morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-07
From: Russel Field Shelter

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: scattered clouds

So apparently, TN doesn't believe in privies (aka outhouses). The hike from the Smokies and a hundred miles past flip flops from the NC to TN line a few times daily. You really don't know what state you're really in, except for the privies. Shelters on the NC side have them, shelters on the TN side have "toilet areas" aka mine fields (YUCK). So the morning started as a mad dash of every hiker to get to the next shelter, Spence Field, which is in NC. I got there second, followed by a long string of hikers waiting in line. When I started hiking, I felt well rested from the night before. We flip flopped all day with the same group we bunked with the night before. It felt like a long day of hiking. I still don't get what everyone is raving about the Smoky's for. It's just a hilly version of the same terrain we've always seen. When we finally arrived at the shelter, there was no room and a rumor that 4 dayhikers were arriving with reservations. The new rules state that if someone with a reservation arrives, no matter what time of day or night, anyone else (aka thru hikers) must give up their spot in the shelter. We're paying to hike the smoky's too! I call major BS on that rule, but whatever. Since the shelther was full anyways, I tented outside. I was so exhausted I made a chili Mountain House (my food reserved for bad days) and went to bed.OH! I can't forget. We passed the 185.9 mile mark today!!!!!! What does that mean!? We have less than 2,000 miles to go! Yahoo!
Date: 2013-04-08
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: clear sky

OK, so the Smoky's aren't so bad... it turned gorgeous today! The brown fields and trees turned into lush forrests with pines and ferns everywhere! Green! Yay! We stopped and took about a million pictures. We hiked to Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the Appalachian Trail at over 6,000 ft. There were tons of tourists all over the place for a view that was... well, not nearly as good as the surrounding mountains. But oh well. We climbed the observation tower, took some pictures and had lunch. I ran 1/2 a mile down a nice graded, paved road to the visitors center to see if any cokes were available. Nope I filled out 2 postcards to family, which were sent for free thanks to the trail angels that run the gift shop. Thank you ladies!I headed up to the trail again with Siren. We began hiking to find an ice slick awaiting us. I fell not once, not twice, but yes ladies and gentleman, 3 times a-falling. The first, I bruised my tailbone and my feet slid out and I smashed onto my bottom, the second slammed my right hip on the ice, and by the third, I was nearly in tears. Siren promised me that I could pick food for dinner and we could go into town instead of just going to the next shelter. Good enough for me. Oh yeah, want to hear the fun part? We passed the 200 mile mark on the slippery downhill. The name of the mountain? Mt. Love. I hate Mount Love.After skating for miles we finally reached Newfound Gap to find more tourists everywhere. We grabbed a shuttle for me, Siren, Pacemaker and Runnerup. We arrived at the motel and got the best room on the recommendation of 2 other hikers, a 2 room suite with 2 queens and a couch for $30. Awesome! We went to get italian. I had chicken parmesean and about 5 cokes. I came back toe motel and fell aleep.
Date: 2013-04-09
From: Newfound Gap

