morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-03-13
From: Low Flat Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

I survived!! The sleeping bag and silk worked like a champ. Wish I could say the same for the rest of my equipment. I don't think it likes the bitter cold. It was about 15F!   I woke to find my food bag cracked, there was a small hole in the netting of my tent, the cup of my jet boil cracked just by touching it, the straw broke in my bottle, and my phone went dead! So they'll be no pictures this week. It had snowed over night and there were big icicles hanging from all the seeps along the trail. There was also an interesting phenomenon where there was fresh grass growing everywhere only it was actually delicate ice crystals pushing up. I learned later this is hoar frost - not something a Texan is used to.In good news though I hit a serious stride and easily did almost sixteen miles. I went for most of the day without water because I was scared of ruining my filter and at one point was thinking about the movie Dune and how I'd kill for a stillsuit (look it up and yes I realize NERD) but mere moments after I thought of that, Three Thumbs came up to me and said "ever read that book Dune?" Coincidence. I considered taking on a trail name right then but too long a story to tell when someone asks. Tonite it was Asian pasta sides with a package of tuna. Yumm!   Not.
Date: 2014-03-14
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Budget Inn Hiawasee
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Hmm. Well yesterday I was so comfortable with the mileage I thought today would be a breeze. Not so much. For some reason I struggled all day. It seemed like the uphill went on for hours then the downhill twice as long as that! It was a warm day and I'm sunburned. Change wise I don't feel or look any thinner but I have noticed a serious need to tighten my pants that keep sliding down. Yay! I did accomplish something very new in my life today.... I hitchhiked! Uncomfortable at first but I just stuck my thumb out and third car pulled right over. Very nice cool couple from Chattanooga passing through. Took me the ten miles into Hiawassee. Gave me a compass-watch made of spare rope and refused gas money. People are wonderful! Getting to Hiawassee is something everyone has to do. We've all run out of food and this is the last resupply for about a week. The bad news is I'll be a little out of pocket if my phone keeps turning off but the good news is tomorrow I cross into North Carolina!! One state down and thirteen to go. I'm at the Roach, err I mean Budget, Inn and right after check in ran into Randy from day one. He's got the same knee pain as me. We just got back from dinner at Zaxbys...fried fried fried. I'll probably have to go back to the original setting on my pants.
Date: 2014-03-15
From: Budget Inn Hiawasee

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Back at it! This is the beginning of six days of hiking. No resupply no shower no laundry. And it'll also be a lot of milestones. Took the free shuttle back to Dicks Gap to set off. Said see ya to Randy who is starting back at Unicoi Gap. Cool guy. I bet we leap frog a lot. Today for the most part was nothing thrilling. Had a good conversation with Low Gear from Florida. I've learned how to pack my pack a little better and can feel the difference. Although everything still hurts! I've also learned I'm not eating enough. Started to fantasize about food. Oddly enough I'd kill for one of those steak and arugula salads. With the blue cheese and candied pecans and gheez I'm hungry!   There was a very very bright point towards the end if the day.....so long Georgia! And hello North Carolina.One state down. Everyone has said Georgia is considered boot camp. I agree. Look at the elevation map If you've got a guide. Up down up down. Torture. Stayed at Muskrat and met a couple of great hikers including Canadiahh. Tomorrow though...the rain begins.
Date: 2014-03-16
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: moderate rain

It rained all night and into the morning. Mark another event off my list. Trying to decamp and still keep things dry is a chore! It doesn't really happen. Coupled with cold it's a real bummer. Your fingers are frozen and the tent stakes all muddy. To make it worse it also rained all day. You do your best but it all starts with a tiny drip down your sleeve. Then there's the innocent pile of leaves that is actually a three inch deep puddle. Everything is mucky and sloshy and slippery. Now for putting the tent back up in the rain. I tried wiping it all down but there's this residual dampness that is hard to get rid of. Fortunately the hike was pretty easy. Had a good spot to camp and just parked it with my book. Reading Dolores Claiborne.
Date: 2014-03-17
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I was certain that I'd wake up to clear skies but nope, more rain. A little hit to your spirits. Got up early hoping it would end and I'd get to the next shelter in time to lay everything out to dry. The good news is it did stop! The bad is that it still remained very foggy and misty. Made for some Sleepy Hollow type hiking. No pics though. GoPro is dead and didn't want to risk my phone. Long day with one unbelievable climb up Albert Mtn. It kind of drizzled again at camp but nothing heavy. We had a small group there. Just seven including Canadiahh, Spider-Man, Ranger, and BJ and his son who were up for the week. I'm hurting though today. Knee still is rough and my heels have begun to get sore. I suspect it's all the sloshing around.
Date: 2014-03-18
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up late today. Canadiahh, Spider-Man, and Ranger are already gone - catching the shuttle to Franklin for a resupply. I was the last up and last to leave. While I was packing I heard this commotion and turn to see a school group hiking up the trail towards me. Field trip! Very odd. There I am all stinky and damp and gross and the teacher ended up bringing me into the lesson. How far? When did you start? What's it like? It was kind of jolting when you think you're in the middle if nowhere. I pressed on. Got some nice trail magic at Winding Gap ( fruit and cookies) then kept on. I had hung all my wets off my pack to dry and apparently the knitted napkin April made me must have snagged on a tree somewhere because it's long gone (sorry April!). I did manage though to see my first bald - look it up. Nice change of scenery. It's definitely gotten thicker in North Carolina but you're still looking at basically the same landscape. I turned this into a long day and hiked all the way to the shelter at Wayah Bald but that I guess was a mistake. This time some sort of youth group was there and took every available flat spot and had every fire pit going. I ended up on a slope of about 30 degrees. Sleeping wasn't easy but hurray for ear plugs.
Date: 2014-03-19
From: Wayah Bald Shelter

