morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-12
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 13.9

Today I had a luxurious day of slack packing. A group of us were dropped off at Stecoah gap where we had been picked up the day before and I used a loaner day pack to bring water, food and rain gear and left the rest of my pack/gear at the cabin in the woods. It still took me a long time to get to Fontana Dam but going up Jacob's Ladder with just a day pack on was a gift. It would have taken me forever with 30 pounds on my back. On my way down to where the AT crosses Fontana Dam marina I met a wonderful couple who had been camping in the Smokies but ended up in a motel after a ranger told them that 70 mph winds were expected along with the thunder and lightning that came the night of the 11th. I spoke with them briefly and they wished me well and then when I was waiting for my shuttle to arrive to bring me back to the cabin they arrived at the marina parking lot to get their car. They pulled up beside me and Wendy got out and gave me $20, wished me good luck and told me that they expected me to make it all the way to Maine! I was totally stunned and incredibly grateful. It's weird how when you feel like quitting things happen and people come along who make a difference. The experience made me feel like I am supposed to be out here doing this. Thank you Wendy, Jack and Jack the dog I will always remember you!
Date: 2013-04-13
From: Fontana Dam

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: broken clouds

So today we enter the Smokies! Everyone who is traveling with dogs has to have them boarded or picked up because dogs are not allowed in the park. There is a $20 backcountry fee that thru hikers have to pay in order to hike through and camp in the Smokies and thru hikers must stay in shelters unless they are full because of the large number of bears in the area. Some hikers are bent out of shape about the permit fee but I figure that $20 is a reasonable fee to have eight days to stay in a national park. Donna from the cabin in the woods dropped myself and two other hikers off at the marina parking lot by Fontana Dam in the morning. The trail immediately goes uphill into the woods and I started the hike by myself because one of the guys had to go to town to print and pay for his Smokies permit. The trail went through the woods and then joined the road and I passed the Fontana "Hilton" (a shelter that has running water and a shower) and followed a road down to Fontana Dam itself. It was beautiful and fun to cross the road over the dam which had a road closed sign on it. There were several hawks circling as I passed over the dam and I stopped to watch them for a bit. I then entered the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and looked for the box where thru hiker permits go. I couldn't see one and started to think that maybe I was supposed to have dropped it off at the visitor center. Luckily farther up where the trail starts to go uphill into the forest there was a permit box. Several hikers passed me going up the hill (I am used to this by now) and it took a long time for me to eventually make it to the first shelter. While I was there another thru hiker named Thor asked if I would please take his Ace hardware hat since it was my trail name and he hadn't worn it once while on the trail. It looked lightweight and it seemed too serendipitous to pass up so I took him up on his offer. I then continued on to Russell Field Shelter where a ridge runner was taking down people's names and home states. The shelter was full so I was able to tent. The hike was mainly uphill all day and I was pretty wiped at the end. Just enough energy to make dinner, get water and go to bed...
Date: 2013-04-19
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: light rain

I made it to Hot Springs, NC! The trail goes right through the Main Street in town and the town and it's inhabitants are very hiker friendly. I just had to hike a little over 3 miles into town this morning and it felt great to do so few miles. My feet hurt pretty badly and I asked around about available hotel rooms but the whole town seemed to be booked up for Trail Fest weekend. I hung out at the hiker ministry in town and charged my phone, had something to drink and sat on a couch. Sitting is really amazing when you don't do it very often. The ministry is run by a couple and they don't even take donations, just provide food and beverages, showers and a place to use Internet and relax for thru hikers. After inquiring at a few different places I was able to find a room at the Creekside Cabins and nabbed it. It was so great to unload all of my gear and to dry things out and go to the laundromat and do laundry. The shower felt great too although the drain was very slow to drain so I had to stop the shower a couple of times to allow it to drain mid-shower. It was my first shower in seven days... Before settling into my room I splurged and bought an AT T-shirt at the outfitters and a pair of shorts at the dollar store as town clothes. Prior to this I had been wearing my rain gear after showering and while doing laundry. My rain gear was starting to stink so I washed it in the shower by hand. The rest of the day I relaxed in my room and then went to the spaghetti dinner at the community center. I signed up for one plate $5 and then changed to the all you can eat option for an additional $3 and had two plates. It was delicious. There was live music near where I was staying that went on for hours but I ended up sleepig pretty well in spite of all of the noise.
Date: 2013-04-20
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