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 0.0

We stayed in the Grand Prix motel. Today was really relaxing. Siren got up and went to Bennet's Barbecue, which had the best AYCE (all you can eat) breakfast with fresh fruit! I ate until I was very very stuffed. We then attempted to resupply food. The trolley system (aka the public transportation in Gatlinburg) is in the off season. It's neither summer vacation time nor winter ski season so the trolleys show up in a very unpredictable fashion not listed on any schedule. After waiting over an hour, we caught the trolley to the grocery store, did a quick supply and returned. Gatlinburg wasn't as relaxing as I originally thought. It reminded me of the boardwalk in OC, MD, except there was no boardwalk or beach. Ripley's Believe it or Not museums and "surf shops" that weren't on the surf were all over the place. It was the tourist trap of the mountains! Visitors looked at me like I was crazy as I walked the streets barefoot. My sandals were ripping my feet to shreds and I couldn't stand wearing them any longer. After checking stores, I finally found a nice pair of women's sandal crocs as town shoes and gave my old flip flops to the cashiere and asked him to throw them away. Stupid sandals. Don't use sandals as town shoes!As we walked back, someone yelled "free ice cream" at us. It was Ben and Jerry's free cone day! I got a free butterscotch cone and couldn't have been happier. Gatlinburg is awesome. For dinner, we got together with Sparky, Cabo, and St. Nick and went to the Brewery. I got an awesome steak salad and added french fries to make it "pittsburgh style" and slathered ranch dressing all over it without feeling bad. They had a trivia game going throughout dinner and thanks to a last minute change (GO SPARKY!) We won second place and $25 off of dinner. Many thanks to Sparky who not only had the winning answer of the night, but who also literally ripped the check out of my hands and paid for everyone's dinner.We chatted with some other hikers on the porch of the Grand Prix and went to sleep. It was an awesome day and tomorrow is only going to be better!
Date: 2013-04-10
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Dollywood/ Dixie Stampede!
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Oh the dreaded double zero, how fun you are!!!So we kinda left Gatlinburg... to go to Pigeon Forge, it's neighboring town. Now I've already gotten some flack about my zero's and fun days, and I'm only going to say this once, but I'm not here just to hike. This trip is about the smiles, not the miles and I want to experience the trail, it's towns and the surrounding area and people, not just hike in the woods for 6 months straight.We got up early, ate at Bennet's again and caught the pink trolley from the Ripley's aquarium to Dollywood! Siren and I arrived just after the park open and we ran to the wooden rollercoaster, the Thunderhead, that goes 55 mph. Siren wanted to sit up front, so we did. WOW. After barely traveling over 3 mph for a while, sitting up front going 55 mph is not a great idea. I couldn't stop screaming and holding on for dear life as the car felt like it was going to fly off the rails. A few minutes later, St. Nick arrived. We convinced him to join us the day before. The three of us rode every rollercoaster in the park. I bought a souvinere Dollywood mug, and had way to much soda and icee refills. After a fun filled day of rides and shows, we caught the trolley to the nearby Dixie Stampede.Dixie Stampede is a dinner theater of north versus south dining fun. The food portions were hiker sized and the show was hilarious. We were seated on the northern side and watched a women ride through flames on horseback, chicken races, emu races, lumber jacks and more over about 2 hours. The south won for the night (it was rigged!) but we had fun non-the-less.After another trolley ride home I curled up in bed and was ready to get on the trail the next morning.
Date: 2013-04-11
From: Newfound Gap

To: Icewater Shelter
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: overcast clouds

So it ended up being a very short day. I woke up feeling kind of slow and "icky", got my last hot shower for a while and got dressed in my hiker clothes again. I placed a stickie on the Dollywood mug that said "take me to Dollywood, $0.99 refils" and placed it in the hiker box. We got to NOC (the outfitter) around 10 am and caught their free shuttle back to Newfound Gap to start hiking. We got to Icewater shelter pretty quickly to find DT (I met him at Fontana) with his NOAA weather radio. He said it was really specific that a bad storm was supposed to hit the Smoky's around 2 PM. So we decided to stay put only a few miles in. We set up camp in the shelter and hung out with everyone under blue skies with no sign of a storm. Slowly, the shelter became full and so did the surrounding tenting areas. It was 5 PM and still no rain... stupid weather radio! I took a nap and woke up to find that they had found a box of wine, payday, and firestarter while searching for firewood in the woods. The wine was already drank But it was still a great find!What a long day. Take something with you to do when hiking! I was bored out of my mind.
Date: 2013-04-12
From: Icewater Shelter

