morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-17
From: Tri Corner Knob Shelter

To: Ice water Springs Shelter
Miles today: 12.6

We had some heavy rain during the night and were glad to be in the shelter. This morning it was still raining, but everyone got packed up pretty quickly. Since it was too cold to sit around, we headed out right after breakfast. Although it was a drizzly morning, we made good time. We checked with several northbounders regarding bear sightings and it seemed as if the aggressive bear had moved off the trail. Last night we saw a video and heard an account of a hiker who was at the Pecks Corner Shelter after everyone else had left. He had his food spread out when he spotted the bear coming towards him. He yelled and waved but the bear continued to come towards him. Then he took his gun and fired a round. The bear retreated but not very far. We stopped for lunch today at a beautiful overlook. I'm sure the scenery was beautiful, but we were in a cloud and couldn't see anything. The sun started coming out later in the day and there were many breathtaking views. I slipped on a wet rock during the afternoon and hurt my ankle. I am able to walk on it but it is painful. In spite of that, we hiked up to Charlie's Bunion, a high rock outcropping. Afterward a group of teenage boys with a leader went past us, but shortly afterward we passed them. Apparently they were running low on energy. We just plodded along up the hill to the shelter. They arrived about 20 minutes later to take a break. On the way up the hill we saw a wild boar on the hillside. The shelter is very nice, on the side of the mountain. We had great views at dinner and saw a spectacular sunset. A couple of deer came into camp to graze. The guys have a fire in the fireplace and now it is cold and time for bed.
Date: 2016-05-18
From: Ice water Springs Shelter

To: Gatlinburg 
Miles today: 3.0

We got up early and headed out of the shelter. We were in great moods because knew we were going to town. On the way down to the gap, we met many dayhikers heading to Charlie's Bunion and a few thru hikers heading on their way. By 9:30, we were at Newfound Gap. After a stop at the bathroom, we started trying to find a ride into Gatlinburg. We tried talking to people, but most were heading to Clingman's Dome. We tried the traditional method of sticking out our thumbs. After about a half hour, a young man and his girlfriend picked us up and drove us to the Quality Inn. We checked in and took showers, then did laundry. After we were presentable, we looked around the town a little. We picked up stove fuel at the NOC, and then went for an early dinner at the Texas Roadhouse. The town is like a carnival with all kinds of ways to get rid of your money. Eventually we returned to our room and watched some TV.
Date: 2016-05-19
From: Gatlinburg 

To: Gatlinburg 
Miles today: 0.0

Zero day in Gatlinburg. We had a lot of trouble deciding whether to stay in town another night or head back to the trail in the afternoon and go to the Mt. Collins Shelter. When I noticed it was half a mile off the trail, the decision was made. My ankle appreciated the extra day. We took the trolley to Food City and got our resupply, then went to the restaurant next to the hotel and got a beer. We sat on the deck by the brook and drank our beer. We made a lot of phone calls and watched more TV while we ate our meals from the food store We got to bed late.
Date: 2016-05-20
From: Gatlinburg 

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up early and got our things packed, then had breakfast at the hotel lobby. At 8:00 our shuttle arrived and we headed back to Newfound Gap. Today was mostly uphill and very dreary. We were in a cloud and it was wet, windy and cold. We ate lunch at a little mossy log in a spot that was somewhat sheltered. We were cold and are quickly. Then we started climbing over Mt. Love and up to Clingman's Dome. We hit the highest spot on the AT just before the Clingman's Dome turn off. It was 6,655 feet. We climbed the observation deck but only stayed a few seconds. The wind was gale force and the only thing to see was clouds. At the bottom we talked with some tourists who were very interested in our hike. After that we hustled on down towards the shelter. It was still very windy and raining too. As we got closer, the rain got heavier. We were very glad to see the shelter. It has been pouring for hours now and it's cold. Everyone is wet and going to bed to get warm.
Date: 2016-05-21
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: light rain

The rain and wind last night sounded like a hurricane. Everyone was wet and cold. Every time we had to leave the shelter for anything we got soaked; getting water, using the privy, hanging our food. We cooked and ate standing up because the benches were too wet to sit on. Breezy and I met a girl we had met last year on the trail in Virginia. We took pictures with her and I have her my contact info in case she needs any help when she gets to NJ.Breezy and I were the last people to leave the shelter this morning. It was a wet day and we had our ponchos on all day. The trail was so slippery and wet. It makes it hard to hike because all of the logs, roots and rocks are slick and it's easy to slide. The mud is very slippery too and everything takes extra effort. We had to skip lunch today and just ate a quick snack because there was almost no let up in the rain. We got to our next shelter about 3:00, got water and cooked our dinner. There is a nice fire that the guys built in the fireplace and I am ready for bed.We saw two turkeys today and followed one up the trail for a little while.
Date: 2016-05-22
From: Derrick Knob Shelter 

