morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-04-02
From: Hiawassee 

To: Hiawassee 
Miles today: 0.0

I spent the morning trying to get photos and videos uploaded to clear some room on my phone. That failed. I spent an hour on the phone with TD Bank trying to get a security hold on my debit card lifted. Finally I had success with that. I also studied our trail guide and made plans. I decided that it would be wise to send ahead a couple of mail drops to places were Resupplying is difficult. This meant another trip to the grocery store and then the post office. We came across one of the ladies we had met at the cheese factory site and we chatted together as we all trekked across town to the dollar store (The grocery store was all out of spam pouches!) Her name is Jeanine. She is fun to talk to. She was on the hunt for some bright nail polish to paint her tent pegs with because they blend into the ground too easily and she has trouble finding them. She picked out a neon orange colour. If I see her again, I am going to suggest a trail name to her....Neon! We also came across Main Mike and Whatsittoya. They are all staying at the Budget Inn as well, but Mike and Whatsittoya came off the trail at Unicoi Gap (We came off at Dick¢s Creek) so we most likely won¢t see them on the trail.Cole has been eating it up here in Hiawassee....happy hour donuts and clearance Easter cupcakes and candy for starters. Don¢t worry, he¢s been eating fresh fruit too!  We have too much food in the room that needs to be eaten by tomorrow because we aren¢t carrying it out. I promised him a burger for dinner though so we walked all the way across town again to McDonald¢s because I thought I might have better luck uploading on their wifi. Nope!Our day off of hiking and carrying heavy backpacks sure seemed to have involved a lot of hiking and carrying (groceries).
Date: 2018-04-03
From: DickÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Creek

To: Bly Gap
Miles today: 9.0

In the morning we dropped a Resupply box off at the office( they will forward it to Franklin for us for free), dumped some items in the hikers box that we no longer needed, filled our backpacks, double checked the hotel room then hopped on the shuttle to Dicks Creek.Of course we started out with an ascent. I felt like I had lard in my butt and lead in my boots. What I really had was a much heavier pack. This time maybe we overdid it on the food, but running out and being hungry sucked. I asked Cole to stick with me for the last mile because there was something exciting .1 of a mile before camp and I wanted pictures. I didn¢t tell him what it was though. I wanted it to be a surprise. He wasn¢t too thrilled about that. When we arrived at the Georgia/North Carolina border he was unimpressed. He was perched on a rock with ¢big deal!¢ written all over his face. For me, it was a big deal. Every milestone is a big deal. Every mile is a big deal! Maybe not when you are young and pain free and invincible, but when you are middle aged and struggling with aches and pains, every mile is a BIG deal! So I smiled and celebrated and took pictures and enjoyed the milestone.About a dozen tents including ours formed a mini tent city at Bly Gap. Rain and wind was expected over night so we made good and sure that our guy lines were tight before tucking ourselves in for the night.Lightening began sometime in the middle of the night. I thought the storm would stay a distance away because initially there was no thunder. No such luck. Thunder cracked, rain poured down and the wind howled. The wind was so fierce that at times it bent the tent over far enough for the wall to touch my nose. Cole and I laid there wide awake for a couple of hours wondering if we were going to be carried off to Oz.
Date: 2018-04-04
From: Bly Gap

