morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-03-29
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 12.5

I woke up this morning and both pairs of my hiking socks could stand up on their own. They were so frozen that you could hammer nails with them. Since I planned to make it to Gatlinburg today, I was able to sacrifice my dry sleeping socks. Hiking was much easier today than yesterday since most of the uphill climbs were early in the morning. Also, since most of the access roads were closed due to snow, we had the park to ourselves including Clingmans Dome Tower, which is usually packed with tourists and section hikers. However, we did run into a family from Michigan on a day hike near Newfound Gap. They were very nice and gave us their leftover food which included fresh fruit and cheese.I finally arrived at Newfound Gap around 3:00 pm and called a friend from Gatlinburg to pick me up. I was warned in advanced, but Newfound Gap is a popular tourist site for family photos and such. But seeing and talking to thru-hikers is also part of the attraction. I felt like an animal in a zoo. Everyone was very nice though and 5 or 6 people even offered to give me a ride to Gatlinburg while I waited on my friend.   Also, I caught up with several hikers today who actually left before or during the snow storm. The stories were terrible as several of them had to deal with severely overcrowded shelters, hypothermia, and rationing of food. One guy told me that he stayed in a 14 person shelter with 22 other hikers one night. And, he stayed in his sleeping bag for 42 hours trying to stay warm. I also contacted Oz, Jacob, and Grim who had similar stories, but everyone is okay. I could tell it must have been really bad since several hikers left me some pretty funny and nasty messages in the shelter log books about me staying at the lodge and avoiding the storm for so long.
Date: 2013-03-30
From: Newfound Gap

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Zero day again. I hate to take another zero since I feel great physically and took 4 days off in Fontana. However, I couldn't bare the thought of hiking in the snow in cold wet socks for a 4th straight day. I don't wear real hiking boots (only trail running shoes) so these conditions have been pretty rough.My sister drove up last night and she's been driving me around to the grocery store, the local outfitter, and the laundromat. We have also been exploring the town since I have never been to Gatlinburg before. Gatlinburg is packed right now as a result of spring break. However, with or without spring break, I'm ready to get out of here.
Date: 2013-04-01
From: Newfound Gap

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

Oz's dad picked me up from the hotel in Gatlinburg and drove Oz, Jacob, and I back up to Newfound Gap. We hit the trail at 9:15 am.A lot of the snow had melted over the last couple of days but of ton it still remained. In addition, the first 4 miles were extremely tough as the previously snow packed trail was now a sheet of ice. It took us almost 3 hours to go those 4 miles. However, we did take a little detour to see views from the Jumpoff, which was the best view I've seen on the trail so far.While the hiking is still tough with the snow and ice, this half of the Smokies is definitely more enjoyable as the trail follows mostly the ridge-lines and has some much better views than the southern half. We stopped and took a lot of pictures throughout the day. We are still looking forward to getting out of Smokies though. I haven't heard of many thru-hikers in any year having decent weather conditions while hiking in the Smokies.We finally made it to the shelter around 6:30 pm to find every spot full. However, the other hikers made room for us and a few others so we didn't have to tent in the snow. We ended up squeezing in about 20 hikers in a 12 person shelter. Hopefully, we can pull a long day tomorrow and finish the Smokies.
Date: 2013-04-02
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: scattered clouds