To: Tri Corner Shelter
Miles today: 12.6

OK, so maybe DT's weather radio wasn't complete BS. All night long were horrible T-storms and wind and rain. The tarp over the entrance to the shelter was whipping around all night long. Apparently, a few people in tents suffered a leak or collapse last night. Everyone was up pretty early and we headed out to charlie's bunion. It was incredibly foggy and hard to see, but after about 15 minutes the fog cleared and left way to incredible views. It was another day of soggy hiking due to the previous nights rain. My merino wool injinji socks were at the end of their rope... they had holes which were not only growing each day I hiked in them. At lunch I stopped to eat (as always) and my food bag was drenched inside! I dumped everything out to find soggy dinners and an apple pie that had burst and seeped gooey filling all over nearly every packet of food. Ugh! I dried my food bag out somewhat and put everything back in and hiked to the shelter, where I got a space to sleep. This shelter was interesting. The only field area in the sun was next to the privy. That was an odd setup. So everyone was gathering around the privy so it was odd to actually go and use it. The water source was about 10 yards from the shelter and had no real directional flow, so it just drained all over the place, soaking most usable area around the shelter. A ridge runner was here that said that section hikers didn't have any preference in shelters over thru hikers, which was news to us.Just FYI- I said I hate the smoky's, that's not true. I hate Great Smoky national park and all the hoops and red tape for thru hikers. It's just a pain in the rear to hike there. They Smoky mountains themself are beautiful and awesome! i want to visit the park sometime when not hiking to appreciate it more.
Date: 2013-04-13
From: Tri Corner Shelter

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

Almost out of the smoky's, wahoo! Today we went from 5000 feet to about 1400 feet in about 7 miles. It was a rough day on the knees. My left knee hurt most of today. We passed a plane wreck from the 1970's today. According to the ridge runner this morning, some not-so-intelligent teens attempted to pack out some of the wreck earlier in the week, so bits of it were missing. The good thing about showing up at Davenport gap was most hikers wanted out of the smoky's so bad, that they ran out and pulled a big mile day to get out of the park, so this shelter was relatively empty. We hung around, played 2 truths and a lie and had a camp fire. It was a really nice end to being in the smoky mountains!
Date: 2013-04-14
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Brown Gap
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

OUT OF THE SMOKY'S and back into my tent!!!!!!!!!!! Best day ever We hung out at the road at the exit to GSMNP for a bit talking to Lucky One, Floater and Gi then decided to hike on with a destination of Standing Bear hostel and a resupply of food and a cheeseburger. As we were crossing Pigeon river, Siren turned around and asked "can we go swimming"? I guess you've figured it is HOT down here now, finally! I said sure, and we headed to the rivers edge.When we arrived down there, there was an RV with a hiker walking up to greet us. His name was So Way and he claimed to have hiked the Smoky's in 48 hours to avoid getting a permit. Another gentleman, named Oneysus came out with 2 grapefruits for Siren and I. We took a quick bird bath in the river (it was really really cold), talked some more, than 70% showed up with sandwiches, dried fruit, Sprites and other trail magic! After 70% left, Oneysus offered to drive us to nearby Hartford, TN for resupply and lunch. I got some snicker's bars and a pork BBQ sandwich and ate a pint of banana split ice cream. it was delicious! He gave us a ride back to the river and Siren and I began hiking again. The hike was OK today. Siren saw a baby bear running, however no mama bear was to be found. The firetower listed in the guide was a bust, it mostly looked like a displaced space ship with "US Government property, no trespassing" printed out front. We pulled into Brown Gap campsites to find we were the only ones there. We set up tents and fell alseep.
Date: 2013-04-15
From: Brown Gap

To: Old Road Campsites
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We hiked to Max Patch first thing in the morning. i've heard Max Patch is the most beautiful location on the AT, it was pretty awesome. The weather thankfully held off and there were 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains. Gorgeous! We ate lunch and dried out some gear from the night before. The wind decided to kick up throwing Siren's tent 50 feet from where we were and knocking our items all over. St. nick yelled "catch my rainfly" as it wrapped around my head. Siren's stove then knocked over while lit, knocking her boiling water all over the field. What a lunch hour! We couldn't stop laughing. It took about 15 minutes to gather our things and get everything back in order.After hiking around 16 miles we ended up at the Old Road campsites. Don't camp there. It's a dry site (that's listed), but the old road is asphalt that is grown over with grass and is non-stakeable. So, Siren had a fun time setting up her non-freestanding tent. It looked like something of an obstacle course to get over, but her tent held up find overnight. Another dinner of lipton sides. Hot Springs, NC tomorrow!
Date: 2013-04-16
From: Old Road Campsites