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: light rain

 It was still raining when we woke up. The weather forecast predicted it would subside by 10am. We were not in a hurry and only had planned for a shorter distance, so we stayed in the tent until there were no more sounds of raindrops kissing the tent. Our fellow camp mates were much hardier than we, so we were all but the last to leave camp. We had heard about NorthCarolina¢s southern hospitality and were immediately greeted by the promised 700 foot climb. Thanks for the warm welcome N.C.!I felt like I was dragging my butt, though Cole thought I was moving faster. It was a chilly day but we did well generating our own heat climbing up and down. We had a shorter day, only 7.6 miles, but I was good and ready to get off my feet when I arrived at the shelter. Cole had the tent set up and I headed straight for the brand new looking privy not far off. To my disappointment, yellow caution tape blocked my way. No fancy new two seater sweet smelling privy for me. It was still under construction. Further down was a much more dilapidated one with half a wall on one side facing towards camp. Anyone coming down the hill at just the right angle would get a full on view of me with my drawers down. Nice. Maybe if I whistle or sing while I go it will keep people at a distance?? I did my business quickly and tried to be grateful that at least I wasn¢t perched over a hole in the ground trying to do a balancing act.In the sunniest and softest spot, a few of us set up our cook pots in a ring and chatted over dinner. A trail ambassador was there ( I don¢t know what that title entails) and she was offering to clean feet, give foot massages and tape up hot spots (where blisters are starting to form) I knew exactly how stinky my feet were and wasn¢t going to wish that on anyone. Instead, I crawled into the tent and hunkered down for a below freezing night. Cole socialized a while longer and then joined me.
Date: 2018-04-05
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Betty Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: scattered clouds

It was a beautiful morning and we got ourselves off to a relatively early start (well, for us). We couldn¢t have asked for a better day to hike. It was bright, sunny and just cool enough to keep from overheating while hiking. Even the terrain was welcoming with gentle ups, easy downs and long stretches of relatively flattish ground. There were long sections of narrow trail with an embankment on one side and a steep drop off into a ravine on the other. I was navigating one of these sections and had just recently caught up to Cole. We picked our next meet up time and off he went speeding down the trail again. The distance between us quickly increased and before he disappeared from sight he turned back and yelled ¢be careful!¢ Initially I thought he was just mocking me. Whenever I send him on his way I tell him to be careful and keep an eye on the white blazes. Don¢t go down any blue blazes. I soon realized that he was not simply repeating my admonition. It was a warning. Across the trail a large tree had fallen. We had seen many trees across the trail in the past couple of days, but I could instantly tell that this one would be much more difficult to hurdle. First, the diameter was very wide, second it was a small distance off the ground, and third, it was on a very steep angle slanted down toward the ravine. I would have to climb up onto the tree and drop to the other side without sliding down the length of it into the ravine. I grumbled a bit that Cole hadn¢t waited for a moment to help me over it, but then convinced myself that I would be just fine , took a breath and went for it. There was a half second of uncertainty between when my right foot left the ground on one side of the tree until the moment my left foot touched the ground on the other. Most of the danger and drama was probably in my imagination, but it was a pretty exciting crossing none the less. Our destination for the day was Betty Creek Gap. With about two miles remaining I gave Cole the go ahead to continue on to camp and set up the tent. When I arrived at the intersection of the AT and Betty Creek Trail, there were lots of camping spots...all of which were vacant. Where was Cole? There was a blue blaze to my left. He wasn¢t supposed to go down blue blazes, but maybe there were campsites there. I ventured down it a ways and called his name. Nothing. I continued further down the AT and called his name. Unreasonable panic set it and yes I shed a couple of tears. Now what. I turned back and went further down the blue blaze and called his name louder and with a little more desperation in my voice. Clug clung clug comes the sound of untied boots running down the trail. There he was. What a relief. A small group of hikers from our bubble had set up camp down the Betty Creek blue blaze trail. Guthooks didn¢t show it, but the guide book did. I should have checked before I panicked.
Date: 2018-04-06
From: Betty Creek Gap

To: Mile 106.7
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: overcast clouds

