morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-17
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

I slept ok in the shelter, certainly better than I expected but I have to say that ear plugs must be the most useless things on the planet!I had no plans to get up and out early since it is hard to maneuver in a crowded shelter and it was supposed to rain anyway. No need to rush out in that! But it wasn't raining and the temperature had actually risen during the night so it was less unpleasant than it might have been. That's not saying much though, it certainly wasn't the nicest way to start the day, with shoes and clothes still wet and everything outside a muddy mess so you couldn't put anything down. I put off putting my wet shorts back on until there was no other choice. Once I started hiking, I ran into a ridge runner or Ranger (not sure which) almost immediately so I showed him my permit. He didn't seem too worried about it. The trail was extremely muddy because of all the rain but since my shoes were totally soaked and covered in mud anyway, that didn't really make any difference in where I put my feet. And the sun came out a bit, for maybe an hour or so!I had lunch on top of Rocky Top, from which there is supposed to be a view. I caught a glimpse of a cool view as I was climbing so I quickly took a picture. Good thing too because when I got to the top less than 5 minutes later everything was socked in again. Still no rain though!The last few miles were hard going, partially because of the mud and partially because my long feared ITB finally decided to act up. I think the extra work needed to keep from slipping in the mud the past few days may be the culprit, as I haven't had a drastic increase in either mileage or speed.There was still room in the shelter when I got here but lots more were expected and some of those are section hikers with reservations. The shelter system in GSMNP is a bit different from the 'first come first served ' system elsewhere. Here, everybody is required to stay in the shelters (no tenting) and section hikers (who are required to have reservations) take priority over thru hikers. So, if the shelter is full but a couple of section hikers show up, the last thru hikers are required to give up their spot and set up their tent. Of course plenty of people prefer to tent anyway (I among them) so it's no real hardship. Except of course that it did start raining again...I have been contemplating a Plan B. Gatlinburg is about as appealing to me as the seventh circle of hell but I am seriously considering going there to wait out this weather. The forecast people got from the Ranger/Ridge Runner was that tomorrow would be about the same as today (which is ok) and Sunday and Monday would be deluges again. Not only is it no fun to camp in that situation, there is also very little to see while hiking. The Smokies are supposed to be one of the highlights of the trail but I won't be able to tell. We'll see how we feel tomorrow, how my knee holds up after a night of rest and a couple of Aleve, and how complicated the logistics would be. Stay tuned!Open map in new window
Date: 2015-04-22
From: Pecks Corner

To: Cosby Knob
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

Well, I am not sure if the Smokies completely redeemed themselves but it wasn't a bad day. Definitely not as good as yesterday but there were some views.I slept nice and toasty in the shelter last night. This was the first time I slept with my mittens on and I liked it! I don't think it's going to be quite as cold tonight and I'm in the shelter again so I should be fine.The word for today was wind. It was super windy when I left the shelter and I was wearing two tops, hat, buff and mittens to start with. The morning miles, as usual, went by fast. I got to TriCorner Knob shelter (5.2 miles) in 2.5 hours and stopped there for an early lunch. Breakfast had just been a Clif bar and tea, so I was ready for lunch even though it wasn't even 10:30 yet. When I left there, the wind really kicked up and I moved faster just to get out of the wind before I'd get conched on the head by a tree!The terrain was pretty easy and I see how a lot of people make this into a 20 mile day and go to the next shelter. I have no interest in doing that yet though. It wouldn't really get us to Standing Bear Hostel (our destination for tomorrow) any faster and I don't think my feet are ready yet either.I was the first one at the shelter again, or at least the first one who was planning to stay here. It's full now, with many of the same people from yesterday, though some of those went another 7 miles.Tomorrow is another relatively easy day, and we'll end up at the hostel. I think it's a fairly primitive hostel so I'm not entirely sure what to expect. But Fiddler has a resupply box coming there that he promises will feed all three of us until we get to Hot Springs, so we'll see!Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?
Date: 2015-04-23
From: Cosby Knob

