morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-03-29
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

The hiking today was much easier than yesterday. A steady climb up Standing Indian Mountain (great views check out the photos) then a gradual descent down to Carter Gap shelter. My second day in a row of around 12 miles. On track to meet up with Susan tomorrow in Franklin, North Carolina. The only disconcerting thing was the presence of bear sanctuary signs posted off to my left throughout the day. What is a bear sanctuary, and why are there no fences? I saw an interesting looking ground bird, but could not get a photo. I keep my phone powered off to conserve my battery and by the time I booted it up the bird had hidden. It was the size of a large chicken, but stocky, with a thick neck, brown and white speckled. I've looked on line, but cannot find anything quite like it. A bit like a grouse, but more upright and thicker neck plumage. If anyone knows what it might be please post an entry in my guest book. One of the things that I have experienced while solo hiking is that I keep getting thoughts stuck in my head, rehashing conversations I have had in the past or reliving trail experiences that I want to share with my family and friends when I see them. I also get songs stuck in my head for 2 or 3 days at a time. Normally mediocre songs, certainly not my favorites. For example, Ashes to Ashes by David Bowie was lodged in my head for 3 straight days. It's an OK record, but certainly would not be in my top 500 play list. I can't remember the last time that I heard it played. Where did it come from? The only thing that will displace it is another obscure song that I'm not particularly fond of. So today I decided to proactively take command of my mind space by singing a song that I am more fond of. I belted out a fine rendition of Space oddity, replete with all special effects and instrumental over lays. I only know about 30% of the lyrics, but I did not let that slow me down. A shame that nobody was around to hear it (I think). "...tell my wife I love her very much, she knows....."
Date: 2016-03-30
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Rock Gap
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

This morning I came out of Carter Gap to climb up Albert Mountain. There was a very steep climb with a fire tower at the top. I was listening to music in shuffle mode on my phone and it was quite a coincidence that two songs played right as I was finishing the summit. One was "A Thousand Trees" by the Stereophonics, followed by "All Along the Watchtower". "There must be some way out of here, said the joker to the thief..." The tower is 100 miles from Springer, so a big milestone was achieved today. I felt elated for about 5 seconds before another hiker pointed out that we still have 2,100 miles to go. So just repeat this feat another 21 times. Several hikers were at the top having lunch when I arrived. I started chatting with Hobbler and we set off hiking together after lunch. We did the six miles down to Rock Gap in 2 hours 25 minutes, which is quite a fast pace for me. I enjoyed talking while hiking. Hobbler was in the Coast Guard for 22 years, has now retired, lives in the Philippines and globe trots.Hobbler and I were waiting at Rock Gap for the Macon County shuttle when Ron Havens showed up in the Budget Inn shuttle. He kindly offered us a free ride into town which we eagerly accepted. However, halfway into town the van got a flat tire and we had to wait for Ron's wife to come rescue us. At this point Hobbler confessed that this was the third shuttle bus he has been on this trip that has broken down with him on board. He is considering changing his trail name to Shuttle-Slayer. I am considering never riding a shuttle with Hobbler again...I checked into the Comfort Inn and Susan was about an hour away. We tried the Lazy Hiker Brewery and highly recommend it.
Date: 2016-03-31
From: Rock Gap

To: Franklin
Miles today: 0.0

Spent a zero day in Franklin to try and miss some of the rain storm that is approaching. We plan to leave late Friday morning and hope that the rain will stop by the time we make camp that evening.Ran errands, resupplied, dried the tent and mailed my bounce box. Susan will hike with me from Rock Gap to the Nantahala Outdoor Center where we will be met by our oldest son, Mikey, his girlfriend Hunter, and Ike their dog. While there we will celebrate Susan's birthday.
Date: 2016-04-01
From: Rock Gap

To: Siler Bald shelter
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: light rain