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up first, that never happens, got my chores done, got the bear bags, cleaned up camp and ran into hot springs. It's town day, yay! As I pulled into town, a few hikers I met earlier were sitting in a sunny lawn. I went over to say hi, then went the wrong way on the road for about 1/4 mile, then turned around and went into town the right direction Hot springs is much smaller than i expected. Everyone was so excited to get here I expected more than a one street, 3 store town, but surprise! I went to Elmer's to get my maildrops. Thank you to everyone that send food, supplies, etc! Siren, St. Nick and I will be having a feast later! It felt like Christmas time opening the boxes and the letter from my friends, Ashely and Travis. I can't wait for you to have the baby and to hear all about him!Siren and I are busy doing laundry and town chores now. We checked into Elmer's Sunnybank hotel, wow. That place is really old and incredible. The rooms are enormous and gorgeous! There's a music room and tons of books to read. We signed up for the vegetarian dinner tonight (getting fresh veggies on the trail is nearly impossible, so we're really looking forward to this!) then we are going to pig out on my mail drop food. Thanks again to all the amazing people that sent food and notes, it's very very appreciated!!!Addition: Elmer's Sunnybank Inn is AMAZING. If you are in hot springs, it is a must visit. The building is amazing, the food is even more amazing, as is the staff there. I really enjoyed my time at Elmer's and it was hard to leave. Dinner was family style, which was an awesome time to get to know other hikers. Soup, salad, vegetarian curry, and dessert and tea courses were the best food I have had on the trail to date. The rooms are enormous and there are more porches and books than you will know what to do with. Dinner is ready when a dinner bell rings. Everything about this place is perfect. Highly highly recommended!
Date: 2013-04-17
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: The land of derailment
Miles today: 0.0

4/17-4/20We had full intentions of leaving Hot Springs Wednesday morning. We ate Elmer's amazing vegetation breakfast, ran errands, then went to the Smoky mountain dinner to grab a bite before hiking out. During lunch, it started down pouring. Not just hard rain, but rain that seems to instantly flood everything. Siren and i got to talking and were thinking about staying 1 more night to avoid ruining my nice, new trail runners on day 1. One night visiting Asheville , 2 nights camping next to the French Broad river, and an additional night at Elmer's, and somehow we were still in hot springs!We tried out the hot tubs filled with water from the springs, took a dip in the river, , ate at the diner, hung out at hiker ridge ministries with queen diva, and had a blast. That little town really knows how to suck hikers in!4/20 was the trail days festival filled with a Ben and Jerry's ice cream eating contest, free food, a duck race, and a parade. I lost the ice cream eating contest, lucky pink duck #538 picked out by pink panther, lost the race, but i had a blast! Siren, uncle Buck, pink panther and i were the only 4 thru hikers that participated in theparade. Water balloons were peeled at us from every direction for the 2 blocks we walked. That night we headed down to the campground where there was a bonfire, complete with the band stolen from the bat. After being told to quiet down 2 times by a golf cart security guard, siren and i made our way back to Elmer's at 130 am, asks hiker 6 am, determined to escape Hot Springs in the morning.
Date: 2013-04-21
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Rich Mountain Lookout Tower
Miles today: 8.2

We woke up much later than planned (i guess that is what happens when you're up till 130 am), so we missed the ayce (all you can eat) breakfast. We headed to the diner, ate their massive breakfast skillet, ran a few errands and walked down the street of hot springs for the millionth and final time. As we passed our former tent sites next to the French Broad river, i was slightly sad. I could have set up camp there permanently. Taking so many days off is rough both physically and mentally. My trail legs, which were nearly arrived, had completely disappeared. Every step felt like a chore and i found myself really missing Hot Springs and all the fun we had there. It didn't help we were now entering the"hot zone"where an estimated 50-80% of hikers had the dreaded norovirus and were either stuck in the woods sick or laid out in town recuperating.The hike felt long and challenging, though i doubt it was. I felt the breakfast skillet sitting in my stomach like a brick with every step. It was a long, uncomfortable day. I also tried hiking in my town dress, which was not working at all. W went up to Rich fire tower with hopes of getting in more miles, but it never happened. W set up camp there and went to bed.
Date: 2013-04-22
From: Rich Mountain Lookout Tower