This morning I packed up my things leisurely, mailed some postcards at the post office (it is only open for an hour and a half) and browsed at the outfitters. I checked out at 11 AM and walked to The Take Out, a diner/convenience store across the railroad tracks and had the Laurel Burger, a hamburger with two grilled cheese sandwiches as buns, with various toppings and a side of french fries. Unfortunately I was defeated by the Laurel and only ate 3/4 of it. I then began my hike which was mainly uphill to start but after a day of rest I felt pretty strong. I had eleven miles to walk that day to make it to the first shelter and I met Bonsai along the way whose brother was at one of the gaps providing food as trail magic. He grilled me a sausage and a piece of garlic bread which I enjoyed before hiking on. That night there were at least fifteen people tenting near Spring Mountsin Shelter but only one brave soul, Draggin' Fly sleeping in the shelter. With Norovirus going around people seem to be avoiding shelters like the plague.
Date: 2013-04-22
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: clear sky

Today the terrain started out pretty easily with minor ups and downs and then over the course of the day I went over the following peaks: Lick Rock, High Rock, a meadow on top of a hill, and went over Big Bald before arriving at Bald Mountain Shelter. Here is what the Thru Hiker's Companion says about Big Bald: "True to it's name, Big Bald offers 360-degree views at an elevation of 5,516 feet. From 1802 to 1834, the bald was inhabited by a cantankerous hermit named David Greer. Spurned by a woman, he retreated to the mountaintop where he lived in a small, cave-like structure (no longer visible). He declared himself sovereign of the mountain and eventually killed a man, only to be acquitted on grounds of insanity. The life of 'Hog Greer,' called so by the neighbors because he lived like one, ended when a local blacksmith shot him in the back (but was never charged). Greer Bald eventually became known as Big Bald."I was one of the last to arrive at the shelter and a bunch of guys were gathered around a campfire. One was recounting how he had gone off of the trail by accident by Big Firescald Knob and had ended up on a rock ledge (the trail in that part follows an exposed ridge line with lots of boulders) and the ledge collapsed under him. He fell about fifteen feet and spent half a day trying to climb back up before he was finally back on the trail. Luckily he had no broken bones or major injuries. Earlier that day his friend had said that they must have missed the turn to the hostel and went back but the man who fell off the ledge said that he was not going backwards on the trail. Later that day he fell off the ledge and his friend didn't know until the next day when they were supposed to meet up. He now says that next time he might listen to his friend...
Date: 2013-04-23
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Uncle Johnny's Hostel, Erwin, TN
Miles today: 16.4

So today's terrain looked pretty manageable compared to previous days but it turned out to be a difficult day. There were no major ups and downs but I think I set myself up for thinking it would be an easy day and then I seemed to take forever to get to Erwin. The nice thing about the end is that once you come out on the road Uncle Johnny's hostel is pretty much right there to the left. Only on the AT do you see a hiker using a hula hoop in front of a hostel... There are views of Erwin, TN on the way down the trail and the Nolichucky River and the hostel is right by the bridge going over the river. There is a train that goes by pretty close to the hostel as well. When I checked in and asked if the cabins had baths/showers the guy practically laughed at me. He said they just provided privacy over the bunkhouse and everyone has access to the bath house and one washer and dryer. I lucked out and was able to take a shower right away and then walked in and the washer was empty! After that a bunch of hikers started swarming the laundry and a big line formed. My cabin was a room with a TV with tons of VHS tapes from the 80s and 90s. I watched For Love of the Game for about ten minutes before feeling tired. Not sure about the plan for tomorrow yet but we will see...
Date: 2013-04-24
From: Iron Mountain Gap, TN 107, NC 226