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter 
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

What can I say about today? It just wasn't my best day. We had another big storm last night and it was very cold again. Breezy and I were up early and left with the rest of the shelter still in bed. It was tough going immediately with the wind howling and everything wet and very slippery. I have had several falls already this year and have been getting more and more afraid on the wet trail. The morning was slow going as we climbed to Thunderhead Mountain and Rocky Top. Sure enough, as we climbed I slipped and fell, hitting my head on a rock, skinning my knees and generally jarring my whole body. Breezy was very kind and helped me with my pack and gave me wipes to clean my knees. We got going again, saw some nice views on Rocky Top, and stopped for lunch at a convenient rock. The weather turned nicer after lunch and we took off the pack covers. We passed Spence Field Shelter and Russell Field Shelter, both of which are closed because of bear activity. After a long downhill, we started climbing again. For some reason I had great difficulty getting up that mountain and could hardly breath. Finally we made it to Mollie's Ridge Shelter, cooked dinner, filtered water and sat by the fire for a little while. We are tenting tonight because the shelter is full. All of my bones ache. I feel like I was in a car wreck. Hopefully I will feel better in the morning.
Date: 2016-05-23
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter 

To: Fontana Dam Visitors Center 
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: moderate rain

I woke up this morning feeling so much better. Breezy and I got an early start. It was cold this morning but soon warmed up, and the sun was out all day. The trail head dried for the most part and the walking was fairly easy. We had dinner uphill today, but mostly downhill. We met up with a group of teenage boys hiking with two adults and we leapfrogged with them through the morning. Before lunch we climbed to the Shuckstack Fire Tower. It was about five stories high and the stairs and landings had only minimal railings. We climbed two stories up and could see for miles. Afterward we stopped at a stream for lunch, and I had a chance to wash some of the mud off my legs. We were looking for a boulder field, but only found a group of rocks called Throne Rock. We were in a hurry to get to the post office before it closed, DJ we spent the afternoon walking quickly down out of the Smokies. At last we saw the road and walked about a mile to the dam. The trail goes right across the dam and it was beautiful. When we got to the Visitors Center, we called for a shuttle to take us to the post office. We picked up our resupply box and then came to the resort. We got a room in the lodge. The pool was open, so we went for a swim. After doing laundry, we went for dinner and then to a campfire and marshmallow roast. This is a very nice resort and it would be fun to come back here.
Date: 2016-05-24
From: Fontana Dam Visitors Center 

To: Cody Gap
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: scattered clouds

We got up fairly early this morning, packed up and had breakfast out of our resupply box. When we got to the lobby to check out, the shuttle was dropping someone off, so we got an immediate ride back to the Visitors Center. From there we hiked the rest of the way across the dam and down to the Fontana Hilton. Thus is a super luxury shelter with bathrooms, a shower and a phone charging station. When we left there, we hiked through the woods to the marina. We decided it would be a good idea to go out on the dock to the little shop and have some ice cream. It was delicious, and as we were sitting there, three canoes paddled by carrying the group of boys and men we had met near the fire tower! We followed them back to the shore and said hello. Scott gave us his number in Georgia in case we need any help. We started uphill just before noon. It was a long climb today but we did fine. The day was sunny and warm and felt very nice. We stopped for lunch near a stream and then hiked on to the Cable Gap Shelter. We stopped there and ate dinner, then began hiking uphill again. After about 3 more miles we found the campsite we were looking for at Cody Gap. We had trouble with the bear line, as usual, but finally got it hung. Now we are in our tents. There are some annoying mice checking us out. I hope they don't get in.
Date: 2016-05-25
From: Cody Gap

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

It was a beautiful morning this morning as we packed up our tents. We had heard an owl during the night. We set off pretty quickly because we knew it would be a hard day. After a short downhill we hiked mostly up steep trails. Finally we reached Brown Fork Gap Shelter. We stopped in there for water and breakfast. Afterwards we hiked on until we came to Jacob's Ladder. This is an extremely steep section of trail. We were lucky that we went down it instead of up, but it was still hard on the legs. We reached Stecoah Gap around noon but since we had a late breakfast, we only stopped for a snack. There is a parking lot and picnic tables, and while we were there, a man drove up and brought bananas. We each had one, as did the other hikers who were there. Finally we started on the final mountain of the day, Cheoah Mountain. It was long and steep. At the top was Cheoah Bald. It was a small bald and was swarming with bugs. We started down to the shelter. It seemed to take a long time to get there. These steep mountains are making my feet and ankle ache terribly. This is a nice shelter and only a few people are here, so we decided to sleep inside tonight. Tomorrow we will be at the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center). I need to get a new bag for my water filter because the old bag is leaking and I am having trouble filtering.
Date: 2016-05-26
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter 