We had to pull a long day but we finally made it out of the Smokey Mountains. The first 4 miles were very tough once again as the trail was solid ice, and I took 4 really good spills. When we dropped below 5000 feet in elevation, the snow and ice disappeared. By the end of the day, we were below 2000 feet and noticed it looked like spring had started to arrive with the dogwoods blooming. Hopefully, I won't have to deal with anymore below freezing temperatures or snow. I'm not sending the winter gear home anytime soon though.Oz, Jacob, and I are staying in a really old cabin tonight at the Standing Bear Hostel, which is a cool place.   The hostel is a collection of really old buildings or replicas built to look like old pioneer buildings. The hostel is fully loaded with an outhouse, shower stall, and washboard.Also, with the long day today we were able to catch back up with a lot of our old hiking group including Hotdog, Whistle, Dump Truck, Clever Girl, and a few others.
Date: 2013-04-03
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Oz, Jacob, and I slept late this morning and didn't hit the trail until 10:00 am. We then made the long climb up to Snowbird Mountain, which is a grassy bald. The weather was perfect with clear skies, and we decided to take a long break out in the sun.We initially wanted a short day but we could see Max Patch, another grassy bald, from Snowbird. We then set our goal to tent on top of Max Patch. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at Max Patch the sky was overcast and it was freezing. So, we decided to hike on to the next shelter.Tonight I am staying in the shelter with Ironfoot and Otto. Ironfoot thru-hiked the AT in 2005 and is hiking a section with a friend who is currently thru-hiking. Otto is a legend on the trail and hikes the AT every year. We thoroughly enjoyed their takes and stories on the trail and former thru-hikes. I did ask Ironfoot what his hike through the Smokies was like in 2005. He told us he was afraid that we would hit him if he told us. Apparently, his experience was more enjoyable.
Date: 2013-04-04
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: snow

When I checked the weather yesterday, rain was forecasted for late this afternoon so our goal was to wake up early and hike as much as possible. However, the rain started about 6:00 am.Oz, Jacob, and I still packed up our gear hoping the rain would stop soon, and we almost left in the rain around 8:00 am. Right before we were about to leave, the rain became heavier with some freezing rain accumulating on the trees, so we decided to wait. We ended up waiting all day as the weather got worse and worse. I finally gave up on hiking today by noon and got back in my sleeping bag for a while. This afternoon we started hearing many trees and tree branches falling due to the weight of the ice accumulation. Each snap sounded like a gunshot.We did see some hikers leave the shelter this morning after deciding to brave the weather. We also saw a few hikers arrive at the shelter. Each hiker we saw looked absolutely miserable and not far from being hypothermic. I'm glad we took a zero day at the shelter, but it's frustrating not moving.
Date: 2013-04-05
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 18.0

The freezing rain from yesterday melted at our shelter overnight. Since we had just taken a zero day, Oz, Jacob, and I packed up at 5:00 am and hit the trail with our headlamps. We needed to make it to Hot Springs by 3:00 pm to meet a friend who had already reserved us a hotel room and got us a reservation at the Hot Springs Spa.We night hiked for 2 hours in heavy fog until the sun came up. A lot of trees and tree branches had fallen over the trail as a result of the freezing rain, which slowed our pace considerably.Around 9:00 am we climbed up Deer Park Mountain to find the freezing rain had not yet melted at that elevation and that the thickness of the ice was much thicker than what we had seen at our shelter. As we climbed, the winds picked up considerably on the mountain, and we had to dodge huge chunks of ice falling from the trees. We had to move as fast as possible to get down the other side of the mountain into lower elevations. Fortunately, no one was hit by a large chunk of ice, and I did manage to take a few good pictures of the ice at the top of the mountain.We finally made into Hot Springs around 2:30 pm. Alex, Oz, and Jacob's friend from back home cooked us a great steak dinner by the river. We also met up with Grim and his girlfriend, who had also been waiting for us to arrive. All of us then enjoyed the hot tubs at the Hot Springs Spa.Hot Springs is a cool place, and I wish I could take a zero day here. However, I have had way too many zero days so far, and the weather looks to be great for hiking over the next few days.
Date: 2013-04-06
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

After a late night in Hot Springs, Oz, Jacob, and I got off to a very late start and still needed to resupply and stop by the outfitter. We also ate a long lunch with Grim since he's not hitting the trail for a few more days. After completing our chores and seeing Grim, we finally hit the trail by 1:00 pm.We had a tough hike today like we usually do out of trail towns since we have to climb back into the mountains with fully loaded food bags. We took it slow but still made it to the shelter by 6:30 pm. Also, the weather was the best we've had since hitting the trail. I got to hike in shorts and a t-shirt for the first time. Hopefully this weather will last for awhile.The shelter kind of sucks and looks like it was made for people under 5 feet tall, so we decided to tent. We are also tenting tonight with Ice Cream (formerly Joel), Charlotte, and a few others.
Date: 2013-04-07
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