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

Woke up to being smashed against the side of the tent with my thermarest rolled up and around me. Not an easy night for sleeping. Today I'm cutting back my hours and wanted to get there early so I could lay out my gear to dry off and maybe get my feet up for a little. Left before everyone was up in the mist and drips. Shorter day but a tough one! Lots of climbing. I met Smokestack and mom at Licklog Gap. They've been slack packing and were great to talk. Turns out he's from the Valley. Nice people. By the time I finally got to Wesser it got overcast and the temperature dropped. So much for drying things out. I did get the fortune on meeting Infinity. She's also on the journals. Very cool lady. And..I finally accepted my trail name. It is indeed Dune. (Nerd!) Mac n cheese and a can of Vienna sausages for dinner. Ho hum. Tomorrow is short and all downhill. Murder on the knees.
Date: 2014-03-20
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Natahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Am I ever excited to take a shower. After the rain and mud of the last few days I'm dirtier than normal. You get musty. Everything is damp. You peel off your clothes. Lesson: at the end of the day change into dry clothes - I have a pair of long johns and a wicking shirt just for this- and put those stinky damp clothes in your sleeping bag with you. Yes it's like you're marinating in funk but by morning they're relatively dry and warm. Thought the downhill would be torture but it was actually a piece of cake and made it here by eleven - the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). This place is crazy. A river running through the center with white water kayaking, zip lines, an outfitters, general store, cabins, a nice restaurant. I opted to stay in the bunkhouse to save some cash. Spending a lot more than I thought but mainly on getting rid of stuff that's too heavy or bulky and buying new. Or some sort of orthopedic thing. They know their audience well and have it all. There are probably twenty hikers here tonite. Austin is my roomie. Had dinner with Ranger, Sloth (whom I rode out with on the first day), and Left Turn. She reminds me of my Aunt Molly. Back at bunkhouse now. It's 8:17 and already drowsy. Long day of climbing tomorrow. Should be three days to Fontana and think I might zero. The weather is not looking good for the Smokys. Snow and cold. When will it be spring?!
Date: 2014-03-21
From: Natahala Outdoor Center

To: Locust Cove Gap
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

What a difference a good nights sleep makes. That and a good breakfast. Ordered biscuits and gravy for the first time. I'm not sure what the big fuss is about. There's a food trailer right near my house called Biscuits and Groovy that's really popular. Hmpff. Stopped at the outfitters first for some new insoles (more money!) and to send out a package of unneeded weight and while finding the right ones saw first hand would could happen when you don't take care of your feet. Another hiker with bright red toes and black spots. It looked like they were about to fall off. The outfitters suspected frostbite. (A sidenote- it's actually a few days later and I hear he's already back on the trail). It was a good hiking day. Not too hot. Did a lot of climbing and ended up at a distant site with Spider-Man, Ranger, Canadia, Mariposa and her dad. Just kind of a small depression up in the mountains. Key Lime was there too but decided to move on to the next site. Good evening next to the fire and a great nights sleep. Finally a good quiet area with no rain and minimal wind and a nice flat tent site. Interesting ... sitting in a lodge writing this and the guy with the toes just walked in. My little knee pain seems trivial at this point.
Date: 2014-03-22
From: Locust Cove Gap

