morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-04-10
From: NOC

To: Sassafras Shelter
Miles today: 6.9

Last night was one of the better sleep nights. The bunkhouse was pretty warm and cozy. It didn't seem that clean of a place though, since they didn't provide sheets or pillows and expected you to use your sleeping bag. Everyone was out of the bunkhouse around 9 am. Patrick and I had a late start. We lounged around the bunkhouse kitchen making breakfast and drip coffee. Patrick had to buy a sewing kit for his pants. A whole started forming in his crotch area. He said it was from all the stretching.Today's climb was one of the tougher ones. It was 7 miles up hill with a 3000 foot elevation difference. The trail was pretty steep in some areas. It felt like I was walking straight up the mountain. We had a few stretch breaks on the way up. My knee started acting up, but it was more sore than painful. About 5 miles up we came to a spectacular view. It was clear compared to yesterday. We ate lunch there. I wish we didn't because after that spot was the steepest climb of the day. My body was using energy to digest food and trying to climb. It was tough.  We arrived at the shelter around 3 pm and called it a day. It's great to roll into camp early and just chill. A few other people showed up later including Two Crows, Mountain Goat, and his mom. We hadn't seen them since Hiawasee. We started a fire as the air was cooling down. I made one of my dehydrated meals, Taco Mac n Cheese. Two Crows gave me a slice off a stick of butter he brought. It added a ton of flavor.Tonight I'm sleeping in the shelter. I keep hearing the scurrying of mice. I hope I don't find holes in my pack in the morning.
Date: 2018-04-11
To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: clear sky

The shelter was pretty cozy last night even though it dropped to about 35 degrees. Patrick awoke in the night to find a mouse scurrying near his head. I didn't have any mice waking me up though. We slept in until 8:11. Almost everyone had left the shelter by then.  We headed out around 9:30. About 30 minutes later we were at the top of Cheoah mountain. Patrick and I busted out our beers that we had been packing since the NOC. We cheered at the top and did a shot of Jack Daniel's honey whisky. We hung out at the top for an hour ehjoying the sun and the view. A few other hikers did as well. After about 5 miles we arrived at Stacoah gap. There was trail magic of bananas and apples just sitting in the picnic table. I ate 3 bananas. I need that potassium!  Out of Stacoah gap was Jacob's ladder. I thought it was easy at the beginning but then the trail went straight up the mountain and was covered with stairs. A few times I had to stop to catch my breath. I could hear my heart pumping in my ears. It was tougher than the climb yesterday.Shortly after the ladder we arrived at the shelter. There was only one tent behind the shelter. We were surprised there wasn't more people. Mountain Goat and his mom showed up shortly later. I made pasta meat sauce for dinner and shared some spices, parmesan cheese, and summer sausage with Patrick.  I saw a mouse running around our shelter tonight. It sounds like they're crawling around me. We'll see what the damage is in the morning....
Date: 2018-04-12
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Hilton
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: clear sky

No mice damage last night. Patrick found his thread and ear plugs missing in the morning. We blamed it on the mice. He eventually found them though. We made breakfast and headed out some around 9 am.The beginning of the hike was pretty gradual today. There was some decent ups and downs but nothing like Jacob's ladder. My right knee started bothering me today. Stairs are not the best friends to my knees.  We had lunch around 1 pm. That break was what my knees needed. From our lunching spot we could see Fontana Dam.  It was massive since we were looking at it from 4 miles away. It was about another 3 miles until we arrived at the Marina.There was epic trail magic at the end of our hike today! Sally and Mr. Sally had a full spread of soda, candy, pasta sides, tuna, cheese crackers, band aides, soap, scarves, toothpaste, etc. Basically anything you need to resupply. Their son had hiked the trail in 2013 and they became trail angels after being inspired by their son's journey. Mr. Sally gave us a ride into Fontana village to pick up our package drops.When we got to the lodge I gave the clerk my ID to pickup the package. However, she couldn't find it. Theresa sent me the tracking info. It said it was waiting at the post office instead of the lodge. The post office had closed though. Patrick and I will make a trip back tomorrow to pick it up. We'll also be splitting our food and sending the rest to Gatlinburg. We don't want to carry 7 days of food over the smokies.  We headed to the Fontana Dam shelter. It was the best shelter yet! It had flushing toilets and trash cans. The shelter also had a spectacular view of the lake. We met Two Crows and a few of his hiking buddies. They convinced us to cowboy camp tonight. We'll be sleeping under the stars.
Date: 2018-04-13
To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