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

We had another day of great weather, but the hiking was tough because the first 10 miles were mostly uphill. After those 10 hard miles, Oz, Jacob, and I thought we would make it a short day and get to the shelter early. However, we had to cross a very rocky and strenuous section of trail near Firescald Knob that slowed our progress. Firescald Knob had some great views, but it also still had patches of snow, and we've seen enough of that.We finally made it to shelter by 6:00 pm. The shelter isn't all that great, but the campground and surrounding area is nice. Oz and I decided to stay in the shelter tonight while everyone else tented.
Date: 2013-04-08
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

After a month on the trail, we hadn't seen any wild animals except for some small birds and a few small snakes. However, this morning we woke up and saw a bald eagle flying over our campsite. Then, after about 5 miles of hiking, a large doe crossed the trail in front of us. Oz, Jacob, and I started snapping pictures as we waited for her to run away. Instead, she turned and started walking towards us, staring us down the whole way. She walked to within 15 feet of us, stared at us for a few minutes while we were making tons of noise, and then walked south down the trail. I had never seen a deer do that before.After another warm day of hiking, we arrived at the shelter at 5:00 pm and found signs of other hikers having upset stomachs. We had been warned that some kind of 24 hour bug had been going around according to the shelter log books but weren't sure if it was joke until now. As a result, we are all tenting away from the shelter tonight. Unfortunately, when we went to bed Oz ran out of his tent sick. Everyone else feels fine right now, so hopefully no one else gets sick.
Date: 2013-04-09
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Whistling Gap Campsite
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: clear sky

Oz, Jacob, and I opted for a late start since Oz was sick last night with what we are now calling the mountain plague. We waited to see if he could hold some breakfast down and then hit the trail around 9:00 am.We hiked about 3 miles to Sam's Gap where we were greeted with trail magic. Paul, a former thru-hiker, cooked us a huge breakfast including eggs, hash browns, and oranges. I knew Oz shouldn't have eaten it but he couldn't resist. Paul even warned us that most of the hikers he had seen over the last few days were sick with some kind of 24 hour virus, and a few of them couldn't hold down his trail magic. Oz looked like he wouldn't hold it down either, but we took a long break and he seemed to recover. However, after we hiked a couple more miles, Oz could no longer hold down his breakfast.We initially planned on hiking out first 20 mile day, but we had to take numerous breaks so Oz was comfortable. He finally perked up around 1:00 pm, and we were able to get some decent mileage in for the day.We made it to Big Bald around 4:30 pm and felt like it was a much more impressive bald than Max Patch. Of course, the weather was much nicer today than it was a few days ago at Max Patch.We planned to take another break at the next shelter after Big Bald. We arrived at that shelter around 5:30 pm and found no other hikers camping there, which is extremely unusual. We also noticed that the inside and outside of the shelter were covered in vomit from sick hikers. It was a very eerie scene. We quickly left and set up camp at a tent site a few miles down the trail.Tonight, we are camping with one other hiker names Hawkeye, who also tented with us the last few nights. We can't stop talking about the mountain plague and the lack of hikers on the trail the last few days. Jacob and I have been very careful about staying away from Oz and any other hikers for the last few days since we haven't gotten the virus yet. I haven't started boiling my water yet, but I have started both filtering and chemically treating my water. Hopefully, we can make it to the next trail town if another one of us gets sick.
Date: 2013-04-10
From: Whistling Gap Campsite