To: Painter Branch Campsite
Miles today: 12.8

Last night I got so warm I took off my hat, long johns and down footies. And then of course later that night I got cold again and had to put my hat back on. Before we all fell asleep, those of us on the upper level of the shelter did some 'shelter yoga' to let the blood flow away from our feet. I think it made for fun pictures. Sunrise was beautiful, with the sun rising directly opposite the shelter, so for once I got up quickly, scurrying to get a sunrise photo. Not sure how it came out though.We only had about 8 miles to go to Davenport Gap, which is the northern boundary of the park. Everybody was excited to get there. It was very cold, but beautiful and the trail was very easy for the most part. The miles went so quickly that I never even stopped to eat until the road at the gap.From there it was a quick and mostly very pretty 2 plus miles to Standing Bear Hostel, where Fiddler needed to pick up a box. This section had the Pigeon river, which was flanked by trees and shade and the geraniums and dwarf irises (I think) were blooming. It was very idyllic, until we had to cross under I-40! At Standing Bear , Fiddler got his box, we enjoyed a beer (the guys) and a cold coke (me) and we decided to move a couple more miles down the trail. The choices were 2 miles and change to a camp site or almost 7 miles to another shelter so here we are camping. It is so nice to have some peace and quiet again, even though there some other hikers not too far away. And we are all happy to be in our tents again though I might not be quite as happy about it when it goes down to about freezing tonight. We shall see.The next stop of any significance is Hot Springs NC and we have a plan A and a plan B to get there, with corresponding plans on when to leave. Sharon (Mrs. Cherokee) will meet us there Sunday and we are all planning on some type of spa service in town! I finally got the last two updates out today, after zero connectivity the last couple of days. Gary tells me the days and mileage are a bit messed up in trailjournals for me now, but that it should fix itself in a couple of days. Hopefully by the time this is posted, all is straightened out already.Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?
Date: 2015-04-26
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Another zero, a little too soon after Gatlinburg but what can you do. We had a lovely restful night at Rock Cottage and I still woke up around the same time as usual.We had heard the Smokie Mountain Diner was the place to go for breakfast so that's where we went and joined Lorax and HVAC for breakfast. I have noticed I have become very indecisive when it comes to ordering food but in the end I settled on the deluxe potatoes. It involved onion and peppers and cheddar and certainly filled me up. I'll have the leftovers for breakfast tomorrow.Sadly, the local coffee shop's espresso machine was on the fritz so I did not get my latte fix. The deprivations we sustain on the trail... I spent some time in town where there is free wifi everywhere, sent yesterday's journal entry to Gary for posting and checked email, and after that it was time for our reservations at the Hot Springs Spa. The spa is really just a hot tub (there are 18 private hut tubs) with a view of the French Broad River. It was raining at the time and it was pretty nice sitting in the hot tub looking at the rain.By then, Mrs Cherokee was about to arrive and she came laden with goodies. Having read about my brownie discrimination experience, she even made brownies! Plus wine, fruit, chips and a resupply box for Cherokee. Thanks again Sharon for the brownies and all the other food (and drink)!By now we were all hungry again so we had lunch next to the creek, but I don't remember the name of the place. Not as good as Iron Horse Tavern but they did have Lambic Framboise! So naturally I had to have one. During the afternoon we did logistic planning, going through the resupply boxes and figuring out where we are going to be where and how much food we need. And there was wine. And a nap. In all, a relaxing rainy zero afternoon. Nobody was hungry for dinner so we decided to just eat the stuff we had in the house, plus banana sandwiches (without mayonnaise thank you very much). Tomorrow the members of Camp Snugly will separate for a little bit. Fiddler leaves early and is planning on a twenty miler. I am going to the post office to collect some mail drops and then resupply. After that, Cherokee, mrs Cherokee and I will probably have an early lunch and I'll hike out. I'm planning on 11 miles. And Cherokee is staying here at Hot Springs another day and will get dropped off down the trail so he can catch up. Since he is section hiking, he doesn't care as much about hiking each blaze in order and he can come back and fill in the missing section any time.The forecast is good and I am hoping to increase my mileage a bit this week. We'll see how it goes!Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?
Date: 2015-04-27
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This time it was Fiddler who had ants in his pants and was getting up at oh dark thirty to get ready for his first twenty-miler. I got up to say goodbye and then went back to bed, but 90 minutes later he was still getting ready so I got to say goodbye twice. We should be catching up to him by the weekend.Cherokee, Mrs Cherokee and I had a very leisurely morning. We did our respective wifi things from the porch of the hiker ministry while waiting for the post office to open up. I knew I had two care packages and we also sent a box for Fiddler forward to Erwin TN. We took the two boxes to the coffee shop (still no working espresso machine) and I proceeded to play Christmas in April. Let's just say that I took everything with me except a) a clown's nose (I can only picture how hard they were laughing when that went into the box) and b) a can of spam with 'real bacon'. I could say that the spam was just too heavy and that's totally true. But the real reason is that I just cannot bring myself to eat spam. Sorry! Thank you for all the goodies (and the laughs) Iris, Michelle and Richard!Once I made mental inventory of what I had for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, it turned out I did not need to buy anything for re-supply. And I'm going to eat like a king the next few days: brownies for breakfast (I cannot tell you how much I'm looking forward to that!), crackers with Brie or prosciutto for lunch, and dried apples and stroopwafel for snacks. Just saying.We had one last lunch (for me anyway) in town at Iron Horse Tavern and then it really was time to start hiking again. The weather was pretty perfect for hiking: sunny with blue skies but temperatures only in the low sixties.As is customary, leaving town involved climbing out of the gap, but it wasn't too bad. And since I was only going 11 miles, I took it pretty easy. I ran into German hiker Running Boy and we chatted a bit. He in German and I in germanized Dutch with the occasional English word thrown in. German it is not, but it was enough to keep the conversation going.There was a fire tower (I think) with views a few miles from the shelter and as per usual, the last bit seemed to take forever. Because I had had such a big lunch though, I was planning on just snacks for dinner so I only had to set up my tent. And get water. And hang my food bag. And no Fiddler or Cherokee to share chores with. Tomorrow I am planning to go fifteen miles, and if all goes as planned, Cherokee should end up at the same shelter. I had some knee issues today , which pisses me off since I think they are caused by my new insoles. Grrr, but at least I still have the old ones and I might switch back. Stay tuned for updates!Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?
Date: 2015-04-28
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry's Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