We were the last to leave camp, but the timing was still fast for us. Most of our bubble mates were headed to Franklin for two nights. I had decided that we would hike close to Winding stair Gap, spend the night in the tent and then do a Nero and have a one night stay in Franklin to Resupply and shower. It sounded like a really good plan....until it started raining. Two nights in Franklin began to sound more appealing. My reasoning won out though. The tent is waterproof! What¢s the problem? If a little rain sends us running for shelter, we sure won¢t survive the elements for six months. We stopped by a stream to have lunch and huddled under some thick branches. The rain actually stopped for a time but we didn¢t realize it because drips from the tree branches continued to patter the tops of our heads. When we got ourselves moving again, we realized our foolishness. There was a steep climb and a bit of a rock scramble up to the top of Albert Mountain. With all of the hype build up, we were expecting a more difficult climb. We both made it to the top easily and were rewarded by georgous views and a marker that indicated we had reached 100 miles!Once we reached Rock Gap Shelter, we considered stopping for the night. It was still early in the day and stopping there would leave us with almost four miles to do early in the morning to get the 9am shuttle to Franklin. We decided to press on a bit further and ended up setting up our tent on the top of a mountain near mile marker 106.7. It rained all night long. A couple of loud claps of thunder had us questioning our decision to sleep at such a high elevation, but no lightening followed it up. The wind howled without stopping for a breath, but a small embankment protected us from most of it. There was no escaping the rain though. It relentlessly tapped its fingers across the top of our tent All Night Long!!
Date: 2018-04-07
From: Mile 106.7

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 2.5
Weather: light rain

The rain kissed our tent straight through the night and on into the morning. Our quilts were slightly damp around the footbox. Our packs don¢t fit inside the tent so we keep them in the vestibule with the rain covers on. A puddle had formed on Cole¢s side of the tent and his bag was a bit muddy. It was a gross feeling setting up a tent in the rain, sleeping through the night in the rain, taking down a tent in the rain and the mud and then hiking through the rain some more. I just felt damp from my head to my toes, but I kept a smile on my face and Cole did too. We arrived at Winding Stair Gap in plenty of time. Miss Janet arrived and gave all of the wet Hikers a cold drink. Finally Ron Haven pulled in with his bus and drove us to a hostel in Franklin called Baltimore Jacks. I had reserved a private room for Cole and I. It quickly became clear that they had overbooked. There was another pair who had also made reservations and were without a room. We had actually shared a shelter with them on the first night on the AT. Their trail names are Dunk and Egg. For a low low price, the hostel offered us a large room with two queen beds, kitchen, sitting area and bath. The catch was that we had to share it with Dunk and Egg. They were a nice couple and we had no problem with that.Once we were settled, I washed ALL of our clothing. This meant hanging out in our room with our rain gear on. I also laid out the tent at the back of the building to dry it out. When that was finished, we headed to Outdoor 76. I had heard that they had a foot guru who could tell you exactly what footwear was right for you. Rob spent almost two hours measuring and examining my feet and talking to me extensively about feet and shoes. He knows a lot. In the end, he told me that the boots I had were the perfect ones for my feet at this time and that my orthotics were (mostly) doing what they should do for my feet. He re-laced my boots a different way, gave Cole and I each a free AT bandana and wished us the best on our thru- hike. Wow! The next time I need new footwear, I just might drive to Franklin N.C. to get it. I was semi relieved that I didn¢t need to invest in new footwear just yet, but still concerned because my foot pain problem wasn¢t solved. I have a bunionette forming on the outside of my right foot. It is very painful. It seems that footwear wasn¢t the solution. We made a quick stop at the dollar store and the grocery store, then we rushed back to the hostel to catch a shuttle to an all you can eat buffet. Yum! A shuttle bus of hungry hikers put a good dent in that buffet table!!
Date: 2018-04-08
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We took the 9am shuttle back to Winding Stair Gap where we had gotten off the day before. It was cold but sunny. During our first week on the trail, there were always people around. The second week on the trail was much quieter and some days I was able to hike for an hour or even two without seeing another person. Today it was like the first week on the trail. It was so busy and there were constantly people passing me or gathered in groups at rest spots. I imagine that the congestion was due to the fact that we were just coming out of a very popular trail town. We had only stayed one night, but many people we spoke to had stayed two or more nights. One group had even stayed for four nights. Some of them were nursing aches and pains ( there are so many people out here with wrapped knees and blistered feet!), while others just seemed to enjoy the culture and food offerings of the popular hiking town. Today the trail had a few steeper ups and downs than North Carolina has generally been giving us. I think that Georgia has a thing against switch backs. She just sends you straight up the mountain at the sharpest angle but shortest distance possible all the while shouting ¢get out, get out!¢ North Carolina has been much kinder, gently easing us up and down the mountains on long curving switchbacks. ¢Stay a while, stay a while¢, she says and eases you into a friendly trail town where everyone caters to hikers and money is easy to spend. The trees had not yet sprung their spring foliage, but that did not stop them from dressing up for me today. Just after crossing Snowbird Gap, I entered a forest where the leaf barren branches of the trees were coated in a layer of glistening ice. Further up the trail it seemed to become autumn. Dried up golden leaves still clung to their host branches, swaying in the gentle breeze and refusing to let go. Stubborn! Even further up the trail, tall trees with long outstretched and intertwining arms displayed bright green moss covered coats for all to see. One single, moderately narrow trunked tree observed these great displays and then outdid them all. One side of his modest little trunk was completely adorned from forest floor to as far as I could reach with a thick array of toadstools. What a show off!Camp at Wayah Bald Shelter was very crowded and way over capacity. The gathering was loud as well. Cole really enjoys socializing around the campfire in the evening, but on this night the language was colourful and the jokes inappropriate. Thankfully he had enough sense to take his leave. As on most nights, I was in bed much earlier than he was with my compression socks on and feet propped up hoping for the soreness to subside before morning.
Date: 2018-04-09
From: Wayah Bald Shelter