Got a late start to avoid the rain. The County shuttle was late. I called to see where it was and they had forgotten all about us. They had a shuttle to the Comfort Inn within 15 minutes, however there was a passenger on board that had to be taken to their house in the opposite direction from Rock Gap. Finally got dropped at Rock Gap at 1 30pm. Weather was good, rain had moved on, got to Siler Bald Shelter at about 6pm. Met Chud, Vagabondo and Collin from Liverpool.
Date: 2016-04-02
From: Siler Bald shelter

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: few clouds

Bobby, a friend of ours from Atlanta has a cabin in Franklin. He met up with us at Wayah Road, about 1.5 miles from Siler Bald. He wanted to hike with Susan and I, and spend a night on the trail. He couldn't have picked a more challenging night, the forecast was 50 to 80 mph winds with gusts over 100 and temperature dropping to 30 degrees. He is thinking about thru hiking next year. I hope this experience does not deter him.There was trail magic at Wayah Bald. The views from the stone tower were exceptional. The weather at night was as forecast. The wind was howling. It would start as a low rumble in the distance, like a plane taking off, and build to a loud crescendo. As it passed overhead the noise was intense. The tree tops would sway and shake, the tent was buffeted. At the same time the temperature dropped to to 30 degrees. It was as cold as my second day on the trail when it snowed. I stayed mostly warm, however occasionally my feet and hands would be cold and it would take time to warm up. It helped having 2 people in the tent. I didn't sleep very well due to the noise from the wind.
Date: 2016-04-03
From: Wayah Bald Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

A long day for Susan and I at 10.6 miles. The view from Wesser Bald fire tower was spectacular. Full 360 degrees of mountains. At the shelter we met back up with Wyatt Earp and Chicken Foot. Odin was also there, a section hiker.
Date: 2016-04-04
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: light snow

It was only 5.9 miles, but all downhill and quite steep in places. Susan and I got into the NOC at about 1pm. We had lunch overlooking the water and watching the kayakers. Then we did laundry, resupplied and rested. Our son, Mikey and his girlfriend Hunter arrived with Ike (Mikey's dog) at about 4.30. We chatted for a while and then went for dinner since the restaurant closes at 7pm. On the way to the restaurant we passed Elf, Dos Equis, Martha and Emma. They all sang happy birthday to Susan. Her birthday is tomorrow, but we celebrated that night.
Date: 2016-04-05
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Brown Fork Gap shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

This was my toughest day yet. The longest miles at 15.8, but also hard miles. The climb out of the NOC is 6 miles straight up hill, followed by Cheoah Bald.   Its then a hard downhill to Stecoah Gap. I had my music playing to help me power up hill. I have to thank the boys for pulling me up : the Stones, Floyd, Pearl Jam, early Genesis, Clapton, Nirvana, Oasis. The anthemic rock songs clearly are good to hike to. However, a couple of artists surprised me. Johnny Cash songs generally have a nice jaunty beat and simple lyrics that it is hard even for me to butcher too badly. The only downside is that his songs are generally of short duration. Radiohead was also a surprise. Their beat is more subtle, but the songs are calming and relaxing, particularly if I am fortunate to hit them on a level or gentle downhill stretch. One of my goals for the trip is to get in touch with my inner self and ponder deep questions. A couple came up today. Who is Quinn the Eskimo? Why do people jump for joy when he shows up? When I reached Stecoah Gap at about 6.30 I called a B&B that has a shuttle service. However, the lady was just leaving to go in the opposite direction to pick up hikers and could not come and get me. I could have tried to hitch hike into town, but I figured it was only 2.4 miles to push on the trail to Brown Fork Gap shelter. Can't be that bad, right? Wrong! It was a tough hike up "Jacob's Ladder".   A very steep section that felt like a 45 degree angle. At times I was almost on all fours crawling. If I had been fresh it would not have been too bad, however it was at the end of a long day and I was out of gas. I pulled into the shelter at about 7.45 as light was fast fading. I pitched my tent (on an incline, no other spaces) , ate a cold supper and collapsed into bed.
Date: 2016-04-06
From: Brown Fork Gap shelter