To: Uncle Johnny's Hostel, Erwin, TN
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I woke up and didn't want to get out from under the warm covers. I didn't want to take a zero but a thunder storm was supposed to be coming in the afternoon and I didn't want to tent in a storm. My feet were hurting from the past three days of longer mile days and while I was brushing my teeth in the bath house I overheard someone talking about how great slack packing had been the day before. I asked if they were being shuttled again today and I was able to join them along with three other people going to Iron Mountain Gap. It cost $7 for the shuttle and I walked southbound back to Uncle Johnny's hostel in Erwin, TN. The hike was over twenty miles but it went much faster than usual because I didn't have the extra weight of my full pack. I felt great for most of the hike until I had seven miles still to go and started feeling pain on the medial aspect of my right knee. I was careful not to favor it and I made it back to the hostel in one piece. Now I have to see what happens tomorrow. If it really hurts when I get up I may need to take my first zero day but I am hoping that it was just sore because of all of the downhill today and that doing a lower mile day tomorrow with uphill may help. The major uphill today was Unaka Mountain which has a beautiful spruce forest at the top. Beauty Gap also had a bald with a beautiful view. It started to rain as I passed Curley Maple Shelter at about 4:45 PM but didn't rain intensely until after I had gotten back to the hostel and showered. I made myself dinner, hand washed some laundry that I wore today and am now settled in for the night.
Date: 2013-03-31
To: Amicalola Falls State Park
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It took about 90 minutes to drive from Roswell to AFSP. We spent the day seeing the falls and walking the trails around the park.We stayed at the Amicalola Falls Lodge at the top of the falls. In the morning, Beth will drop Stephen and me at the visitors center where the arch to the Approach Trail is.
Date: 2013-04-01
From: Amicalola Falls State Park

To: Black Gap Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We had perfect weather for hiking the Approach Trail. We climbed the 604 stairs at AFSP and continued into the woods along the blue-blazed trail. (I am excluding the mileage on the Approach Trail so it doesn't get included in the official trail miles logged.)The hike was pretty strenuous. Going downhill was pretty tough; going uphill was worse! But it was incredible just to be out there.Frosty Mountain was the hardest climb if the day. With all the weight we're carrying, we were totally spent after 7 miles so we decided to stop at Black Gap Shelter instead of going up to Springer. There was only 1 other hiker in the shelter, so we decided to stay. We'll head up to Springer Mountain in the morning.
Date: 2013-04-02
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: broken clouds

Today was awesome! It was 35 degrees when we woke up, but it wasn't bad.We officially stepped onto the AT after a 1.5 mile climb up Springer Mountain. We'll now follow the white blazes instead of the blue ones. (Side trails to water sources and to shelters are blue-blazed, so we'll still have a quite a few of those.)We took pictures from the top of Springer, stepped on the first white blaze, and signed the register. Then it was a 1-mile decent to Big Stamp Gap -- and to our first "trail magic." (Mountain Squid was parked at the trailhead and was giving drinks and snacks to hikers.)There was awesome scenery but only a few animals (squirrels, a toad, and an owl) today.We arrived at Hawk Mountain Shelter where we pitched our tents, cooked dinner, and went to sleep pretty early.
Date: 2013-04-03
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: overcast clouds

It was 40 degrees when we got up this morning - better than yesterday.Today started with a tough climb out of Hightower Gap. It was a killer, but it was a great warm-up to the next 2 mountains: Sassafras and Justus. We made pretty good time today.We saw our first snake today. Stephen heard it first (hissing) and then we saw it slither under a log. It was pretty small.We made it to Gooch Mountain Shelter about an hour earlier than I thought we would. We set up our tents, ate, hung our food bags on the bear cables, and went to bed. It started to rain just as we got into our tents - we'll see how dry everything stays overnight.
Date: 2013-04-04
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Woody Gap
Miles today: 5.2

