morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-01-16
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Franklin Nc
Miles today: 30.0
Weather: few clouds

Day 11I can do it!I woke up from Muskrat Creek Shelter expecting it to be another rainy day. I was delighted to see blue skies and the sun shinning. My legs were fresh, and I was well rested. I checked the elevation chart in the Thru Hiker's companion and it looked like favorable terrain ahead of me. I wanted to kinda make up for the 2 low mileage days so I loaded my pockets with snacks and tied my shoes nice and tight. I parted ways with Nat Geo and the puppy and took off north. My ipod was outta commission from rain getting it wet. I must admit this was a slight blow to my moral, as I was really enjoying hiking with music. I got into a groove and was cruising along, my body seemed to be in sync with my breathing and I felt like I would walk forever. I met up with Slipknot at Carter Gap shelter who was airing his stuff out to dry. I told him I was feeling great and was gonna keep going. I checked the data book and knew there were 2 more shelters ahead of me, then the road crossing at winding stair gap..I had plenty of daylight left and plenty of gas left i the tank. I was in the zone all day. I didn't stop for lunch, as I ate protein bars on the move. I climbed to the top of Albert Mt just before sunset and went to the top of the fire tower to take a few pictures. I would have to say that this was my favorite view so far on the trail. It felt like i was actually climbing a mountain as opposed to hiking on a trail. I kept on going.I reached Long Branch Shelter as the sun was going down. I figured it was 3.5 miles to the next shelter and I was feeling great. I put on my headlamp and took off into the dark. For a second, I thought to myself that I am crazy. At this point I had already hiked 20 miles, it was night time, and I was getting my hike on. I was super excited that I was actually pushing myself to the extreme, getting out of my comfort zone and doing something amazing. Night hiking is intense. I reached Rock Gap shelter and left it in my dust, I was going all the way to winding Stair Gap. Not too long after I passed the shelter, I wondered how much juice did the batteries in my headlamp have in them??? I have never ever attempted to hike 10 miles in the dark before and had no clue if the batteries would last the 4 hours or so that it would take. 3 miles to go... I told myself I can do this!!!2 miles to go... I told myself I am doing this!!!1 Mile to go.... I told myself I hope those batteries last!!!I was overcome with emotion as I walked off the trail and onto the pavement of Winding Stair Gap. I was so proud of myself. I just hiked 30 miles, 10 of them in the dark. I can do anything I set my mind to. And ya know what...my legs felt pretty good. I started hiking this day around 8 am, and reached the gap at 10pm. I stuck my thumb up, hoping to catch a ride, but nobody stopped. I got out the book and looked up the number to Ron Haven's budget Inn in Franklin, NC. He was away but the gentleman filling in gave me a number to his friend who might be able to give me a ride in to town.
Date: 2016-01-17
From: Franklin Nc

To: Franklin NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 12Day off!I got into Franklin kinda late Saturday night. I booked a room at Ron Haven's budget Inn for 2 nights. I stashed my stuff in the room and set off to find a hot meal. I found a Domino's Pizza that was still open a couple of blocks away from the hotel and stopped in. Since I was walking and it was 20 degrees outside, I asked them if they could deliver the pizza to the room for me so that way it wouldnt be frozen.. they did. It was the best pizza Ive ever had. I was surprised to wake up at 8 am. I figured I would have been able to sleep half the day away. My legs felt pretty good, just a tad bit sore, and my left knee was a little tight. I stretched and then went for a walk around the town. Since it was Sunday morning just about everything was closed. I got some snacks and headed back to my room to get ready to watch football...the Steelers were playing later that night. I took a nap in the bathtub... woke up in time to walk over to Mulligan's Bar to watch the game. The food was great and the service was better!
Date: 2016-01-18
From: Franklin NC

To: The open road
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 13.The blizzard is coming! The blizzard is coming!I was planning on catching a ride and heading back to Winding Stair Gap in the morning. After watching the weather reports on the TV and talking to a bunch of locals in Franklin, I was convinced that the in coming blizzard was no joke. I had my eyes set on The Smokies in the next few days which would have put me right in the cross hair of the storm. The locals were saying they anticipated the roads would be closed and impassible, so if anything happened, I'd be on my own...and chances of something bad happening were going up. I definitely didn't want to be "that guy" who put himself in a bad situation and now needed to be rescued. So now the question is ...What am I to do?A. Go through the SmokiesB. Try to orchestrate a ride around the Smokies C. Stay put and hunker down in a hotel roomD. Rent a car and go on a road tripHiking through the Smokies during a blizzard was an obvious no go. Trying to orchestrate a flip flop reroute around the Smokies and then trying to get back there after Katahdin seemed like a major pain in the ass. Sitting put in a hotel room by myself for 3 or 4 days seemed boring, so I chose option D. I rented a car and took off for the open road. I figured I had about 3 or 4 days of good weather before the storm was going to unleash its fury. I bought an atlas and decided to stick to the back roads. I spent the next 3 days hanging out in Ashville NC, Greenville,SC and Athens, GA. I had an amazing time and met some really cool people, and got to eat some great BBQ. I had a blast driving through the mountains...my first time getting to do that.
Date: 2016-02-28
From: Amicalola Falls

