morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-12-28
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Double Springs Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.5

It started raining during the night. Our plan is to do a short day to the Double Springs Gap Shelter on the rainy day. That way, when the weather clears up on Tuesday, Bonnie and Clyde will have a good view from Clingmans Dome.We hiked in light rain all morning to the Silers Bald Shelter. There we had lunch with Working Girl, Pep Talk and Peanut. While we were at Silers, the wind increased to 50-60 MPH.On to Double Springs in the wind and rain. We gathered a decent supply of firewood for the night, and Clyde started a fire.Liberty Buck/Fred Buckley and Jim Barter, both from Cincinnati, OH, arrived at the shelter. A little later Will Howell, from Omaha, NE, came in to the shelter. These guys are all out for two or three nights and stayed at the Mt. Collins Shelter last night. They reported that Clingmans Dome was pretty miserable.We ate our dinners and sat by the fire.A little later, after it was dark outside, a lady came into the shelter with her headlamp. She looked familiar. At first I thought she was a SOBO that I had met up north earlier in the year. Then I realized that it was Pink Socks/Patricia Smith, who had worked at the Cycology Bike Shop part of Little River Trading Company a couple of years ago. She unpacked and said that she needed to go back out and check on her friend.About an hour later, Patricia came back with another lady who was soaked and in the early stages of hypothermia. We sat her in front of the fire. Patricia helped her out of her wet clothes and into dry clothing while I fixed hot chocolate. Then we got her into her sleeping bag with a bottle of hot water to warm her up. She was in bad enough shape that she had tried to call 911 to be rescued, but didn¢t get a good phone signal. Her name is Sarah Frost.Both women are members of the Chattanooga Hiking Club and were hiking across the Smokies in four days (20 miles/day) when bad weather hit.After we got Sarah warmed up, I was able to get the Park Headquarters on my phone so that she could call off her rescue by the rangers.Enough excitement for one day! At 10:00 PM, it¢s still raining very hard, but everyone is safe and warm in the shelter.
Date: 2015-12-29
From: Double Springs Gap Shelter

To: Icewater Springs Shelter
Miles today: 13.8

The storm has passed! Clear skies today. Great views from Clingmans Dome! We hurried to Newfound Gap to meet Bob Hayes and Anna Gaultney at 1:00 PM.Richard Hatten was also waiting for us at Newfound Gap. He is a friend/LRTC customer from Maryville. He plans to hike with us for a couple of days.Just north of Newfound Gap, we got our Smokies thru-hiker permits checked by a ranger. Fortunately, I had a permit. Bonnie and Clyde hadn¢t printed their permit, so the ranger will have to do a little ¢homework¢ tonight.We¢re staying at Icewater Springs, which is notorious for poor firewood availability; but we had a good fire anyway.Richard said the park ranger said that Icewater Springs was booked full tonight, but only three other people showed up: a couple from Memphis and their 15-year-old son. Seven people in a twelve-person shelter feels good!
Date: 2015-12-30
From: Icewater Springs Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: moderate rain

Bonnie and Clyde want to do a big (20 miles) day today so that we will have a short day going into Standing Bear. They left the shelter first. Richard and I hiked together. It¢s cloudy, so there are no views from Charlie¢s Bunion.We got to the trail down to Pecks Corner and agreed that we didn¢t want to do the extra mileage down and back from the shelter, so we did a quick lunch on the trail.Richard and I got to Cosby Knob after dark. Fortunately, Clyde had a fire going when we got to the shelter. Bonnie was tired and had sore feet. Richard offered to cook salmon and rice for me for dinner.We talked for a little while and went to bed.
Date: 2015-12-31
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 10.7

Richard is getting off and going down Low Gap Trail to be picked up at Cosby. It¢s cloudy/foggy this morning, so there is no point in walking out to the Mount Cammerer fire tower. I got down to Davenport Gap in 3-1/2 hors and waited there for Bonnie and Clyde. When they arrived, Bonnie had sore toes on one foot and the other ankle was hurting. She had enough ¢fun¢ for one day and wanted a shuttle to Standing Bear Hostel. I called the hostel and got a recorded message. So I called another local shuttle, Ron McGaha, and he drove up and took us over to the hostel.At Standing Bear we were welcomed by Baltimore Jack. Another SOBO, Butter, showed up at the hostel this afternoon. Patricia and Sarah (at Double Springs Shelter) had told me to watch for him and tell him hello.Bonnie and Clyde were driven to Newport for resupply. Jack is preparing a New Year¢s Eve dinner for us. We¢re having a fire tonight. Good times on the AT!
Date: 2016-01-01
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: few clouds