To: Unmarked Campsite Mile 133
Miles today: 13.2

It rained through most of the night and I slept poorly. By morning it was just a light drizzle. Packing up in the rain is my least favourite thing to do. We ate a cold, terribly unhealthy breakfast (honey bun for Cole and pop tart for me), and slowly got ourselves moving. When it is raining we pack up everything inside the tent, and wait. When the drips on the tent lessen, we jump out, tear down the tent, bundle it into a wet muddy mass, attach it to the top of Cole¢s bag and head off down the trail. I can be feeling icky and miserable packing up wet things at camp, but once I get moving on down the trail, things just seem brighter, even if it is still dreary and wet. These silly manmade things that we haul around just get all blechy in the rain. In nature the rain reveals another side of the majestic beauty of God¢s creation. The trail was very muddy from all of the rain, and very slippery too. My poles saved me a number of times from falling on my keester into the mud. The trail was busy again too. I was slow, as usual. I told Cole that we would not be camping at the next shelter but would move on beyond it to find a quiet place to pitch the tent. He was not in favour of this idea at all. He really likes to hang out with the guys in the evening. They are always impressed by his hiking ability, and for a 13 year old boy it feels pretty good to fit in and find the approval of a group of cool guys. As soon as we passed the shelter my whole body started to scream ¢enough! enough!¢ We found one unmarked campsite, but it was already occupied. Beyond that there was zero opportunity to set up a tent because the path became very narrow and steep. Soon we were up on a ridge with sharp drop offs on either side. Majestic views of the mountains on both sides of us were framed by the dramatic charred remains of a forest. It was a sad yet stunning sight. Caught up in the view, it was easy to momentarily forget my sore feet.We came to a place where the path brought us to the edge of a cliff with nothing but spectacular views of the mountains on three sides. Making a sharp turn to the right, the trail then followed a steep rocky descent. In time it flattened out again and we eventually came upon more unmarked campsites and were able to set up our tent. The views today were the most dramatic and spectacular I have seen on the AT thus far.
Date: 2018-04-10
From: Unmarked Campsite Mile 133