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

We got to an early start this morning since we needed to make it to Erwin before 3:00 pm, which was when Oz's friend had agreed to pick us up.The hike was fairly easy today but was extremely hot with temps in the 80s. While hiking we figured out that we had seen only 6 other hikers over the last 5 days and hadn't seen a new hiker in almost 3 days. We finally ran into another hiker during our lunch break. Wolfgang, who I hadn't seen since Gatlinburg, said he had gotten held up in Hot Springs with the virus as had a lot of the other hikers. He also said that a lot of the hikers who became sick while on the trail after Hot Springs had hopped off the trail via shuttles at the road crossings to recover at nearby hostels. That's why we haven't seen anybody over the last few days.We finally arrived at Erwin around 2:30 pm, and Oz's friend Miles picked us up and carried us to Johnson City. We are staying there tonight at Oz's cousin's house near the ETSU campus. We would have considered staying at the hostel, but we wanted to stay away from the trail virus.
Date: 2013-04-11
From: Erwin, TN

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Oz's cousin drove us back to Erwin this morning. We stopped by the hostel and outfitter where Mom had mailed me a new pair of hiking shoes and a few other items. After 340 miles on the trail and 200 plus miles of training, my first pair was worn out. I think they would have lasted much longer if the weather in the Smokies had been better.We finally started around 10:00 am with a goal of hiking 17 miles uphill to the second shelter. As we were leaving Erwin, we ran into Fresh Ground who promised us more of his trail magic 8 miles up the trail. Despite the intense uphill climb, we managed to make it to Fresh Ground's setup by 1:00 pm. He had hotdogs, cokes, green beans, fruit, and a bunch of other food for us. He also informed us that the virus going around the AT is the noro virus and has spread all the way up the trail to Damascus, VA. The spread of the virus also made the national news.After stuffing ourselves and taking a long break, we hit the trail again at 2:00 pm with more uphill climbing. We made it to the second shelter at 6:30 pm and fortunately found the shelter vomit free with no mention of the sickness in the log book. Tonight we are sharing the shelter with 3 other thru-hikers from California. Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected tonight so we are glad to be in the shelter.
Date: 2013-04-12
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: light rain

Apparently we had some intense thunderstorms through the night but Oz, Jacob, and I slept right through them. However, the 3 guys from California in the shelter with us didn't sleep at all because they were terrified. Before last night, they said in their lives they had only heard thunder 2 or 3 times back home.After eating breakfast and packing our gear, we waited for the rain to stop and hit the trail at 9:30 am. Today's hike was really tough. We had a lot of little ups and downs all day, and my feet were hurting from breaking in my new shoes. Then at the end of the day, we had the dreaded climb up Roan Mountain, which we have been hearing about for weeks. A mile and a half of switchbacks were added to that section of the trail this year to make the climb easier, but it was still an exhausting climb to finish the day. When we finally made it to the top, which is just above 6000 ft, we were greeted with a trail covered in snow and ice that still hasn't melted from a couple of weeks ago. Also, the top of this mountain is a spruce forest and has some remnants of an old hotel from 100+ years ago.We made it to the Roan High Knob Shelter around 6:30 pm. This shelter is the highest shelter on the AT at over 6000 ft. It also is more like a cabin as it has 4 walls and a closing door, which we are really going to enjoy tonight as the temperatures are already close to freezing and the winds are blowing around 30 mph on top of this mountain.We still aren't seeing many fellow hikers on the trail and wonder if we are just between large groups or if the noro virus still has them off the trail. There's only the 3 of us plus Java Man in this 15 person shelter, which we heard is usually a crowded and popular shelter. By the way, Java Man pulled a huge 20 mile plus day to catch up with us and arrived at the shelter in the dark around 10:00 pm. I couldn't imagine hiking up that mountain at night with the wind blowing 30 mph.
Date: 2013-04-13
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Roan Mtn, TN
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Despite being in a cabin style shelter last night, we had a really cold night. The wind was blowing so hard that you could feel it coming through the cracks in the floor and through my 15 degree sleeping bag. I ended up wearing my down jacket inside my bag and was able to get some warmth and sleep. Also, we heard a loud crash in the middle of the night that scared the crap out of Jacob and I. Oz's 2 liter water bag (full of water) fell out of his backpack, which was hanging from the ceiling. The bag landed 2 feet away from our heads.We hit the trail around 9:00 am. When we were leaving the shelter, the winds were blowing even harder than last night, and we were in awe at the speed of the clouds whipping by directly above our heads. However, when we descended just a couple a hundred feet down the mountain, the winds disappeared and the temperature warmed up quickly.We had decent weather today, but it was a fairly slow hike as we had some great views from 3 separate balds including Hump Mountain, which was another tough end of the day climb. We also ventured off a side trail for a while to get a look at the Overmountain Shelter, which is an old red barn that has been converted into a shelter. It was a pretty cool shelter, and I would have liked to spend the night there but that would have made for a really short day of hiking.Around 5:30 pm we made it to a road crossing near Roan Mtn, TN where Myles, one of Oz's college friends, picked us up. We are staying at his house in Elizabethton tonight. Myles took us to get resupplied and load up on some local fast food, which we had been craving for days. He also gave us a small tour of Hampton, TN, which we will come to further up the trail.
Date: 2013-04-14
From: Roan Mtn, TN