Baltimore Jack prepared a big New Year¢s Day breakfast for us. So I got a late start and only hiked about seven miles over Snowbird Mountain (4,263 ft.) to the Groundhog Creek Shelter.Two other weekend backpackers were already there when I arrived: Outback Jack and Paul, with their trusty dogs Willow and Mona. They had gathered wood and were just starting the fire when I got to the shelter.Paul tented out, and Jack and I shared the shelter. The dogs slept outside.
Date: 2016-01-02
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: overcast clouds

The weather is much better today than yesterday. My ¢strategy¢ worked! I have clear skies today for Max Patch.On my walk to Max Patch, I met three ladies from Maryville out on a day hike from Max Patch to Standing Bear Farm. They recognized me immediately¢we¢d met previously at Little River Trading Company. We visited until they got cold and had to start moving again.Then I met a lady who looked like a SOBO. Her name was Mariposa. She had hiked the AT in 2014, was from Knoxville and was just out for a short section hike.I got to the top of Max Patch (elev. 4,629 ft.) at about 1:00 PM and had lunch in the bright sunshine, enjoying the views. There were a lot of day hikers out today on the grassy bald.I walked on down to the Roaring Fork Shelter. I probably should have gone the extra five miles to Walnut Mountain, but I like this shelter better. It¢s a log shelter built in 2005, with wooden pegs on the inside walls, spaced about 16 inches apart. The fire pit is directly in front of the shelter. I built a fire and fixed my dinner. I have the fire and shelter all to myself tonight!
Date: 2016-01-03
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs, Laughing Heart Hostel
Miles today: 18.0

This is the coldest morning so far! I actually wore my mittens instead of gloves for the first time.On the way to Lemon Gap, I met Deja¢a SOBO lady. She did the AT NOBO in 1998, then section hiked the trail in 2011 and 2012.I climbed Walnut Mountain (4,305 ft.) and stopped at the shelter for a snack. I was glad that I decided to stop at the Roaring Fork Shelter last night!Going up Bluff Mountain (4,686 ft.), I met JT. He¢s a young SOBO from Indiana.Now I have eleven miles downhill to Hot Springs. I arrived at the Laughing Heart Hostel on the edge of town at about 3:00 PM. There I met NatGeo, a SOBO from Indiana. He¢s just out of high school and is an excellent photographer. I also met Tie, who manages the hostel. I took a hot shower and did my laundry. It feels great to be clean again!NatGeo and I had dinner at the Iron Horse Saloon. I had a salad and a rib-eye. I stopped at the Dollar General Store to resupply on my way back to the hostel.
Date: 2016-01-04
From: Hot Springs, Laughing Heart Hostel

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

I woke up at 6:00 AM and walked down to the diner for a big breakfast.I packed up, said goodbye to NatGeo and Tie. Then I stopped at the post office and mailed some journal entries home. Stopped by Bluff Mountain Outfitters to visit with Wayne and bought some Cabot cheese.I crossed the French Broad River and climbed up to Lovers Leap Rock. It¢s cold and windy with a fee light snow flurries.I climbed Rich Mountain, then up to Spring Mountain Shelter. Not much of a shelter, but it helps block the wind tonight. At least the spring is flowing.
Date: 2016-01-05
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: few clouds

I had my breakfast, packed up and walked down to Allen Gap. It¢s a nice day today with sunshine and no wind. Quite a contrast to yesterday!At the gap I noticed a man parking a gray Honda in the parking area down the road from the trail, so I waved. ¢Wildcat!¢ he shouted. I walked over to the car. It was Shepard/Travis Hall from Maryville. He brought me a bacon and egg sandwich and a Coke from Hot Springs. Trail magic! Perfect timing!We sat in his car while I ate, then he wanted to hike with me for an hour¢unexpected company!I took a short break at Little Laurel Shelter, then climbed up to Big Firescald Knob¢great view of Greene County.Two more miles to Jerry Cabin Shelter. I arrived as the sun was setting. Someone already had a fire going in the fireplace in the shelter! It was Cleaner from Greenville. He had come up to spend the night and to clean up around the shelter. It looked much better than the last time I was here. It¢s great to have someone to take Sam¢s place in caring for the shelter.We were both glad to have some company for the night.
Date: 2016-01-06
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