To: Fontana Dam AT crossing
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Part of the reason that I pushed so hard yesterday was to get into Fontana Dam before some bad weather hits. Wednesday night is forecast to have thunderstorms, Thursday and Friday wet, temperature dropping, snow and sub-zero temperatures coming in the Smokies. The hike today was easier than yesterday, but my body was feeling the effects, particularly my knees on the downhills. I listened to some podcasts (Premier League Football Weekly with Jimbo and a BBC news comedy show). I'm now caught up on the race at the top and the relegation dog fight. It seems it will be difficult for anyone to catch Leicester unless they implode. (Like Liverpool a couple of seasons back). My previous (and only) backpacking trip was my shake down hike last September. I hiked from Amicalola Falls to Unicoi Gap, which is about 60 miles. I have now hiked 165 miles which is my new personal record. Thinking about Maine is too far away, so I set myself shorter term goals. My current goals are to make it through the Smokey Mountains (they start here and go for about 80 miles), to make it over Clingman's Dome (the highest point on the whole AT and mid way through the Smokies) and to surpass 200 miles.I got into Fontana Dam at about 5.30. I was waiting at the marina for the shuttle bus. As the van pulled up someone from inside called out "no Brits allowed on this bus!". It was Southpaw, Iwocs and Ken. They had been up to the lodge and found that no rooms were available. I had reserved a room earlier in the day and offered to share my room with them. It was cosy with 4 of us. I will check the weather in the morning to decide when to sally forth.
Date: 2016-04-08
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: overcast clouds

The weather forecast was cold for tonight with the next night being even colder. I decided to have a short mileage day and make sure that I got a shelter spot. All of the shelters in The Park have indoor fireplaces and a heavy tarpaulin that covers the open side of the shelter.I made it 6 miles to Spence Field Shelter and spent my first night in a shelter. It was still cold that night, even with a fire going for most of it. Other people at the shelter were Iwocs, South Paw, Ken, Fat Hen, Talon. I'm glad to be dry and warm(ish) in a shelter, but am concerned about the norovirus. There's a higher probability of contracting it in a shelter.
Date: 2016-04-09
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: scattered clouds

A good 12 mile hike to Silers Bald Shelter. Again I am trying to get a shelter spot since the weather tonight is forecast to be even colder than last night.Good hiking weather, sunny, good visibility, not too cold. I crossed over Rocky Top Mountain. Apparently there is a song that is popular with people from Tennessee.I passed a big point today. The mileage from Silers Bald is 1,994 miles to Katahdin. LESS THAN 2 THOUSAND MILES TO GO!
Date: 2016-04-10
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Newfound Gap (Gatlinburg)
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: clear sky

Today was a BIG day for milestones, plus one mishap.Today I surpassed the 200 miles travelled since leaving Springer, plus I crossed over Clingmans Dome that is the highest point on the whole AT.However this was spoiled somewhat by a bad fall that I took. The trail up to the dome was snowy, icey and very slippery. At a tricky point I lost my balance, took a tumble off the trail and fell about 6 to 8 feet into a tree. The fall was long enough that I had time to think while I was in the air "this is it, my hike is over, I'm going to break something". I landed heavily against a tree. I slowly took stock of my situation from a snow pile. My legs looked good and not broken, my arms and head felt ok. But then I looked at my right hand. 3 of my fingers were splayed in different directions. Each one pointing in a totally different direction and each one at 90 degrees to the knuckle. My hand looked horrifically deformed. Curiously enough it did not hurt too badly beacuase of the cold. My hand was numb. Fortunately I was hiking with Chicken Feet who was behind me. He found me off the trail and helped me to climb back up. He pulled hard on each of my fingers to pop them into place. The middle finger went at first attempt. However the ring finger and pinky each took several pulls. When flexed my fingers to test them out, the pinky popped out and had to be reset. By this point the cold was wearing off and my hand was starting to hurt. I started to feel light headed and nauseous so sat back on a snow bank. Cheicken Feet pronounced that he had some Mink Oil. His English is heavily accented and I had no idea what he was referring to. As I was sucking down lungfuls of air to try and clear my head and avoid fainting Chicken Feet produced a small unmarked glass vial. Before I could ask what this was and before I could stop him he was spreading it under my nose and around my nostrils. As a burst of vapor went up my nose and my eyes bagan to water I realised that it was mint oil. It actually worked well and helped to clear my head. Chicken Feet was great and really took care of me. I owe him a big debt of gratitude. We slowly set off hiking, my right hand gripped about my hiking pole to prevent the fingers from dislocating agai. I hiked very carefully at a slow pace since I was fearful that if I fell again I could seriously damage my right hand. We made it up over Clingmans Dome. Later that afternoon (about 3 hours after my fall) I called back to Chicken Feet "Hey Chicken Feet, you seemed to know what you were doing back there. Have you re-set fingers before?". To which he replied with a laugh "NO, you the first one. But I did watch a Youtube video once!". We made it to Newfound Gap and hitchhiked the 15 miles into Gatlinburg to resupply.
Date: 2016-04-11
From: Newfound Gap