A wet night and a miserable half-day today!It started to rain just as we climbed into our tents. It wasn't raining hard, but the wind picked up to make it interesting. The wind was incredibly loud - I don't think it was too strong, but even a light wind whipping through a million trees makes a lot of noise. In the morning, we folded up our wet tents land started onto the trail. (Looking back, we probably should have just stayed in our tents, or even moved into the shelter, to wait out the storm.) We were doing pretty good until we got to Ramrock mountain. The rain turned to ice/sleet and the wind was blowing uphill making for a miserable few hours. By the time we reached Woody Gap we were soaked through and freezing. It was tough to work my fingers to dial the phone. I called the Wolfpen Gap Country Store in Suches, GA and fortunately for us, they had 3 bunks left in their hiker hostel. They sent a shuttle and within a few minutes we were able to take a shower and get warm.Wolfpen was pretty interesting. It's a gas station/country store/hiker hostel. There was a small sign in the store (which doubled as a lounge for hikers) that said Wolfpen Country Store was the nation's first village post office! We did laundry, ate lunch (they made awesome BBQ sandwiches) and dinner (pizza) and waited out the storm.
Date: 2013-04-05
From: Woody Gap

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 10.7

By morning, the rain stopped. We got a shuttle up to Woody Gap where we left the trail the day before and started hiking in cold - but dry - weather. We were 3.3 miles behind plan due to yesterday's storm. And if we had done those 3.3 miles yesterday, we would have been in a much better position for hiking through the "high bear activity" zone from Jarrard Gap to Neels Gap.Those first 3.5 miles went pretty easily so we decided to hike through the bear area (once you start through that zone, you can't camp overnight without a bear-proof food canister. We didn't have one, so we needed to make it up and over Georgia's highest mountain (Blood Mountain) before we could stop for the night.From all that we heard and had been expecting, we thought Blood Mountain was going to be a killer. But got to the top very quickly, took some pictures, and headed down to Neels Gap and the famous Mountain Crossings Outfitter. Mountain Crossings is (was?) also known as Walasi-Yi Inn. We planned to camp just beyond, but were told that bear activity was still a problem for 6 more miles. We decided to spend the night in their hostel, so we had hot showers and good food 2 days in a row. "Pirate" normally cooks meals for hikers, but a group of students from Young Harris College brought pizza and a bunch of other food to the hostel.
Date: 2013-04-06
From: Neels Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: light rain

Today's hike was especially grueling. There were some tough climbs (especially starting the day climbing out of Neels Gap and then later climbing out of Testnatee Gap), but I think it was so tough because we're worn out. Our feet - especially - are killing us.We got another dose of trail magic today; a young-people's ministry set up a grill and had hamburgers, soda, chips, etc. for the hikers coming through. Awesome.The last 4.4 miles into Low Gap Shelter were pretty brutal.
Date: 2013-04-07
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Nothing too exciting today. Saw a bunch of trees - looked just like the ones we saw yesterday.The hike from Low Gap Shelter to Unicoi Gap was mostly a gradual incline with a few small climbs and descents mixed in. We planned to camp at Blue Mountain Shelter, but as we were getting ready to set up camp, we decided to go another 2.5 miles to Unicoi Gap. From the Gap, it's 11 miles into Hiawassee, GA. We rested at the trailhead for about 15 minutes and were happy when some guy pulled up and asked if we wanted a ride into town. We will take a "zero" day tomorrow while I try to get some relief for the pain in my foot.The past 3 days have been perfect weather. I don't expect that streak to last long, though.We saw a red-headed woodpecker at camp last night. Stephen also found what appeared to be a bear footprint in the middle of the trail. Cool.We've met hikers from all over: Wyoming, California, Texas, New York - and 3 from Germany!
Date: 2013-04-08
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

"Zero" day today.We spent the day doing laundry, buying about 5-6 days of food, getting Advil, and buying some Super Feet insoles. The best thing to do for my foot is to stretch it, ice it, and take a steady dose of Advil.Stephen kept the ice bucket full in the room so I was able to keep off my foot. It's back to the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2013-04-09
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Sassafras Gap
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