Sleeping under the stars was the best choice we made last night. The sky was clear and there wasn't much wind. It was not too cold either. Other hikers were impressed we were sleeping without a tent. It felt liberating to not be cooped up. We headed out around 8:30 am to the Fontana Dam visitors center. They had a shower that was maintained unlike the shower at the Fontana Hilton Shelter. The Hilton looked like the bathroom had never been cleaned. It felt nice to get the grime off me from the past few days.We called the shuttle and headed back into Fontana village to pickup my resupply box. When we arrived at the post office it said it didn't open until 11:45. We did laundry while we waited. They only had one working washer machine for the whole complex. Santiago ended up doing his in the sink. As we waited, we listened to suped up Volkswagen hatchbacks zoom up and down the street. The town hosts 500 drivers of Volkswagen golfs every year. They speed all over the windy roads. Our shuttle driver said they sounded like wookies in the forest. I finally got my drop package. The address was correct, but the mail clerk didn't deliver it to the lodge. There was no reason for it to be held at the post office. Patrick and I split our 7 days worth of food and shipped part of it to Gatlinburg. We didn't want to lug all that food up the mountain. As we were waiting around, Mr. Sally showed up and gave us a ride back to the visitors center. It was great timing!From the visitors center we crossed the dam and entered Tennessee as well as the Smoky mountains. The shelter was 10 miles away from the dam. We left at 1 pm thinking we'd get there around 5:30. We were wrong. Most of the entire 10 miles was uphill. Every mile today felt like 3 miles as we truged up the smokies. My knees were doing ok, except the balls of my feet started hurting. I had to make sure to walk heel to toe so they wouldn't hurt so bad. Also, there wasn't much water on the trail. We filled up once about 3 miles in and didn't have access to water for another 5 miles. I ran out of water halfway up, but luckily I chugged a lot of water before the climb. Not to mention we started midday and the temp at Fontana Dam was 80 degrees. It was the hardest climb yet. It seemed to go on forever. We started seeing different types of rocks, flowers, and wildlife. I was looking down at the trail making sure I wasn't going up trip. I looked up and saw a deer staring back at me. It was using the trail as an easy way to get around.  We arrived at the shelter around 7:30. I was starving since I only ate some gorp and protein bars. I ate two dinners and the lunch I missed to make up the calories. I still feel I could eat more. The wind at the shelter is picking up and is whipping my tent. It's a sign of colder weather to come. Maybe I'll see snow on Sunday!
Date: 2018-04-14
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a rough morning. I didn't really want to get up but I had to make miles. It was still super windy from the night before. A cold front has been coming in for the last 2 days. Patrick and I made breakfast behind the shelter where there wasn't any wind.  We set out around 10 am. As soon as you left the shelter you were greeted with fields of little white flowers. There were miles and miles of them. They would fallow the trail like the bluebonnets that bloom next to highways in Texas. The wind kept howling all day. It felt like the trees were going to topple over on top of the ridgeline. I saw Patrick only twice today. He was zooming down the trail. It was a good hike until I got to Rocky mountain. The descent was covered in flat loose rocks. It felt like I couldn't get my footing on them. It was slow going for about an hour. On the mountain balds, you could see for miles.  It was a pretty clear day too. I also ran into another deer on top of a mountain. At one point I was hiking on a flat trail, when my left ankle just gave out. I threw my trekking poles aside and caught myself before I had a face full of dirt. It's strange that a body part will give out. Hopefully it doesn't do it when I'm really counting on it.About 3 miles more, I stumpled apon the shelter. Patrick had got in 30 minutes earlier. Apparently 7 people had permits to sleep in the shelter. If the shelter is full of thru hikers, a permit hiker can kick someone out. At 8:30 pm those 7 didn't show up. I doubt they will be hiking in tonight. It's supposed to rain tonight and decided to tent it instead of in the shelter. I hope that was a good choice.
Date: 2018-04-15
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up to rain hitting my rainfly. The storm had come in. It started raining down harder. I packed all my dry stuff in a dry sack. Then i surgically started removing the inner tent while leaving the rainfly attached. This allowed me to pack away the dry part of the tent then seal the wet rain fly. I ran into the shelter and cooked breakfast. I had to boil the water behind the shelter because the wind was so bad.  Patrick and I put on our rain suits then headed out. It was our first real rain hike. The wind started picking up more as we went along the ridgeline. It felt like I was going to be blown over as wind and rain slapped my face. The trail turned into tiny streams. I felt my shoes let in a little more water with each step. Eventually, my feet were swimming in my shoes. The trail however was muddy and soft. It felt really good on my feet. The miles seemed to speed by even on slippery roots and mud.I made it to the first shelter. A few older gentleman were hanging out getting ready to hit the trail in the rain. They mentioned they were trying to get to clingmans dome to catch a shuttle. He also mentioned a Baptist Church group had a free shuttle at 9:30 and noon. We figured we would go to the shelter right before clingmans dome then try the climb in the morning. The weather is supposed to drop tonight as well. We'll see if it snows.When we showed up at the next shelter. Sparrow was hanging out. He had left our shelter earlier. We decided to build a fire in there. All the shelters in the smookies have fire places. First we tried lighting some wet wood. It went out. Then we tried some of the denatured alcohol from our stoves. I had found a whole roll of toilet paper in a field a day earlier and a tuna can. We filled the can with alcohol then added half a roll of toilet paper into the can. The thing lite like a torch. It was enough to dry the wet wood. We built a larger and larger fire. A few hours later Reggie showed up then a couple from the UK named Jeans and Slayer. Jeans had started the thru hike in jeans but quickly realized he would need a different pair of pants. Another hour two engineers from Houston showed up. We had a pretty full house. Sparrow was telling everyone who entered to pay the fire tax by bringing in wood from the rain. We ran drying lines and put our shoes by the fire to dry off. It soon looked like a dry cleaning shop with all our gear hung up.  I made a tasty dinner of mashed meat. It's potatoes with chicken.  We all hung out until 7 am when everyone started going to sleep. I eventually saw a message from Anne who sent it at 2 pm. She mentioned that the access road to clingmans dome might be closed tomorrow due to weather. We'll see if we'll need to make a trip to newfound gap instead! It's supposed to be a low of 24 tonight. Hopefully I'll stay warm.
Date: 2018-04-16
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 10.5