To: Pecks Corner
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: moderate rain

Spent the night at the Travelodge in Gatlinburg. Shared a room with Chicken Feet. Did the normal town stuff: laundry, dry out gear, resupply with food, shower, hot meal. In the morning got the free church shuttle van back to Newfound Gap. Hiked about 10 miles, legs felt good, terrain moderate. Weather was sunny and cool, perfect hiking weather.
Date: 2016-04-12
From: Pecks Corner

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I hiked again with Chicken Feet. It rained heavily in the night and was raining hard when we woke up. It continued to rain throughout the day until late afternoon. Chicken Feet'so energy level was low and he did not want to go far, so we just went 4.9 miles. I stayed with him in case he was coming down with something and might need help. The shelter was the most crowded yet. Some hikers decided to take a zero rest day at the shelter (which is against park rules) which caused congestion with the slew of people coming up behind. The park discourages camping and requires that you use the shelters. The problem is that in peak season there are too many hikers and not enough shelters. We had 24 sleeping in a shelter designated for only 12. 21 slept on the 2 platforms, 2 on the floor and 1 hammock. It was real cozy. There were an additional 15 to 20 tents or hammocks outside. It looked like a Syrian refugee camp. When the sun finally came out everyone was drying out their clothes and tents on the few grassy areas.
Date: 2016-04-13
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: broken clouds

Chicken Feet was fine the next morning, but said he only wanted to go about 7 miles to the first shelter. I wanted to go further to try and get ahead of this bubble of hikers. A veritable tsunami of humanity. A tidal wave of unwashed, unshaven, voraciously hungry hikers. I was starting to feel very claustrophobic and wanted to get out of the Smoky Mountain Park and ahead of the bubble. Once outside of the park there are more camping pad options. I won't be forced to stay in the shelters. Also, the elevation is much lower after the Smokies so the temperature will be warmer. I hiked my longest distance yet at 18.4 miles. The furthest I have ever hiked in my life. I made it to the Standing Bear Hostel. Yes, that is a PBR in my hand, and yes I am sitting on an old car seat on a porch.
Date: 2016-04-14
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Asheville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Standing Bear Hostel is an interesting cluster of cabins and bunk rooms nestied in the trees and hillside. There's a great resupply room with all of the hiker staples plus more. It's run on the honor system where you take what you want and keep a tally on an envelope. It's open 24/7 and prices are reasonable. There are also lots of frozen pizzas, burgers, biscuits that can be microwaved or cooked in the kitchen oven. An interesting man named Lumpy is the proprietor. You can also buy beer from a padlocked fridge, but that has to be cash at time of purchase. Susan is going to drive up from Atlanta and we are going to spend the weekend in Asheville. Probably my favorite town in the U.S. So I am taking a zero day today at the hostel and will then take 2 more zeros on Friday and Saturday. So a triple zero. I don't own of a catchy term for a triple zero, if you can think of one please let me know.
Date: 2016-04-16
From: Asheville