To: Wesser Bald Shelter 
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: clear sky

We set out this morning on a long downhill to the Nantahala River. On the way we saw a large black snake slithering off the trail. These long, steep downhills are very hard on the feet. We finally reached the bottom around noon and arrived at the NOC. It is a real adventure place with all kinds of river sports, zip lines and several stores and restaurants. I stopped in the outfitter to get a replacement Sawyer bottle because mine is leaking but they didn't have any two liter bottles. Since it was raining we decided to go to a little restaurant and have a salad and a beer. We sat by the river to eat and charged our phones at a handy nearby outlet. After lunch we headed up the steep six mile mountain. It was a very hard climb. We finally reached the shelter a little after 7:00. Water was a ways up the hill and took a little while to get it and filter. We met some sectioners going in the same direction when we got to the shelter. They had a nice fire going and we sat at it to filter water and cook. They went to bed before we finished cooking. We ate in the increasing darkness and hung our food by flashlight. Luckily there are bear cables to make that job easy. Now we are in our tents and ready to sleep.
Date: 2016-05-27
From: Wesser Bald Shelter 

To: Wayah Bald Shelter 
Miles today: 10.6

May 27. Wayah Bald Shelter. 2068.4. 10.6 miles.We started out today uphill as usual. Our plan was to hike to Wesser Bald as have breakfast on the fire tower. The fire tower was not far and we climbed right up it. It had a large sturdy platform at the top and the views were amazing. We made phone calls from the top since we both had cell service. We could see storms moving in, so we climbed back down and head down and have breakfast at the bottom instead. The rest of the day was mild climbs and descents. We stopped for lunch at Cold Spring Shelter, which did have a cold spring right in front of it. We watched the birds scavenging crumbs and two robins having a fight. We moved right along after lunch and reached Wayah Bald Shelter about 4:30. We had to go quite a way for water but once that was done we could relax, make our dinners and watch the sun go down. It is a nice shelter, though small. Four of us are sleeping inside tonight. We will be able to see the sunrise from bed if we are awake early enough.
Date: 2015-10-15
To: Pinewoods Campground
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Thursday 10/15/2015Last night was rough. I made an executive decision to sleep in the shelter. There was a bench that went around three walls and the floor was like a dirty pea gravel. I set up my Thermarest Z-Lite sleeping pad on the gravel, and tried to get comfortable. Despite my total exhaustion, I was tossing and turning all night. My hips and shoulders have never felt so bony. Fortunately, I had many fewer miles to travel today (about 6). This was partly because of shelter spacings and partly because I knew that I would be exhausted on the morning of Day 2.So I had a leisurely morning. I took in the view, got caught up on my journal (already behind on my first day), and reviewed the day's route. I was hiking just about the entire Scuppernong segment. I had a water problem early on today. I had been guzzling it down only to find I had about 1 liter left to make it to the water that was available at the Pinewoods Campground. Fortunately, just after my shelter side trail connected with the main trail, there was a sign posted for a spring, and a chance to use my new water filter.I was a bit concerned that what I found was more of a stagnant pond than a spring, but the water was clear enough, so I gave it a chance. It was good that I did, because when I finally did make it to camp, the water was under a boil order! I have chemicals to treat water, but I am not interested in testing that out unless I absolutely have to. I am hoping that a creek noted on the map tomorrow offers another resupply opportunity. Otherwise I will be rationing the 1.5 liters that I have for about 10 miles to Lapham Peak State Park.Water issues aside, the hike was good. It was challenging. At times I was barely moving forward up steep switchbacks. When I got to the campground it felt deserted. A few people gave me strange looks as they drove by. The check-in was self-done and felt like I was incriminating myself one way or the other. Either I don't register and potentially get kicked out, or pay $10 for a vehicle I don't have. I opted to fill out the form and pay $0, explaining that I was backpacking and had no vehicle. (I had already paid for this campsite and the shelter yesterday through the online reservation process).After setting up the tent successfully with a half-log for a hammer, I tried the showers. At first I was extremely disappointed to find only ice-cold water, but after resolving to suffer for the sake of sanitation, the water finally did warm up, and the only unpleasant part was pushing a button for more water every 8 seconds. Who takes 8 second showers? Someone even left some soap and shampoo for me. Dinner was Mountain House - Pasta Primavera. Not quite as good as the Beef Stroganoff, but still very good. All of the cooking / food stuff is working out really well. So that's it for now. It's another early night tonight. I hope to be asleep 1/2 hour after sunset.
Date: 2015-10-16
To: Delafield Holiday Inn Express
Miles today: 0.0