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: few clouds

Just a few miles past our unmarked campsite, we arrived at the NOC. The stitching had all unraveled on one of Cole¢s gloves so we bought him a new pair there. We also used the computer at the outfitters to print out our permit to enter the Smokey mountains, and we picked up the Resupply box I had shipped to there. Here is the one thing that isn¢t great about shipping Resupply boxes. From Hiawassee to Franklin we had food left over. In Franklin we picked up our Resupply box and had too much food. Arriving at the NOC we now still had food in our bags and were picking up A-LOT more! However, resupply opportunities would be scarce between now and Gatlinburg which would still be 7 days away provided we could keep moving forward at a steady pace. I contemplated putting some items in the hiker box, but changed my mind.Coming out of the NOC there was a long and steep uphill climb....like an all day up hill climb! With the extra weight in our bags, even Cole, my mountain goat, was getting tired. Sometimes the incline was gentle, on a trail blanketed with soft leaves it dirt, but sometimes it was harsh and steep, taking us over long sections of jagged rock and root covered narrow slopes. For most of the day we hike close together and I enjoyed having Cole near by. It was such a long and difficult day. The sun was getting low and Cole eventually took off ahead of me to get to camp and set up the tent. That last hour was the most difficult sixty minutes I¢d had on the trail yet. My feet were screaming, I was exhausted and I just wanted to stop. With the sun disappearing quickly I was also getting very cold.At long last I arrived at Sassafras Gap Shelter. I was so thankful that Cole had the tent set up and I went straight to bed without eating. Cole had eaten and went to hang our food on a tree. He was gone for a long time! Too long. The sun had set. I felt around for a headlamp but couldn¢t find one, so I grabbed my phone and put it in flashlight mode and set out to find him. The packed campground had gone completely silent as all of the other hikers had turned in for the night. In the distance I could see a headlamp shining and I thought I heard crying. I headed in that direction and found Cole. Our paracord had snapped dropping the food bags to the ground. One of the bags had ripped. Cole had been attempting to hang the second food bag with the remaining portion of the rope which was too short and he and was frustrated and quite upset. That night we slept....or laid...with our food in our tent. I was too stressed and worried to get much sleep. Would we be able to replace our equipment in Fontana village? What would we do with our food at night until then?
Date: 2018-04-11
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Yesterday I had noticed that Cole¢s ears were very red and enflamed. One had bumps on it that looked like bites. I gave him antihistamine and put some hydrocortisone cream on them. This morning one ear looked even worse and he said it hurt to the touch. Now I was worried about that. The weather was beautiful and a short distance from the shelter we came upon a gorgeous view at Cheoah Bald. My mind was too occupied with the food bag problem and Cole¢s swollen ears to appreciate it the way I should have. Being tired didn¢t help my mood at all. Cole was ahead, as usual and when I caught up to him waiting for me at Stecoah Gap, he was sitting there with a big smile on his face, at a picnic table, chowing down on a banana. In front of him was a big bag of bananas and a half dozen or more apples. The Gap is at a roadway and a lady had pulled up while he was sitting there and brought the fruit over to him, chatted for a while and left. He was working on his third banana. I sat at the table and started in on a banana myself. Shortly after, a couple of other hikers showed up and we chatted and devoured fruit together. I shared about the demise of my food bag and before I knew it, duct tape was being pulled out of stashes and unwrapped from hiking poles. The bits and pieces once put together mended the hole in the bag. It is amazing how a banana and a bit of duct tape was able to lift my spirits and change my mood. I was feeling much better as we headed back out on the trail. It is a good thing too because we had a huge climb ahead of us....Jacob¢s Ladder! A half mile 600 foot climb! It was so steep that I almost felt that I should be crawling up it on all fours. Even Cole was climbing at a snail¢s pace.When we reached Brown Fork Gap, it was surprisingly quiet. It seems that many of the hikers who had been at the previous shelter had gotten off the trail at Stecoah Gap to spend the night at a hostel. Cole had eaten four bananas and one apple at Stecoah Gap, yet he still ate a full dinner of instant potatoes, instant stuffing and chicken. I think that his hiker hunger has kicked in.