To: Asheville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Tried to get a new battery for my cell phone. It's about 2 1/2 years old and not holding a charge like it used to. Best Buy doesn't carry them, at Batteries Plus they are $45. I can buy online for $10. So I bought online and had it shipped to the same place as my bounce box, about 12 days ahead of me. In the late afternoon we met up with the famous Dan Halen and his wonderful wife, Beth. They live in Asheville and always show us a good time. Taking us to lesser known places where the locals gather. I'm a little nervous. Dan is a writer and journalist. Susan gave him the link to this journal site. I'm sure he'll find it to be sub-par, but he's too polite to say anything.I had to get blood drawn to send to my doctor. While at the clinic I hopped on the scales and found I have lost 12 pounds already. I started the trail a little heavy at 192 pounds (I normally try to stay between about 175 and 185) and am now 180. I don't ever feel really hungry, but am eating whatever I feel like. Also, I am eating whole milk vs skim. The younger people are ravenously hungry and wake in the middle of the night not sure whether they can make it through to breakfast. I think I am still burning through my body (beer belly) fat. Oncethat is gone perhaps I will start to get the hiker hungries.
Date: 2016-04-19
From: Hot Springs North Carolina 

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Spent last night in a room above the Iron Horse restaurant in Hot Springs. In the middle of the night I discovered how it got its name. It's right by a railway track and at least 3 trains came through in the night with horns blaring. Apart from that the room and restaurant werecommendations great. Hot Springs is a small hiking community with one main street. A few bars, restaurants, PO and a DG.The hike today was only 10 miles bit was tough. Very hot weather, high humidity, no breeze. Very draining. Just starting to see the first signs of leaves on the trees. Still no shade. Despite my triple zero I'm still seeing familiar daces: Dos Equis, St Nick, Steel, Sushi, Fish, Snownan.
Date: 2016-04-21
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I saw a bear today. I was about 1 hour out of camp, turned a corner in the trail and a bear scampered across the path about 20 yards in front of me. It did not seem to be a fully grown bear, but was bigger than a cub. Maybe a teenage cub. I looked around warily for a protective mother, but did not see one. About 1 mile down the trail was a fairly large pile of fresh bear scat.
Date: 2016-04-22
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

A very challenging day. I planned to go 13 miles, but it was raining the whole day and cold. While I was hiking I was quite warm, however when I stopped for lunch at Bald Mountain shelter after only 10 miles I got cold very quickly. Although it was only 2 o'clock I changed into my dry clothes and climbed into my quilt and hunkered down and warmed up and decided to stay there for the night. The next morning it had stopped raining, but it was still overcast, foggy and misting. Visibility was about 20 yards. Putting on my wet, cold clothes was very difficult. Socks, underwear and shirt were the worst. When I left the shelter despite checking 3 times to make sure that I had all of my stuff I left my bucket hat. It was hanging from the eaves outside the shelter and I failed to look up.
Date: 2016-04-24
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: clear sky

Uncle Johnny is great. The hostel is right on the trail. $20 per bunk includes shower, towel, soap,shampoo and free shuttles. There's a breakfast, lunch and dinnershuttle. I took the lunch shuttle which was to a pizza restaurant. Saled bar plus all you can eat pizza for $6.95. The pizza was quite good. Next door was a DG, and across the street a grocery store. The dinner shuttle went to a Super Walmart plaza with a Mexican and Italian restaurant. I bought a hat to replace my lost bucket hat.
Date: 2016-04-26
From: Piped spring and campsites 

To: Greasy Creek Friendly
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: snow

Spent the night camping with Slinger, Down Under, Chicken Feet and Crumb Cakes. A great campsite with a good sunset. I did not sleep very well at the shelter last night, so slept very well last night. Perhaps my best night's sleep so far.