I didn't sleep that well last night. The temperature kept dropping. Our little fire put out some heat but it wasn't enough. Plus my legs kept cramping up from all the hiking. Hopefully a good night's rest in a hotel tonight in Gatlinburg will help. We found most of our wet gear frozen from the night before. I noticed it was white outside. Not from sun, but snow! There was about 3 inches on the ground and all the trees were powdered. Yesterday a rain hike, today a snow hike! We prepared by putting plastic bags around our feet then putting them in our cold wet shoes. Patrick had never heard of this method before, but he didn't grow up in a state with snow. I remember as a kid putting plastic bags on when my shoes were wet but my socks were not. It provides that extra warmth your feet need and doesn't allow your wet shoes to suck out that warmth.We headed out around 9:40 to catch the noon Baptist shuttle at clingmans dome. It was a 2.5 mile ascent up to the highest point on the AT. Luckily the snow wasn't so much that we lost track of the trail. The trail was easier on my feet as the snow provided a nice cush. However, the climbs were harder since my feet kept slipping in the snow. Snow was powdering us as well as everything in sight. It reminded me of snowboarding in Vermont during a snow shower. It was silent outside except for the sound of snow hitting our rain jackets. We didn't run into much ice either. However, the trail was still pretty slushy from the rain yesterday.  We made it clingmans dome around 11 am. The access road to the top was closed due to weather. We wouldn't be getting a shuttle into Gatlinburg from there.  We went up the observation deck to check the view from the top. It was blowing snow and ice. The tower looked like something out of a distopia. The signs that labeled the views from the top were illegible. We quickly got down from that tower. We pressed onto Newfound gap to hopefully catch a shuttle from there. The snow kept coming down all day. We knew that Sparrow was in front of us. We saw his name written in snow where he relieved himself.When we arrived at newfound gap there were a few cars but no one else. We heard that the restrooms were heated and headed over there. That's when we found 8 other hikers huddled in the heated men's restroom. We were all stuck there since the road into Gatlinburg was closed due to weather. Jeans called the forest ranger. They said they couldn't let anyone up the road unless it was an emergency. Half the group was running out of food including Patrick. Running out of food is not considered an emergency. We were supposed to go into town today for our resupply. Another woman and her son showed up. She had extra food and was willing to share some with us. The trail provides!  We moved all our packs into the handicapped stall and laid out our sleeping bags. We used copious amounts of toilet paper to clean up the floor from our shoe snow melt. Hopefully tomorrow the road opens up. Otherwise we're doing 13 sideway miles into town for a resupply. Luckily, Gatlinburg has plenty of beer and moonshine!
Date: 2018-04-18
From: Newfound Gap