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: overcast clouds

What a great day! Not only did I get up early, I made great time and feel like I finally got a groove going. The best part is my knee pain just kinda disappeared. Not completely but a world of difference. Now it's down to heel pain but I think that's just overuse. Early in the morning I came across trail magic at Stecoah Gap. Everyone was there having fajitas, fruit, donuts, and handfuls of Advil. I've been running in the same group of ten or fifteen hikers for a while now. It's always nice to see familiar faces at camp even if you're basically alone while hiking. I really want to start picking up the pace so decided to make it all the way to the Fontana shelter...known as the Hilton because it has showers and space for twenty. I was just about the last to get there but awesome! There were about thirty there and was handed a beer as soon as I set my pack down. Then it was hotdogs by Fresh Ground. Great way to end such a long hike. Tomorrow I can zero and prep for the Smokies.
Date: 2014-03-23
From: Natahala Outdoor Center

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

A quick update. Cell service is non-existent and wireless is weak so I'll be posting about a weeks worth after I get through the Smokies. Head on up tomorrow. Good day of resupply and laundry. Sharing a room with Low Gear and now hanging out the last few hours in the lodge with Left Turn and several other hikers just chatting about the trail. Nice break. Won't be back on for probably another week.
Date: 2014-03-24
From: Fontana Dam

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

The next week of posts is going to be all over the map. If there was something weatherwise to experience... I experienced it. I'll write as if I didn't know what was coming but Gheez I'm glad I'm warm now.After my zero with Low Gear at Fontana it was time to hit the Smokies! The disadvantage of every town is that you go far downhill to get there....which means the next day is tough climbing back up. And this climb was serious. Two days of it. But, the weather was nice and I was down to shorts and the climb pretty gradual so all good. The forecast though was not. Tomorrow is supposed to be colder and tomorrow night a forecast low of 12 which you then subtract 3 degrees for every 1000 feet of elevation. Not looking forward to it but the big surprise is the shelters in the Smokies are dee-luxe compared to elsewhere. The open side has tarps to keep out the wind and they all have fireplaces. Awesome! You're also required to stay in the shelters if there's room. It was a great bunch of thru hikers and weekend trips. Nice family from Birmingham plus Hawk, Canadiahh, Spider-Man, the Germans, and Lotus - a section hiker from Taos. We all pitched in and built a great fire. It was toasty warm and dark and quiet. Great first day. I also intended to do about 15 miles per day to get through in about five days. There was one disappointment though...I expected the Smokies to be remarkably different but really it looks the same as it has since Georgia.
Date: 2014-03-25
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: snow

Woke up today feelin great! Every time someone woke up at night they threw some more wood into the fire. We all seemed to wake up happy. Then I pulled back the tarp and whoa! It snowed about three or four inches. The mountains are absolutely beautiful this way. I was excited to snow hike. So excited I was the first one to leave and had to forge the way. The trail is pretty obvious even in the snow, but kind of eerie to not actually see it and just have to follow the white blazes. I think I loved it for about twenty minutes. Where at first the skies were clearing just like the forecast, they then became overcast and it seemed to get colder. Then the flurries started and I convinced myself it was existing snow just blowing off the trees. Then the flakes got larger and the blizzard of 2014 started. Ugh. Things. Got. Miserable. It is so rough slowly trudging up and down hill through biting wind and snow and crunching on existing snow. The short of it is - it just got worse and worse and everyone pretty much had to cut the day short and get to the shelter before we all dropped. But I did pass two milestones. At this point the trail follows the North Carolina/Tennessee border through the park so technically I'm in my third state; but more encouraging is I passed the 185 mile mark which means there are less than 2000 miles to go! Off to bed and hoping the cold doesn't get too bad (that's me typing as if I didn't know what happened)
Date: 2014-03-26
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mt Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

Holy cow. Last night was unbelievably cold. Back in a full shelter with a fire going it was still frigid. I couldn't keep my toes warm all night. They were just on the verge of numb. You know that stingy feeling? Miserable. You couldn't sleep a wink. Not sure anyone did. The morning was a bunch of shivering people with all that vapor breath in the air. It was so cold my boots froze solid. I'm talking like a brick. You had to literally break them to cram your feet in. And tying your shoes with frozen laces without gloves on was torture. Worse was your food was also frozen as was water and it was even too cold for the fuel canisters to work! I've never been so cold in my life. Your filter can't freeze so I kept it in my bag with me. Even if I could have used it most of the water sources were frozen. Now that I'm typing this I'm glad I had the experience but never again! The hiking was even worse. The drifts were up to your thighs and it took all your effort to get through. I ate snow as my water which also cooled me down inside. As cold as it was, you get all steamy and sticky in your clothes from sweat. But what are you going to do? Fortunately movement really warms you up and after about an hour the feeling came back everywhere except one ring finger. It held out for another half. We read in other logs that day that the temp was anywhere between 0 and 7 degrees that night. Glad it's over.
Date: 2014-03-27
From: Mt Collins Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: clear sky