After breakfast at the hotel, we caught a shuttle back out to Unicoi Gap. We were dreading the return to the trail because of the elevation profile. Half way up Rocky Mountain, we passed a guy getting water with his dog. A while later, when we were resting, he passed us carrying a small backpack and a guitar. Not ones to stand around for some singing, Stephen and I quickly moved past the guitarist (who is hoping to hike to NY) and 3-4 other hikers just as the singing began. From what we could hear, the guy was actually pretty good. But even the dog had enough and began following us for a while.Tray Mountain was also tough. We saw our 2nd snake - a 4-foot black snake.We set up camp just off the trail where we had fairly easy access to water.
Date: 2013-04-10
From: Sassafras Gap

To: Cowart Gap
Miles today: 8.1

Kelly Knob was the only big climb for the day.Most hikers we ran across all day were heading into Hiawassee via Dick's Creek Gap. Stephen and I had enough food to skip town. We ended up hiking most of the day without seeing another hiker; we were the only ones camped in a nice pine grove at Cowart Gap.
Date: 2013-04-11
From: Cowart Gap

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We had been hearing about a storm coming in (another reason a lot of people went into town yesterday), but it was a slower-moving storm than expected. We thought we would pull up short for the day to stay dry at Plumorchard Shelter, but we were too excited to stop knowing that the NC border was just a few miles ahead. We decided to keep going since the storm wasn't expected until 4 pm.We got to the GA/NC border (just a small, worn sign to mark the spot), took a few pictures, and moved up to the famous crooked tree. A few more pictures and we were slowly climbing up the first mountains of NC. Within an hour we were already higher than GA's Blood Mountain and we weren't done.We reached Muskrat Creek Shelter at 4 pm to find 5 others in the shelter already. (It's rated as an 8-person shelter, so we had spots.) Another hiker showed up after us, but it was pretty crowded with just 7 so he set up his sleeping bag on the table. It started pouring about 20 minutes later and didn't stop until morning.
Date: 2013-04-12
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Beech Gap
Miles today: 9.3

We climbed up Standing Indian Mountain - roughly 5500 feet. Most of the trail was a river or just muddy and slippery from all the rain last night. We cannot complain about weather at all; we've only had 1 miserable day of ice/rain and 2 nights of rain, and the rest of the time out here has been perfect.We set up camp tonight next to the same.group that stayed in the shelter last night. It's a little colder tonight, but not bad.We're planning a 12-mile day tomorrow in order to get into Franklin, NC at a reasonable time.
Date: 2013-04-13
From: Beech Gap

To: Long Branch Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

Today started much better than expected. We made great time for the first 7.5 miles - then came Albert Mountain! We had been hearing a lot about the final climb to the fire tower on top of Albert Mountain. Parts of that climb actually required the use of our hands to pull us up the rocks. It was a really fun climb, too, because the trail skirted the side of the mountain with a wall of rock to our left and a drop-off to the right. The views were amazing.Today (at the fire tower) was the first time we had cell phone reception in about 3 days.
Date: 2013-04-14
From: Long Branch Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 7.3

Long Branch Shelter was really nice. Just completed construction in the past year, the shelter was a 2-story variety. There was a great water source near the shelter which was very convenient considering some of the long side-trails at other locations.There were only a handful of tent-able spots (due to steep slopes), so Stephen and I stayed in the shelter. Quite a few snoring hikers (including me, says Stephen, but I seriously doubt that). We got up a little earlier today because we wanted to catch the 11 am shuttle into Franklin, NC. Our plan was to go into town, get food for another 3 days, stay in the hiker-friendly Budget Inn, and get back on the trail tomorrow morning. The toughest climb was out of Wallace Gap, but we made it to Winding Stair Gap in time to catch the shuttle.We caught the 4 pm shuttle from the hotel around town - it stopped at an outfitter in case anyone needed new equipment (we were riding with about 10 other hikers in a mini-bus) and then to Walmart for groceries.Staying in the hotel also gave me the opportunity to catch up on my journal entries and make some calls home.