. They thruhiked in 07.    We then began our big climb of the day, Lick Rock. No I don't make up the names. . . 1500 feet in 2 1/2 miles. We moved on to the Hogback Ridge Shelter but the wind was cranking so we went a little further and found what we hope to be a more suitable location. There is supposed to be trail magic at the next road crossing in the morning but we will see.
Date: 2012-04-10
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: scattered clouds

What a day! As I said yesterday there was supposed to be trail magic at the first crossroad. It was Trail Magic Heaven! Scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, blueberry muffins, orange juice, milk, and sodas all free for the hikers. Coach and Quiet Paul out did themselves. Thanks guys!   The day started off cool and sunny but soon turned overcast with unmerciful winds. It must have blown 25 to 30 miles an hour all day. It seemed we climbed all morning heading for Big Bald. When we arrived the wind was strong enough we felt like those reporters you see on the weather channel in a hurricane bearly able to stand. We snapped a couple of pictures and headed down. Shortly after we were at Big Bald Shelter were we had lunch and filtered water.    Suzie has only seen snow once but today she did get to see sleet for about ten minutes as we headed up Little Bald. Keep in mind we are hiking in our shorts because we sent back our pants! Man did we get some looks.   Our plan was to go to Spivey Gap to camp for the night. We arrived at 3:40 so we decided to get the climb out of the way today instead of the morning. Well, one thing led to another and we ended up hiking all the way to No Business Knob Shelter. That gives us our first 20 mile day! 20.7 to be exact. That means we have just 4.8 to Uncle Johnny's Hostel in the morning!
Date: 2012-04-11
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Erwin, Tn
Miles today: 5.8
Weather: broken clouds

We woke to temps in the upper 20's around 6. We also knew everyone at the shelter had an eye on one of Uncle Johnny's cabins at the bottom of the hill. We broke camp quickly and were the first to leave heading down. We had 5.8 miles to go and we were not going to let anyone catch us. We even ate our Snicker's bar on the move. We walked in to the hostel just before 9 and scored a cabin just as planned. Timing being everything, the shuttle was just about to leave for breakfast at the Huddle House! After breakfast the next stop was the cheap tobacco and beer joint. Yes, I know it was just 10 in the morning but we were already there. .    Upon our return everyone else was there from the shelter and of course we had to brag about breakfast and beer! As everyone was signing in the manager asked if anyone was interested in work for stay, which means a free room if you do some chores. Suzie asked what do you have to do? His response was "clean the cabins", so Suzie said sure. That made our cabin half price. Let's just say they got the better deal, but we did have fun running around changing linens, sweeping up, and doing laundry.    After that I made a call to Vasque Boots. Suzie's boot had started to get a crack on the sole by the ball of her foot. The boots only had 300 miles on them so we needed them replaced. After a couple phone conversations and emailing them a couple of pictures they agreed they were defective and are sending her a new set to Kencora Hostel where we will be in a few days.    Finally, at the end of the day we were able to get showers, do our own laundry, and still catch the 6 o'clock shuttle for dinner and resupply. We are all set to head out tomorrow but we will be nice and warm tonight.