I am ready to get out of the Smokies. Yesterday I made it past Clingmans Dome, the highest point on the trail. A mental victory. Today should be rolling terrain and it has warmed up significantly so I'm happier. Still windy though. Will be nice to shed some clothes. Everything is beginning to stink! Overall the day was pretty unremarkable apart from discovering a mouse chewed through my jet boil lid. I passed Newfound Gap - the only real road though the mountains. Always a trip to feel so isolated and distant then come across hoards of people getting their taste of a national park barely leaving their car. I did manage to get two bars on my phone so a quick call home to let them know I was alive. Then some unexpected trail magic of chocolates and water. Then back into the woods. Turns out the people a day or two ahead of my wave heard about the bad weather and headed into Gatlinburg from Newfound Gap to take a few zeroes. They all seemed to make it back on the trail that day so it was crowded and I saw a lot of faces I hadn't seen in a few days. Unfortunately that means everyone was headed to the same shelter and slow poke that I am got there late and there weren't even sites left for tenting. I made a quick decision, knew I'd have to do night hiking but pushed on and logged my first 20 mile day! The map showed three uphills then there on the last downhill. I almost ran. Everything in the dim light looked like a bear! Made it just before dark dark. Aroo and Outlet were there (as I type this they're actually here in Hot Springs out on the lawn playing frisbee out my window) as well as Yo Teach!. My feet hurt.
Date: 2014-03-28
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Today is the day. Getting out of the Smokies. So long cold and slushy, hello warm and dry. It's almost all downhill today. Not always a good thing. Back when my knee hurt this would have been a cryer. Now I wanted to run out of here! But the trail was so sloshy and muddy from all that melted snow it was impossible. Really slowed you down on the day you should be able to roll. Everyday is something different challenge wise. Forgot to mention the Smokies did finally live up to the hype. You got to a certain point and it was all spruce forest. Thick and eerie. Dark and mysterious. Not at all "the South". Then coming down the mountains today you got into the coves where all the diversity is. Lush with ferns and mosses. Kind of dripped plants. Odd though that when you do finally emerge from all that snow then lushness you're back to the warm dry forest and then a highway. My first interstate crossing. The sound of all those cars and trucks is jarring. But this is now five days and I wanted a shower. The Standing Bear hostel is not far beyond so I put in another long day and made it at about six. There were Canadiaah and Hawk from a few days before as well as a bunch of others. Great place! You did your laundry on a washboard and one of those cranks that squeezes the water out. FYI it seemed to do nothing. My socks still stunk! But it was a warm bed, great people, a little resupply, and a call to my daughter for her birthday. Happy birthday! I'm safe and sound and ready for more.
Date: 2014-03-29
From: Standing Bear

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: fog

Time to get rolling. Nice to be at a hostel with real food. Cooked eggs and oatmeal for breakfast then time to get everything set and oh look a scale. Moment of truth. I step on and holy moley I've lost twenty pounds! Then I get told the scale is off and I've really only lost twelve. Yay! The master plan is working. Four pounds a week seems pretty reasonable. I've just started to get "the hunger" as it's called so I'm sure the loss rate will slow down. I could eat everything and anything right now. But gotta get moving. My plan is two days to Hot Springs and a real room in a real hotel. I love the hostels but after a while you just want some privacy and a real bed. Not those vinyl mattresses where you just sleep in your sleeping bag. The forecast is not pleasant though. Misty until noon then all hell breaks loose. Didn't happen. It was actually alternately hot then cool and a LOT of climbing. Max Patch Bald was a definite highlight. Look up the balds - interesting. The minute I got off it though the temp dropped and the rain came down in buckets. I covered everything up but I could still feel it dripping in. Rushed to the shelter and of course late to arrive so no slot for me. I was enjoying the shelters. Not having to deal with your tent is nice. Now I had to just sit out the rain until it let up and I could get my tent up quick! Nothing worse then a wet tent. Mumbles showed up after me and found out you could fit in the crawl space under the shelter. I already had my tent up so I decided to stay that way. Word was this shelter has a resident bear. Went to bed worried. More that it wouldn't stop raining. I woke around one to this rustling sound. My heart raced. I pulled out my ear plugs and sat up and could feel something pressed against the tent. Yikes! I pressed back and the side of the tent bounced up and that something fell off. What was it?! I couldn't take it and had to pee so I slowly unzipped the front and six inches of snow fell in! Mother f***er!!!! Again with the snow??!!