To: Stover Creek
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

AK's part 2 2016 Appalachian Trail adventure has begun!!!I was fortunate to get to spend the weekend with my dad before I began my part 2 adventure. We drove up the back roads through Georgia to stay in Helen. I had a feeling that he would really like the town and I was right. It was pretty cool getting to see my dad be a tourist. We spent Saturday walking around the town and then we hiked up Blood Mountain....I bet my dad's legs are still sore...Sunday morning, Feb 28th my dad dropped me off at Amicalola Falls.Day 1Early Sunday morning I walked into the visitor center of the park and was greeted by Clarity, the new ridge runner. I signed in and was thru hiker number 221. I said adios to my dad and walked through the arch way to start the 8 mile approach trail to the summit of the AT. On the way I climbed a 600 step stairway up the water fall...I am not so sure this was the best idea ever, as I have already done this in my previous hiker life, but I thought it was easier for me to do this than to try to have my dad navigate the forest service roads leading up to Springer Mt.I reached the summit to find out the hiker legs that I developed back in January were no where to be found in February. There were a couple of other hikers that were starting to gather up there. We all signed the register and posed for the picture. Some of the hikers wanted to camp out on top of Springer to officially start their hikes on Leap Day...me? I was getting my hike on, and going northI made it 11 miles (counting the 8 from the approach trail) to Stover Creek Shelter and set up my sleeping bag up in the loft, which turned out to be more of a bear's den... as there was a hibernating polar bear in there all night. I heard a helicopter fly over pretty low over the shelter.
Date: 2016-02-29
From: Stover Creek

To: Gooch Gap
Miles today: 13.0

Day 2Feeling hot hot hot!I woke up in the shelter feeling exhausted, as I didn't catch too many zzzz's due to the human buzz saw effect. I learned my lesson and decided to sleep in my tent tonight. I packed up and ate my breakfast of watermelon pop-tarts, contrary to what you may be thinking, they are actually pretty good. I came up with a new game plan for this hike. I am going to try to avoid cooking any hot meals, this will save me time and the hassle of cooking and cleaning every day. I got to meet a bunch of pretty cool fellow hikers while playing leap frog with them throughout the day. I took a break to checkout Long Creek Falls, which provided a cool atmosphere to get out of the direct line of fire coming from the sun. I thought this was supposed to still be winter time, but I found myself getting pretty hot and sweaty, and managed to take a sponge bath without the sponge. I caught up to quite a few hikers on the trail but failed again to see any Army Rangers... either their camouflage is really good or I am just day dreaming too much.
Date: 2016-03-01
From: Gooch Gap

To: Blood Mt Cabins
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 3It pays to be a winner.I set my tent up at Gooch Shelter far away from anybody else as I was determined to get some quality dream time. During the middle of the night the local owls decided to have a party and were hooting and hollaring for a while. While I was eating breakfast, I was checking over the AT weather app and going over the AT guide book for logistics. Turns out we had an incoming storm that was threatening to rain off and on all day and hit pretty hard at night. When I hear of rain, I think of town, as I absolutely despise hiking in the rain. Most of the hikers that I was with that morning were thinking of camping at a camping spot 8 to 10 miles away, but I had my eyes set on Neels Gap; only 16 miles away.I had my first taste of hiker legs, which was a tease as they did not last too long. I came across a hiking club of retirees and got to meet "Ranger Bob". If you are reading this, thanks for the snack and I hope to see you again in Maine sir. I think my strategy of eating on the go is really paying off as I am staying energized throughout the entire day.There was a logistical consideration to mention about my decision to hike 16 miles. There was a new rule put in place by the ATC which required anyone who camped in a specific stretch of trail...(Jarrad gap to Neels gap) to have a bear resistant canister beginning march 1st. Since today was March 1st... meant there was no stopping once I past the point of no return. I had to make it all the way to Neels gap or risk getting fined $200, as I do not have a bear canister. I convinced Paul, who I shall call "The Big Guy" to hike with me to the gap. He is a recently retired Army helicopter pilot and a pretty cool guy. We were planning on getting bunks at the hostel, but when we got there, we found out they were full, so we went halvsies on a cabin at Blood Mountain Cabin Rentals. We also got Eric to stay with us. I stayed here back in January and absolutely love this place. The owner Matt is a wonderful guy and I would recommend to anyone to stay here. Shortly after we got settled in, the rain came pouring down. We were warm, dry and munching on pizza while everyone else was hunkered down in the rain.
Date: 2016-03-02
From: Blood Mt Cabins