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

I cooked my coffee and oatmeal over the fire in the fireplace in the shelter. Cleaner built the fire up with good oak logs before we went to bed last night, so we still had a fire going at 6:00 AM.I met a trail maintainer about two or three miles from the shelter. I told him about the blowdowns that I had seen yesterday and thanked him for his work.The trail dropped about a thousand feet into Flint Gap. There I met Cody Coyote¢a SOBO who had actually started at Gorham. I guess that actually makes him a LASHER.I stopped for lunch in the sunshine at the picnic table in front of the Flint Mountain Shelter. Three more miles to Devil Fork Gap, then had to climb 1,600 ft. to Lick Rock; three more miles to Hogback Ridge Shelter, getting there in plenty of time to get water and firewood before dark. The spring at this shelter is a short dayhike from the shelter! Some kind soul had left a small stack of fat lighter pine in the shelter. I used a few sticks to get my fire started quickly.As usual, I¢m alone, eating my dinner, writing my journal, and trapping mice.
Date: 2016-01-07
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: broken clouds

When I woke up this morning, I was pleasantly surprised by how much warmer the temperature was than on previous mornings. I was able to wear gloves instead of mittens. Not bad for January! But I still have to get over Roan Mountain and the Humps.I walked down to Sam¢s Gap (I-26) and met Emersion, a SOBO who had climbed Katahdin on June 9th¢a week before me. He is trying to reach Hot Springs by Saturday.I had lunch in the sunshine at Street Gap, and then began climbing. I met another SOBO¢Disciple of Jesus. He hiked the trail in 2010 and 2012. He too is hiking with a hernia. He¢s from southern Maine, so I guess that winter in the Smokies won¢t be much of a problem for him. I commented on the wooden cross necklace that he was wearing. He said that he had seen them in some of the shelters and gave me one. I¢m sure that there is some special meaning for Disciple of Jesus to give a wooden cross to the trail chaplain.Halfway up Big Bald, I met a dayhiker walking back down to Sam¢s Gap. He had done the trail SOBO in ¢94. His trail name was Madri. He now lives in Johnson City.The views from Big Bald were awesome. Sorry...no pictures because the Iphone is dead.Only ten miles today, so I got to the Bald Mountain Shelter early¢but too late to do ten more miles to No Business Shelter without night hiking. I¢ll do sixteen tomorrow downhill to Erwin with a light pack.Solo at the shelter again¢building fires, writing this journal, trapping mice.
Date: 2016-01-08
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Erwin/Johnson City, Lundy House
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: few clouds

I got up early today¢seventeen miles to town! Light rain was falling. I started hiking before daylight with my headlamp. Note to self: wait until daylight to start¢it makes it much easier to see the trail! It was mostly downhill for the first five miles to Spivey Gap.Then five more miles to No Business Knob shelter. The trail mostly contoured around steep hillsides. I took a short lunch break at No Business. Six miles to the Nolichucky River and Erwin.I got there at about 3:00 PM and called my brother-in-law Mark to pick me up. My wife Becky is driving to Johnson City this afternoon to meet me for the weekend!
Date: 2016-01-10
From: John City

To: Curley Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: clear sky

Becky and I went to church with Mark and wife Sheila. Afterward we went to IHOP for brunch.I loaded up my pack, and Becky dropped me off at the Nolichucky River trailhead on her way home to Maryville. I hiked four miles to the Curley Maple Gap Shelter, where Dwight Norris had a fire going when I arrived.Dwight is a backpacking friend who wants to hike with me this week from Erwin to Hampton. We will be climbing over Unaka and Roan Mountains, so I¢m glad to have his company for this stretch of trail.Light snow is falling as we prepare our dinners. Good fire, good company tonight.
Date: 2016-01-11
From: Curley Maple Gap Shelter

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Dwight shared his Mountain House freeze-dried biscuits and sausage gravy with me for breakfast. I had never tried it before¢pretty tasty!The day was partly cloudy and cold as we hiked over Beauty Spot and Unaka Mountain (5,180-ft. elev.). There was about an inch of snow on the ground and frost on the trees.We got to Cherry Gap Shelter early enough to start a good fire before we fixed dinner.We didn¢t see any other backpackers today.
Date: 2016-01-12
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: moderate rain