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: clear sky

I woke up and rushed down to the Quality Inn's office for free breakfast. It was a full spread! They had biscuits and gravy, eggs, sausage, a pancake machine, a waffle maker, yogurt, dessert, and cereal. I made sure to have extra helping of breakfast for today's hike.  We headed over to the NOC to wait for the church shuttle. While we were waiting Miss Janet showed up. I have been hearing about her for weeks. She helps a lot of thru hikers with rides and supplies. We all crammed into her massive van and took off for newfound gap. She told us stories about taking hikers to the hospital for spilling their boiling food on their groins. She warned us about cooking food on the table and we should cook it on the ground. She reached for her front dash and grabbed a ninja sword that hiker was carrying on their pack. The hiker expected to bush wack on the AT except the trail is well maintained. Miss Janet ripped on all the YouTube hiker experts who sometimes gave bad advice. Especially about the ones where they told you that you only need your puffy jacket as an insulating layer. Expect when a puffy gets wet it doesn't keep you warm. She mentioned that wool, fleece, and silk keep you warm even when it's wet. She ripped on Darwin a YouTube hiker who had quality hiking videos. Someone in the van asked her about what tape she had in the tapedeck. She mentioned it was with the van when she bought it. She pushed it in and it was a Phish tape. Of course, that tape would have came from that van.  We arrived at newfound gap around noon and paid one last respect to our bathroom shelter. We headed out for a shelter about 10 miles out. The weather was warm and we had clear skies. There was still patches of snow from the day before. About 4 miles in we arrived at Charlie's bunion. It was an overlook where you could see for several miles. Most of the trail was covered in flat rocks that really hurt my feet. I was always excited when a dirt patch was coming up in the trail to relieve my feet.  We eventually got to the shelter around 5:30. It was a packed house! There were a lot of people stuck in Gatlinburg from the weather who had restarted their hike. Booga and I were in an artificial bubble from the weather. We met Blood Root at the shelter. She had just gotten her degree in horticulture. We were picking her brain about all the plants in the area. She was called Blood Root because sometimes she has a temper. Booga and I made dinner. I had rice, chicken, broccoli, and powdered cheese. It came out pretty good!  Tonight I'm listening to the wind on the other side of the ridge. It's pretty nice being in the tent since I don't have to listen to people snore. Unless someone is so loud that I'll hear them in my tent...
Date: 2018-04-19
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: light rain