Another beautiful day for hiking today. I was the very first one up at the shelter, but it wasn't particularly early. I had my brownie for breakfast (with tea), did my chores and by 8 I was on my way. It was still cold so I wore mittens but there was a blue sky and not a cloud in it.I had put my old insoles in my shoes again and it did feel more comfortable, but my left knee was still unhappy. At first it was primarily on the uphill but later more on the downhill. Go figure.I passed Allen Gap, where Cherokee was going to get dropped off at 9:30 so I figured he was ahead of me by an hour or so. A sign there said the next shelter was 2.7 miles away and my guide said 3.7 but it took forever to get there and I got too hungry. So I had lunch on a log next to the trail. Crackers and Brie, with a pig truffle for dessert. As Gary says 'it doesn't seem like you're suffering'. It took another half hour to reach the shelter but Cherokee was there waiting!So, we hiked together the rest of the way. There was a section through a meadow that was quite different from most of the trail but it was poorly marked. It was beautiful though. After the meadow, there was a ridge walk and an alternative bad weather route. Since the weather was good, we just walked the ridge. It took a while, but eventually there were some great views. But it also involved a lot of semi- rock scrambling (though nothing like Old Rag, I could keep my poles in my hands pretty much the whole time.) so the ridge walk did take a long time even though it was only 1.5 miles. When we finally did get to the shelter, we found a nice camp site and set up our tents. But then, as we were having tea and peanut butter crackers, Cherokee noticed an enormous dead tree that had partially fallen and was now hanging ominously over our tents. So much for tea and crackers, now we had to move our tents.Now we are sitting by the fire with some of the other campers and it has really cooled down. I suspect another 4 layer night!Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?
Date: 2015-04-29
From: Jerry's Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

Today was a bit confusing. The AWOL guide said that there was a 1.5 mile road walk but the trail was re-routed and we probably walked a little less than the posted mileage. The re-route was really nice but it would have been even nicer if they had been a more generous with the blazes. As it was, there were juuuuuuust enough to keep me from turning back. The hiking was very easy for a good long while but my feet get sore pretty soon these days. I think I just need new shoes, at least that's my working theory for the time being.Eventually of course the trail did go up, and then down and it was the down that made my knee very unhappy. So between the feet and the one knee, I'm probably in the worst shape since I started and the first month just ended today. Despite that, I did have thoughts about moving on from this shelter after eating dinner. Needless to say, that did not happen. But, I did like the logistics of having dinner before setting up the tent. I had crackers as an appetizer, beef stew backpacking meal for entree (a reject from either Fiddler or Cherokee), more crackers with sardines for first dessert and wine and chocolate for real dessert. And two cups of tea. It was probably one of my best meals out here yet. It didn't hurt that the sun came out once we got here either!I also have great signal here so I was able to talk to Gary, send updates and check email. Erwin in two days. We don't know if we'll be staying there yet, or just re-supply and move on. Two days to decide! Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?
Date: 2015-05-01
From: Spivey Gap