To: Upper Laurel Fork Campsite
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: overcast clouds

After a late night in Elizabethton with Oz and Jacob's friends, we got off to a very late start. They introduced me to some strange country music last night, which I hope to never hear again. But all in all I had a great time. We hit up Hardee's for breakfast where I spent $10 and finally hit the trail around 12:30 pm.The trail was very flat today and really nice with a lot of stream crossings and a large waterfall. If we had started earlier, then we could have definitely hiked our first 20+ mile day.We made it to a nice campsite next to a stream around 7:00 pm and had to hurry to set up our tents and cook our food before the rain started. We managed to finish all of our chores and get into the tents just in time. Patch and his dog Sophie are also tenting next to us tonight.
Date: 2013-04-15
From: Upper Laurel Fork Campsite

To: Hampton, TN
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Oz, Jacob, and I waited for our tents to dry out this morning and started hiking around 9:30 am. We had another easy day of hiking as the trail was fairly flat. Towards the end of the day the trail started to follow a stream, which eventually turned into a large river and waterfall. I would have liked to have gone swimming, but it was too cold for me.We then took a side trail into Hampton, TN around 5:00 pm and got a coke and small resupply at an old school general store. After that we walked down to a local restaurant and bar for dinner and found out that they weren't serving food. However, a lady at the bar agreed to take us to McDonald's. I scarfed down 3 double cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, and a coke.We then walked out of Hampton in the dark with our headlamps and back towards the trail. We ended up tenting in a nice campsite next to the river.
Date: 2013-04-16
From: Hampton, TN

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

Today was my toughest day on the trail so far. Oz, Jacob, and I started hiking around 9:00 am. To start, we had a 2000 ft climb to a spot called Pond Flats and then back down the mountain to Watauga Lake. We were all disappointed with Pond Flats since there was no pond and nothing really interesting at the top of the mountain, which made us all wonder why the trail had been routed that way. We then walked around Watauga Lake for a few miles before the trail went up an even steeper 2000 ft ascent. By that time the temperature was around 80 degrees. During that stretch, we had to go about 6 miles between water sources and despite conserving my water, I still ran out going up the last climb. When I finally got to the next spring, I drank almost 2 liters of water.I decided to stay at the Vandeventer Shelter as I was exhausted and had a little bit of headache from dehydration. However, Oz and Jacob decided to push another 4 miles to the next tent site. I plan to get up around 5:30 am tomorrow morning and catch up with them. I also want to try to avoid some of the heat tomorrow.Patch, Patch's dog Sophie, Java Man, Medicine Man, Tyler, and a few others are all in the shelter tonight, so it's pretty packed.