Last night was pretty warm. The wind was howling through the trees but the tenting area was down the ridge. I got up around 7:30, made oatmeal for breakfast, then we headed out. It was going to be a 12 mile day. The air was freezing though. Yesterday it was 65 today it was around 30.  The trek was pretty gradual. We rushed at the beginning to warm up our bodies. My hands were freezing. I blew breath into them to warm them up. As we climbed in elevation it got colder and colder. The clouds were blowing through the trees. With them brought cold moisture that froze to the trees. They became white as the water froze to their leaves and needles. It seemed that the smokies couldn't make a choice whether it was spring or winter. Most of the 12 miles were flat stones too. They really killed my feet. I hope when were out of the park that the trail becomes soft mud again.  We arrived at the first shelter for lunch. I ate a tortilla with herb and garlic tuna, cheez its, and mustard. When you're hungry it's not that bad, ever. In the shelter there were still hikers lounging in their sleeping bags. They were watching a movie too. That's one way to start the day. We headed back out. Our shelter was another 7 miles. The temperature dropped to 20 degrees with the wind blowing. It was another mad rush to warm ourselves up. We made it to the cosby shelter around 3 pm. It was almost empty. We quickly grabbed a spot before it filled up. It was supposed to fall to 28 tonight and it's always warmer in the shelter. I met Splash, Burger King, FiveO, and a few other hikers. Splash got a roaring fire going in the shelter. We talked about the last few crazy days of weather. Most of the hikers in the shelter were stuck in Gatlinburg because of the snow. FiveO started reciting blue dot by Carl Sagan, his cadence was spot on for the way Carl spoke. We all huddled by the fire to keep warm. Splash told us a story about a missing hiker whom we saw signs about a few weeks earlier. I remembered seeing an abandoned hammock with food at cold spring shelter. Apparently hammock belonged to the missing hiker. There was also a rope going down to a steep water source, however, the real water source was right next to the shelter. The family said he was suicidal. We might never know what happened to him... A great story before I head off to bed.
Date: 2018-04-21
From: Standing Bear Farm Hostel

To: Max's patch
Miles today: 13.3

I slept really well last night. I bet it was from the copious amount off food I ate. I lounged in my tent until 8:30 am. That's pretty late for a hiker. I grabbed my package drop which was are replacement frame for my pack! Chris from ULA sent it to standing bear for free! My pack felt whole again. Booga bear and I hung out in the common kitchen area with Pumkin Spice and Blue Grass. We waited for 3 full pots of coffee to be brewed. Each time I filled my cup up. Pumpkin Spice told us a story about him working in a shipyard in South Korea. He would work 80 hour days. He asked himself if he wanted to continue working like that. The shipyard would bring in migrate works from China and pay them really low wages. Suicide was common among that work. Pumpkin Spice said a worker hung himself from a crane. They just covered the body and let it hang there all day. The shipyard was very cold when they called the worker's family. Pumpkin Spice got out of that job and decided to hike the AT.  I packed up my tent while contending with Max the cat. He would jump up and claw at my rainfly's strings. I thought he was going to tear a whole in it. Booga bear and I headed out around 12:15. It was a straight 5 mile up, then another 8 miles to Max's patch. Not named after the cat, but it was a huge bald on top of a mountain where you can camp. At mile 4 we hit our first trail magic! I took use of their folding chairs as I let my socks dry in the sun. About a mile earlier blister formed on my heel. I drank a 20 oz bottle of mountain dew and ate some of my snacks. They said they had more food but it was all out. I was happy with the free drink. After 5 miles of ups and downs we had a 2nd trail magic. The Smith family whom we've seen in the shelter logs were giving out food. They gave me a sandwich, chips, candy, granola, beef jerky, and more mountain dew! I had another 3.5 miles to go and the second sugar rush was kicking in. I booked it to Max's patch trying to get there before sunset. On the way to the patch was a box of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and bananas! When it's the weekend there's trail magic!I huffed and puffed up to Max's patch. I made it to 30 minutes before sunset. Blue Grass, Ramble, Two Crows, Anne, and Wizard were already at the top. As I walked up I heard them yell YA! I busted out my PBR as a summit present and watched the sun disappear over the horizon. I pitched my tent and ate a banana, PB&J, and Pringles for dinner. I was too lazy to cook dinner. Sunshine and Forever, a young couple, built a fire. Booga and I hung around until 9:30, way past hiker midnight. We talked about all the thru hikers on the trail and trying to guess where they were at.  I'll be waking up at 2 am for meteor shower unless my body doesn't let me.