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: broken clouds

We had planned to get up early and for once, I did. No tea, even! I started hiking at 6:52, which is most definitely a record for me.Other than the climb out of Spivey Gap the trail was pretty easy and uneventful. I didn't see any other hikers until I got down to Erwin and Uncle Johnny's hostel. It turned out I had covered 11.1 miles in 4:38 minutes. I never really keep track but today I knew both start and end times. Fiddler was still there, so I quickly caught up with him. He is definitely hiking higher mileage now and I don't know that we'll see him again any time soon. (Watch readership of the journal drop as all his friends move on... ) he had stayed at the hostel and ended up next to a snorer...Erwin is one of those spread-out places that is very hard to get around without a car. Uncle Johnny runs a shuttle into town and it left in 30 minutes when I got there, so that was pretty convenient. I had arranged a room at the Mountain View Inn, which worked out great. Nice room, private bath, laundry on site and friendly people. In the end, sharing between only two (instead of three) it costs about 25 bucks more than staying in a bunk at a hostel and believe me, I consider that money very well spent.After Cherokee arrived and we both were destinkified, the first order of business was lunch. So we walked (!) about 3/4 mile to a pizza place that was also conveniently located opposite the grocery store. Birds, stone, all that. The All You Can Eat buffet was over, but I am probably the only hiker who isn't a fan anyway. We both had nice hoagies before crossing the street to the Price Less (I am not making that up) and buy too much food.Resupply accomplished, we started walking back, but about halfway a car stopped and asked if we wanted a ride! Yes please! It was J-walker, who is a former thru-hiker and runs a shuttle business in the area. We asked about a shuttle back to the trail tomorrow morning but she pointed out where it is from the hotel and it is only a mile, so we'll just walk. We do have a plan for the next section to Damascus Va. It's a bit more ambitious so we'll see how it goes. If it doesn't work because of cranky body parts, we will just dial back.When I went down to do laundry, I ran into Wizard, who we hadn't seen since the Smokies. He is battling injury and a few days behind us. We caught up over dinner in our room (delivery to the room, what a concept!) which was fun. We also ran into the Traveling Circus on our way to the pizza place, and saw another few hikers we know here in the hotel. It is fun to run into familiar faces, especially if you thought you'd never see them again because they hike faster. There is one guy, Shimmy (Schimmy?) who we always say that too but end up seeing most every day. Aaaaand, we just had a power outage! So much excitement for the late evening! (It lasted about 5 seconds. Good thing because I need to charge my phone!)Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?
Date: 2015-05-02
From: Erwin, TN

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: scattered clouds

A few weeks ago we had lunch at one of the balds and there was a trio of women also. They had been on the trail significantly longer than we had at that point, but had covered the same distance. Said one of them "I have my trail legs, now I just need my trail lungs". And I knew exactly what she meant.Today I discovered I have my trail lungs. When we looked at the elevation profile, and even more importantly, at the actual mountain right in front of me, Unaka mountain looked rather intimidating. But then it was really just kind of easy to get up and over and the downhill took longer than the up.But first we had to get there.The night's stay at the hotel included breakfast, which was rumored to be good. Wanting another early start, we were down for breakfast at 6:30. The only people there were hikers and a bunch of electric workers who are putting up digital billboards in Erwin. There were eggs and the requisite biscuits with what they call gravy (this being the south and all) but also toast, yogurt and, best of all, that breakfast of champions; pastry cream filled, chocolate covered donuts (I had to have one, just because).We had to walk to the start of the trail but again got picked up by j-walker when we were almost there.Once on the trail, the miles just came easy today. Before we knew it, we reached the first shelter, where some people hadn't left yet. After second breakfast we continued on and a few miles down the trail found trail magic at Indian Grave gap. Sweet tea (again, the south) and homemade brownies and banana bread. Thank you BT!From there it was only 3 miles or so to Beauty Spot, another bald where we had lunch with spectacular views. And when I checked the mileage, we had only 8 point something miles to go!Leaving Beauty Spot, you look right at Unaka mountain and it looks pretty big. But like I said, it wasn't bad at all and the top was a cool pine forest.On the way down, a south bound hiker alerted me to a friendly, domestic pig on the trail and sure enough, I met it on the way down. And wouldn't you know, she (it's a girl) is now in camp. Which is probably at least 3 or 4 miles from where I saw her, so this pig gets around. Still, it seems like a bad idea to have a pig here, so I hope she moves on. And doesn't come near my expensive tent... There's your 'wild' life for you. I haven't really seen any animal I don't see in my back yard, but the pig definitely qualifies on that count!Tomorrow we are planning another 17ish mile day, followed by two shorter days. The distances are mostly dictated by where the camping spots are. But I am encouraged by the relative ease with which we covered the distance today, so we'll see! We are hoping to be in Damascus by Saturday.Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?