Dwight originally told me that he needed to be in Hampton by Saturday. Now he has until Sunday¢Monday, if necessary. Originally we would have had to do a big day today to Roan High Knob Shelter. Now we can do shorter days. The weather forecast is calling for 30 per cent chance of snow today and sunny tomorrow. This would not be a good day to be on Roan. We decided to only do nine miles today to the Clyde smith Shelter and save the 2,200-ft. climb to Roan for Wednesday¢hopefully, in sunshine.We got to the shelter about 1:00 PM and had a hot lunch. It¢s too windy today to build a fire, and the fire-pit is off to one side of the shelter.So we spent the afternoon in the shelter in our warm goosedown Western Mountaineering sleeping bags, watching the snowfall. I think that we made the right decision. Hot cider drinks never tasted better!
Date: 2016-01-13
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: light rain

The weather is clear today. We made the right decision yesterday to stop early at the Clyde Smith Shelter and wait out the snow and the wind. At least the sun is shining today!We walked down to Hughes Gap, then climbed 2,150 ft. to Roan Mountain. Then we walked another seven miles to the Overmountain Shelter. We arrived just after sunset.We ¢camped¢ in the hayloft of the old barn. Fortunately, the upstairs door had been replaced since my last stay. Now we are at least out of the wind for the night. The downside is that we can¢t have a fire here. But we¢re much more comfortable than we were last night.
Date: 2016-01-14
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Mountain Harbor Hostel
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Another clear, sunny day! It was windy going over Little Hump and Big Hump, but Dwight and I made it. We had great views again today. After we were over the Humps, we descended about 2,500 ft. to Highway 19-E and the Mountain Harbor Hostel.We met a SOBO thru-hiker on Big Hump. His trailname was Pickle, from Roanoke, VA. He was trying to make it to the Greasy Creek Friendly (Hostel) tonight.When we arrived at Mountain Harbor, we met another SOBO named Dirty, from Alexandria, VA. He had arrived there a short while before us. The caretaker at the hostel is Country Gold, a former backpacker who injured his back and had to get off the trail.We convinced Shannon and Dave, the managers, to fix breakfast for us in the morning and to allow us to ride to the grocery store with them to buy some food for dinner tonight. We fixed hamburgers on the grill with French fries and a salad. We bought enough to feed Dirty and Country Gold. That¢s just what Trail Chaplains do!
Date: 2016-01-15
From: Mountain Harbor Hostel

To: Mountaineer Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Shannon and Dave served us breakfast at 9:00 AM. They had biscuits with sausage gravy, egg casserole, potato casserole, French toast with pecan syrup, fresh banana bread, a ¢sticky¢ bread¢much like fresh cinnamon rolls, fresh pineapple and strawberries, and all of the orange juice and coffee that we could drink. Dwight had been out for less than a week, so he wasn¢t able to eat as much as Dirty and I consumed! I was a little surprised and disappointed by his performance. Thank you, Shannon and Dave!After the huge AYCE breakfast, we returned to the bunkhouse and packed up. We paid our bill, said goodbye to Dirty and Country Gold, then got back on the trail at about 11:30 AM.With our late start and heavy packs from our resupply, we planned a short 8.8-mile day to the Mountaineer Shelter. It was starting to rain when we began hiking.On our way to the Mountaineer Shelter, Dwight and I met three more young SOBO thru-hikers: Socrates¢from New York¢Rookie and Octo. They were heading to Mountain Harbor to meet Dirty.When we arrived at the shelter, Dwight was soaked with rain and perspiration. I was dry, except for my left glove, which my umbrella didn¢t cover when I swung my arm. Now he respects and understands why I carry an umbrella.Now I¢m explaining layering to him and teaching him how to ¢wear his clothes dry¢ one piece at a time in his sleeping bag.We have seventeen miles tomorrow to Dennis Cove, where we will meet a friend of Dwight¢s and spend the night.
Date: 2016-01-16
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: Dennis cove, Bill FullerÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: broken clouds