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 4Snowshine.It felt great to take a hot shower and put on clean clothes. I checked the weather on the news and the weatherman said that today was going to be a sun shiney day. We left the cabin and headed over to the Outfitter at Neels Gap called Mountain Crossings. There were doom and gloom looking clouds hovering over head and the temperature was dropping quickly. I took a few pictures of the iconic building that the AT passes through and we set off down the trail. Heading up the mountain it began to snow. Not too long after everything turned white, the sun came out and put a shine on everything. I thought it was very odd that it was snowing while the sun was shining. The struggle of trail life is real. This particular stretch of trail going north out of Neels Gap is very picture friendly, as there are many spots that offer amazing views. Eric hiked on ahead of us, while me and "The Big Guy" stopped to admire the sights and take pics. There were portions of the trail that went along the ridgeline which gave the wind an opportunity to pound the left side of my face while the sun was putting the smack down on the right side of my face. So half of my face was cold while the other was getting a sun burn...no selfies today guys. Basically I got to walk in a winter wonderland all day until we reached our destination at Low Gap Shelter. There were only a handful of hikers here. It got real cold real quick, so I was in my sleeping bag before the sun went down.
Date: 2016-03-03
From: Low Gap

To: Hiawassi
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 4A rainy night in Ga.I wasn't able to sleep too well as I couldn't find the sweet spot to get comfortable. I managed to stay cold all night and woke up kinda miserable, only to find the privy was outta order... that is a major BUMMER! I checked the weather and heard the word that there was a storm rolling in at 2pm. I talked with "The Big Guy" about aiming for Tray Mt Shelter which was 15 miles away. I let him know there was a road crossing at Unicoi Gap which was 10 miles away where we could get a ride into Hiawassi if the weather sucked. I got to the Gap and checked the weather app and found out that the storm was going to be worse than I was expecting so I decided to head in to town. I left a note for "The Big Guy" so he would know what I was up to.I hitched a ride into Hiawassi from 2 section hikers. On the drive in, it began to snow pretty good. I got dropped off at The holiday Inn Express (I like this place) and took a shower and headed directly to Daniel's Steakhouse. I should point out that it is an all you can eat buffet, and I ate 6 plates of BBQ ribs, kielbasa and sauerkraut, mash potatoes and fried okra...for only $7.50 !! I left outta there waddling like a pregnant duck. I finally got some zzz's during my food coma. Word on the street say the next few days are perfect hiking weather and I am setting my sights on NC.
Date: 2016-03-04
From: Hiawassi

To: Addis Gap 
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 6Snow in them there hills.I woke up at the Holiday Inn Express and made my way down for their breakfast, which was a contributing factor in the decision making process of where to stay in Hiawassi. I was fortunate enough to meet a thru hiking couple who were waiting on their shuttle ride back to Unicoi Gap and was able to catch a ride with them. They just made my day just a tad bit easier. Over night the incoming storm dumped a lot of snow on the ground..remember I'm from Florida so any amount of snow is a lot to me. The trail looked beautiful all covered in white, and I took my time making my way up Tray Mountain. I think I was slightly lethargic from my all you can eat adventure at Daniel's Steakhouse, 6 plates of BBQ ribs will tend to do that to you. I reached the summit and was taken back by all of the awesome views along the way. My plan was to make it 13 miles or so to Deep Gap Shelter but that wasn't going to happen. Going down the mountain was no where near as pretty as going up, as the sun had started to melt the snow and turned the trail into a slushy. The pretty white stuff turned into a nasty brown mush, and was absolutely no fun to walk in. My progress was slowed drastically. I decided to camp short of the shelter at Addis Gap. There was a pretty awesome couple there camping in preparation for their upcoming thru hike. They had a very nice fire going and it was very easy to make friends with them. (Hi EL Wood). We were later joined by "Mountain Man" and had a pretty fun time hanging out by the fire all night. I will have to admit that this night was the most fun I've had so far.Once the sun goes down, the cold comes out, so I crawled into my sleeping bag to call it a night. Shortly thereafter, I was woken up by a bunch of coyotes hootin and hollaring all night. I could here them off in the distance coming from up the trail towards Kelly Knob. No big deal, just coyotes being coyotes. I dozed back off to la la land, only to be awoken again by the coyotes, this time they were a bit closer to our camp. I started forming an action plan...just in case. I went back to sleep. I was woken up a third time by these hooligans, except for now this time they were in my comfort zone...I unzipped my sleeping bag and prepared myself to be ready to judo chop a coyote in the face if they dared attempt to steal my lunch box. To be fair, there was Jerk Chicken from the deli in there and how could anybody yet alone a coyote resist such temptation? Crisis avoided as the coyotes chickened out. Thankfully, as I am sure filling out an incident report like that would require filling out a lot of paper work and I don't have time for that.
Date: 2016-03-05
From: Addis Gap 