To: Jones Meadow 
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

Todays hike was mostly uphill and was once again a long day. We arrived at a campsite and set up. A little while later, uncle buck arrived saying that he thought there was a meteor shower tonight. We repacked our gear and moved to a nearby meadow in hopes of catching a few meteors overnight.When we arrived at the campsite a huge fire was blazing. Zeus, Sherwin, jigsaw and tech had already set up camp. We sat around the fire for a few hours and went to bed, sleeping through the night and missing any meteors that may have blazed by.
Date: 2013-04-23
From: Jones Meadow 

To: Devils Fork Gap
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

Today we took 2 hour + long naps in gorgeous Meadows and i got some crazy sunburn. We hiked to nearly our anticipated ending site for the day. When we arrived at the road crossing, a sign saying "laurels trading post" was planted in the ground pointing no particular direction. Siren and i both needed resupply, so she stopped a few cars asking for directions and if the store was still open. Finally, we hitched a ride in to the store.The owner was an incredibly friendly guy who really wants to be hiker friendly, but clearly had no idea what hiking or the AT is about. He said he just learned the trail was nearby and put the sign up today.We ordered one $2.50 grilled turkey and cheese sandwich, another huge $5 meat lovers sandwich, a few bags of chips and drinks. The owner chatted the whole time asking what backpackers liked to buy and trying to sell us stun guns.When the store closed, siren and i went to the porch to pack our resupply when the owner yelled "cover your ears girls!" And started shooting a handgun into a neighboring field. I looked up and saw miss Janet's van (an infamous trail angel) driving up to meet us. Apparently, uncle buck told her where we went and she was concerned. I don't think the shooting when she arrived helped the concern levels... She gave us a ride back to her place and offered to let us slack pack in the morning. Miss Janet rocks.
Date: 2013-04-24
From: Devils Fork Gap

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 21.9

Today was a 22 mile slackpack. For those of you that don't know, slackpacking is hiking with just a small daypack versus and entire backpacking pack. You don't really go much faster, but it is easier on the knees and feet and makes it easier to go bigger miles with less negative effects afterward.We started the morning with a healthy McDonalds breakfast and started off on our long day. We crossed big bald, but I'm not really sure how big it was. A downpour started just as we approached, and with the forecast of thunderstorms, siren and i got concerned and started sprinting across the treeless field. We made it alive and things started to clear off on little bald to reveal great views.The other unfortunate but common theme of the day was sick hikers. We had heard rumors of the dreaded norovirus but today was the first day we saw it's effects first hand. Many hikers were sick and/or being shuttled off the mountain, looking slightly green. People we had seen hours earlier, appearing fine, were suddenly looking ill and running in to town. It was a great time to slackpack though. Big miles and no camping means less exposure to the virus!
Date: 2013-04-25
From: Spivey Gap

To: River Rd
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: clear sky

Today was another slackpack day with siren and icarus. We woke up to French toast made with cinnamon raisin bread care of icarus. We then caught our ride to the trailhead for our easy hiking day. When we finished hiking, we got picked up by miss Janet and went to eat Mexican with about 20 other hikers. After an awesome dinner of fajitas and Margaritas, we did a quick resupply at the local Walmart and went back to relax.
Date: 2013-04-26
From: River Rd

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: few clouds

Today was a very very lazy day. So way made am awesome egg scramble breakfast. We ate it in about 5 minutes and then napped on the couch and watched TV. Later in the afternoon, we ordered pizza from rocky's. We agreed to help set up with a bluegrass festival, but it turned out they didn't need our help, so we basically sat in an enormous field, listened to music, and played Frisbee for 2 hours. Miss Janet returned with more pizza for dinner.Then we went to the river, played troll, and set up camp under a bridge ;-) It was actually a really nice site with a private beach and the Nolichucky river gently rumbling in the background. After a quick visit to Uncle Johnny's to visit lucky one, DT, and tech, we returned to the bridge and I slept like a baby.