Dwight and I got up at 6:00 AM today because we have a full day of hiking to reach Dennis Cove before dark. It¢s cloudy today.The clouds lifted just enough to get a view of Little Hump and Big Hump when we reached the park bench at three miles.We stopped for a cold, quick lunch at the Moreland Gap Shelter. I¢m glad that we stayed at Mountaineer instead of here last night.The original plan for tonight was to stay at the Black Bear Resort at Dennis Cove, but Dirty told us that it was closed. Dwight has texted his friend, Bill Fuller, who lives in Dennis Cove, about meeting him. The other option is the Kincora Hostel.About a mile past the Moreland Gap Shelter, we met Bill Fuller, who hiked in to meet us. Bill and Dwight went to high school together and backpacked together about three years ago, so they have a lot to talk about. Bill invites us to spend the night at his house. Deal! Bill and Dwight visited all the way to Dennis Cove. I followed.After we reached Bill¢s house, we took showers and did laundry. Then Bill drove us to the Lone Star Steakhouse, where Dwight and I bought his dinner.I went on to bed and left Dwight and Bill to visit some more.
Date: 2016-01-17
From: Dennis cove, Bill FullerÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

Today is Dwight¢s last day with me. We slept in¢I don¢t know how late the boys stayed up last night. Dwight¢s wife Denise is picking him up at Hampton at 2:00 PM. Dwight asked her to bring Kentucky Fried Chicken.The KFC was great! Thank you, Denise!I had trouble finding denatured alcohol in Hampton. The gas stations/convenience stores didn¢t have it when we went out to eat. I called Bob Peoples at Kincora this morning; he was out of denatured. My friend Rest Step is bringing some to Watauga Lake/Highway 321. Thank you, Rest Step/Bob.I arrived at the Watauga Lake Shelter early enough to build a fire. Dinner was leftover KFC and appetizers from Joni Marsicano.This shelter was apparently closed most of 2015 because of bear activity and just recently reopened. I didn¢t see any bears! I was glad I didn¢t have to break the law by staying at a shelter that was closed!
Date: 2016-01-18
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

After breakfast I walked over to Watauga Dam. The sun shining down on the wisps of water vapor from the water was beautiful!From the dam I climbed about 1,700 feet to the Vendeventer Shelter. I sat out of the wind in the winter sunshine and had lox and bagel with cream cheese for my lunch. A great morning on the trail!After lunch I continued on to the Iron Mountain Shelter. I met one SOBO today¢Huckleberry Finch from Indianapolis. He¢s doing 25-mile days to try to get to Springer Mountain before Valentine¢s Day. The wind on the ridge was brutal. Huckleberry Finch and I both had serious icicles on our mustaches and beards!As soon as I reached the Iron Mountain Shelter, I started water boiling on my stove for hot drinks and dinner. I was thankful that Rest Step had resupplied me on denatured alcohol for stove fuel!
Date: 2016-01-19
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

I was slow packing up this morning at the Iron Mountain Shelter because of the cold. It was so cold last night that my pen froze up while I was writing my journal! I¢ve never had that happen before.I hiked about four miles to the first road, TN 91. The wind cut like a knife. Bob Marsicano/Rest Step surprised me there with trail magic¢hot coffee and cookies! While I was sitting in his car warming up, the sun broke through the clouds, so the rest of the day was pretty decent.When I reached the Abingdon Gap Shelter, the three SOBOs that Huckleberry Finch had told me about were already there¢No Care Bear, Ninja and Dr. Love. They had started the trail a month or two after me, so I hadn¢t met them up north. They have been hiking together for about 500 miles. Dr. Love and No Care Bear were starting the fire, so I went down to the spring (0.3 miles) for water. I gave them some of my fat lighter pine to help them with future fires. We all cooked dinner over the fire.The three SOBOs had hung their tent rainflys up on the front of the shelter to block the wind. It made the shelter much warmer than last night!
Date: 2016-01-20
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus/Mountain City, Bob & Joni Marsica
Miles today: 10.4

It was 20 degrees when we got up at 7:00 AM. I¢m guessing that¢s about 20 degrees warmer than yesterday! It seemed warm. A light snow was falling.Short day today¢only ten miles to Damascus. A ¢nero!¢ Rest Step/Bob Marsicano is meeting me in Damascus, and I¢m spending the night with him and his wife Joni at their home in nearby Mountain City, TN.At about noon I crossed over into Virginia. Thirteen states completed! I reached Damascus at about 1:30 PM.Rest Step was waiting for me in his car outside the library when I came down off the mountain. He was concerned because there was already about two inches of snow on the roads and more was predicted. Fortunately, his car had four-wheel drive.When we got to their home, Joni had hot homemade vegetable soup waiting for us for lunch. Then shower, laundry, resupply¢the usual routine.After dinner the snow stopped¢about three inches. Bob and I went outside and shoveled their steep driveway.