To: Top of Georgia Hostel
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 71 week AnniversaryI woke up feeling kinda tired and was in no hurry to get going. I knew there was Dick's Creek Gap coming up and an opportunity to get into Top of Georgia Hostel in about 6 miles. I decided that after a week of hiking decent mileage days I would treat myself to something nice and hike a half day.Up until this point, my left knee has been kinda stiff from my January expedition, and I figured that I could use a little bit of rest to help it get back to 100%. I have been making rather good time and have been passing lots of hikers, I thought I'd use this time at the Hostel to get to hangout with everybody. While I was packing up my camp in the morning several hikers that I haven't seen before asked me if I was AK...uh oh... what did I do now??? I asked if they worked for the Feds or any other law enforcement agency and then admitted that they caught me. They apparently were following behind me their entire hike, seeing my signature in the shelter registers, only to be a day late and a dollar short of meeting me in person. They were excited to finally put a face to my signature. While making my way up and over Kelly Knob, which is my least favorite section of trail I have ever done...and I have done it 3 times now... I met a hiker from Turkey who was trying to be the first hiker to reach Katahdin this year. Good luck buddy. I also was fortunate to meet a SOBO named "Rookie" who was finishing up his 2,000 mile journey. There were 2 pairs of hikers attempting to hike the Georgia section of the AT on their spring breaks...good luck guys. I made it to Dick's Creek Gap before lunch time and caught a ride to the Hostel by the shuttle van. I was welcomed by a bunch of fellow hikers there and felt right at home. I dropped off my stinky laundry for the caretaker to throw in the wash and we set off for town....you guessed it Daniel's Steakhouse twice in the same week!!! I am now back at the hostel relaxing and having a good time hanging out with everybody. There is a really good bunch here tonight. Tomorrow I will leave georgia in my dust and head into North Carolina...1 state down 13 to go.
Date: 2016-03-06
From: Top of Georgia Hostel

To: Muskrat Creek
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 8 Good bye GA, Hello NC...I had a great time hanging out at the Top of Georgia Hostel. I really enjoyed spending time with all of the fellow hikers and being able to get to know their stories. I went to bed the night before being tortured by the smell of homemade pastries being made in advance of breakfast the following morning. I was eager to get my hands on the muffins, cakes and other goodies that the staff had made for us. I hopped on the shuttle ride back to Dick's Creek Gap and started following the white blazes north. The weather was perfect and the company was even better. I got to spend some time hiking with 2 chicks from Kentucky, Jelly Ankles and Cheetah and really enjoyed their company. Leaving a town gives ya the advantage of being able to pack in some quality food to enjoy on your first day back that would be too heavy to carry for several days. After walking for a few hours, my appetite kicked in and I was really glad I just so happened to have a fresh Italian sub on hand to conquer my hunger. I took a lunch break at Plumb Orchard Shelter, which is something I have not been doing as I have been eating on the go. I have been loading up on foods that I don't have to cook or prepare at all like granola & protein bars and slim jims. It gives me the ability to snack all day to keep my energy levels up and is super convenient not having to fuss with cooking and cleaning dishes every day.This day was sort of a major milestone for us as we crossed our first state line. We were welcomed into NC with a very nice uphill at Bly Gap, where we saw the iconic tree that confirms your accomplishment. This is also where I met "Coco Ken" from coco beach FL, and "Quick". One state down, 13 to go. As the caravan of Jelly Ankles, Cheetah, Coco Ken, Quick and I went up hill we began talking about our favorite foods to help motivate or rather distract us from the struggle of going upwards. We reached our destination of Muskrat Creek Shelter and set up camp. We were met there by other hikers who have been traveling within our hiking bubble.
Date: 2016-03-07
From: Muskrat Creek

To: Carter Gap
Miles today: 13.0

Day 9Hiking, it's what I do.Almost on a daily basis, we have been greeted with an owl conference call just before sunrise, which has served as my unofficial alarm clock. The trail through this section was super nice today and I really enjoyed the hike to Carter Gap. The more I hike, the easier it gets, and the easier it gets, the more I like to hike. Funny how that happens. We had a great group gathered at camp and it is neat to see the chemistry and personalities of everyone starting to gel together. We were fortunate to get to enjoy a campfire thanks to Shrink. There have been a lot of hikers from Florida so far on the AT.