Friday 10/16/2015So there was some good news and bad news from last night. The good news is the tent/sleeping gear all worked well, and I was much more comfortable on my second night. I was probably asleep by 7:30pm. However, the bad news is around 10:30pm, a pack of coyotes was howling, and they had to be closer than a half mile at that point.Throughout the night, they drifted around an area to the South and West of the campground. I'm also not 100% sure it wasn't wolves. Some of the noises were crisp barks - almost dog-like in between howls. More internet research is required there. So I didn't sleep very well in the middle portion of the night.I did my best to break camp when the sky had barely turned gray, but all of the tasks required to mobilize took me until about 7:45am. Shortly after beginning my hike, I found a convenient creek with a bench nearby to resupply my water. I was glas not to have to be concerned about rationing, and I got more practice with my water filter.Also, just starting out, still inside the campground, I saw a doe and two fawns. I tried to get a photo, but they were too far in the distance to clearly identify anything. Today had significant "connector routes" which means the trail dumps you on the side of the road, and you get to choose between the tall grass in the bottom of the ditch and walking right next to cars blasting through at 60mph. It wasn't too bad, but then the maps provided indicated a University of Wisconsin field station was some sort of waypoint on the trail. When I checked it out, it was a free wild animal rehabilitation center. The field station was next door, and no one was there. I had wanted to inquire about this "Trail Pass" which signs stated was required but did not describe how to purchase. I opted not to worry about it, and a sign later confirmed it did not apply to hikers. But the Glacial Drumlin Trail was full of users, and the road on one side and the steep slope/heavy usage made impromptu bathroom trips impractical. The entire trail today was well populated. Through random chance I managed to visit nature uninterrupted, but it was just a roll of the dice.Fortunately most people travel in pairs, and talk loudly to each other about the people making their lives difficult, and you can hear them coming. I reached Lapham Peak and enjoyed a small lunch. A lot of people were interested in what I was doing with all this backpacking gear. Some expressed interest in doing it themselves. Others just looked bewildered.A group of school kids was learning about Increase A. Lapham who played a key role in the first national weather broadcasts. After a trip up the tower, and some more gear chatter, I continued on my way. Lots of trail before passing under I-94 and into Delafield.I found a Porta-Potty at a little league baseball field. Otherwise there were no breaks till I checked in at the Holiday Inn Express. Applebee's next door for dinner. I made phone contact with my wife and confirmed our plans to meetup tomorrow when the trail is done!
Date: 2015-10-17
To: Monches, WI
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Saturday, 10/17/2015Mission Accomplished! I reached my goal and completed my hike through Waukesha County. The day began in the comfortable bed of the Holiday Inn Express. It saved a lot of time filling up my water from the tap and not having to pack up a campsite. Also, the breakfast was really good, and seemed to give me the extra energy I needed to power through the cold morning. It was also down to 28 degrees overnight, so that's another reason why I am glad I was indoors.Starting out, I found my way into the golf course where the trail began. I somehow found myself on a trail veering East instead of North. I tried to find my way through the golf course, but had to pass by the clubhouse, where I was redirected off the golf course. I took the long way around and reconnected with the trail, or should I say the neighborhoods through which the largely unsigned trail ran.I was happy when I made it back into the trees. The good news is my endurance has improved dramatically. About two hours went by after the golf course when I was walking through Hartland and found myself walking next to an Ice-Age Trail Alliance meeting. They were celebrating Hartland's recognition as the first "Ice-Age Trail Community" in Wisconsin. Everyone was very amused that a hiker happened to be walking through at the exact moment, and I was invited to the presentation and spoke with some 1000 milers before continuing on.On the next section I saw something like a woodchuck in the river. I also saw a doe and two fawns, this time much closer, leaving the golf course. I enjoyed the parts of the trail that followed the river. The rest of the day was spent walking, just putting one foot in front of the other, trying to knock out miles.I saw the most people I have ever seen watching kids play lacrosse. They were charging $10/car and there had to be thousands of people. It looked like a state fair parking lot. I stopped and had a snack around 2:00pm, next to a railroad bridge with graffiti. Some sections of trail were a little ridiculous. There was a narrow, kind of poorly maintained footpath running right next to a beautiful paved bike trail. I guess you had to decide between the true difficult path or the counterfeit easy path. I took the true path in 2 of the 3 sections, but the third was just too poorly maintained, so I took the bike path. The last section through Monches - or the Monches Segment - was beautiful. It meandered through an open forest of trees losing their leaves. It was picturesque, and relatively easy as well. And around 4:15pm, I exited the woods, completing my journey, I am estimating I walked 52 miles in 4 days, but still need to confirm that. My wife arrived shortly after, and took me home.