morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-24
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

Last night was the coldest so far on the trail. It reached the lower 30s and was very windy. I didn't have many good tenting options and was forced to pitch in a steep slope. I spent most of the night jammed in to the side of my tent wall, but that didnt keep me from sleeping for 11 hours. I knew today was going to be easy, so i took my time this morning. I didnt get up until 9:00am, and got out of camp around10:30.The highlight of today's hike was Clingmans Dome, the highest point on the AT. I camped at 5500 feet last night, and it was a difficult 1100 foot climb to the top this morning. The views were spectacular the entire way up to the summit. One there, myself, Zephyr, Two Dogs, Disconnect, Honey Badger, Angel, and squirrel all spent about an hour taking in the views and enjoying the sunshine. Because there is a road that goes to the top, many tourists go to the top to check out the views. They were looking at us like we were animals in a zoo. Many of them would walk up to us and ask lots of questions. They were so interested in our journey, and blown away when we told them we were walking to Maine. After leaving the tower, I started the 3.5 mile hike to the final shelter of the day, and crossed a major milestone, 200 miles! Someone made a 200 out of rocks in the middle of the trail, and I took pictures. In the afternoon I hiked with Two Dogs, Zephyr, and Squirrel. We got to the shelter around 5:00pm. There were only two day hikers here, so we had our choice of shelter spots.Tomorrow it's only 5 miles to the gap where a few of us are going to either hitch or call a shuttle in to Gatlinburg to rest and resupply. Then it's back out to finish the last few days in the Smokeys. I'm getting up early for town, so it's off to bed. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-04-25
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: moderate rain

I got a good night's sleep last night considering I slept in a shelter with a guy who is a notorious snorer. I did wake up a few times, but went right back to sleep. Today was town day, so my crew was up and out of camp before 8:30am. It was a 5 mile hike to Newfound Gap where we would try to figure out how to get in to Gatlinburg to resupply. Just before getting to the gap, I ran across a couple who were hiking Southbound. They were doing trail magic, and had many treats. I had a dr. pepper knock off drink, some cheetos, and a nutty bar. They told the story of their father and son thru hike that almost ended in tragedy, but worked out in the end. After eating they said they would drive our group in to town. We very happily agreed. Thanks for everything God Speed and Mountain Mama.In town, I shared a room with Zephyr at the Grand Prix Hotel. After getting cleaned up, we got food at a local restaurant. I had the prime rib sandwich and salad bar. Both were excellent. Afterwards, we took the town bus to the grocery store and back. It was a slow frustrating experience, and we all agreed it wasn't worth the aggravation. The day got away from me and by 8:30pm, I still hadn't had any dinner. I wanted to squeeze in as many town meals as possible, so Zephyr, Two Dogs, and myself all went to the Smokey Mountains Brewery. I had two different ale beers that were mediocre, and a terrible pepperoni calzone. I had a good time, but stayed out too late. By the time I finished all my chores, it was after 2:00am and time for bed. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-04-26
From: Gatlinburg

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: light rain

I slept well last night, and felt pretty good this morning. The weather report called for early showers, giving way to mostly cloudy in the afternoon. That was town weather. If I've learned anything out here, it's that the mountains, and in particular the Smokies, make their own weather. It rained on me all day. It would let up just to start again 30 minutes later. I made pretty quick work of the 10.4 miles, plus the half mile off trail to the shelter. I was praying for a spot inside, out of the rain. I'm not that lucky though. The guy before me snagged the last spot, so I got to set up my tent in the rain; which is my second least favorite thing to do out here only to breaking down my tent in the rain. After getting dry clothes on and getting warm in my sleeping bag, I mustered the courage to get some water and cook dinner.There were lots of places for views today that were just white clouds and fog. One notable stop was Charlies Bunion. It is supposed to offer an incredible view, but again only white. Tomorrow is forecasted to be a much nicer day, so I'm hoping for a few last good pics before having to leave the park on Wednesday.             The terrain up in the Smokies is very rugged, and many times it's steep everywhere around the trail for a few miles. This forces some to stay close to the trail when relieving themselves. Unfortunately I was hiking by when a young woman in her 20s was doing just that. It was quite awkward and embarrassing, but the kind of thing you just roll with out here. I apologize for not being able to upload posts more regularly lately, but cell signal is virtually non-existent up here. I should be able to get the full backlog up in a couple of days. Tomorrow is a big day of 12.9 miles, so I'm off to sleep. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-04-27
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Know Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

Last night was spent in the clouds. It sounded like it was raining all night, but it didnt. The moisture builds up on the trees and falls off to give the appearance of rain. I awoke to a fair amount of moisture inside the tent for several reasons. I wasn't able to get a good pitch last night, and one of my vestibule straps was loose. It came in contact with my bug net and transferred the condensation to my tent floot. I also need to seem seal my tent again. I plan on doing it when I get to Hot Springs in several days.   I wasn't pumped to put on wet and cold clothes, or pack up a wet tent, and ended up not leaving camp until after 10:00am. The first 5 miles were up and down 3 mountains totaling 1200-1500 feet of climbing. The trail was wet and muddy all day. Plus all the roots and rocks made it tough on the feet. I stopped for lunch around 12:45 and enjoyed a Nutty Bar dipped in chocolate peanut butter, pack of crackers, cliff bar, and a hand full of beef jerkey. A larger lunch than normal, but I had 7.7 miles to do in the afternoon. It was a cool day, but the sun was shining and I cruised through the miles. When I pulled in, the shelter was full, so I had to set up my tent, and most of the places were taken. I resorted to a very mediocre uneven spot, but I'm out of the Smokies tomorrow and can go back to camping anywhere I want. Today I did .5 back to the trail, and then 12.9 official AT miles. Tomorrow will be 10+ out of the Smokies to Standing Bear Hostel for a resupply and hopefully place to stay. I'm not getting my hopes up though, because I'm trapped inside a very large bubble. It should spread out some after we are are away from the park and their rules. Off to bed now. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-04-28
From: Cosby Know Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: clear sky

Last night I slept on the side of a hill due to lack of better options. I pitched my tent to where my feet were downhill. This lead to me waking up a dozen times to army crawl back to the top of my tent so as to not get all the condensation on your bag. It was still a bit damp from the night before. Fortunately, I have a synthetic bag so it retains its warming ability even when wet, unlike a down bag. As wet as the AT has been so far, I feel like I made the correct decision. Today's hike was 10+ miles, mostly downhill out of the Smokies. I'm so glad to finally be done with them. The views were awesome, but the rules, and weather got old quick. I flew down the mountain and made it to my destination by 1:00pm. I'm staying at the Standing Bear Farm hostel this evening. This place is a hiker vortex. I've met people who have been here for days and haven't left. They have a very nice resupply with many food options. A bit pricey, but you are paying for convenience. There is a shower, wash board and electric dryer for your clothes, and pizza. I had a Supreme for dinner and to my surprise, ate the entire thing. That was a few hours ago though, and of course I am hungry again. They also stocked a refrigerator completely full of beer this morning and it didn't last past 6:00pm. There must be at least 30 people here tonight, and another 15 camping within a mile but are hanging out here. Around 7:00pm, the proprietor broke out an entire half gallon of whisky. I declined to partake, but I think it is a great way to get hikers to stay another day and spend more money. I've got 3 days of food for the hike to Hot Springs where I will take a zero day.I'm looking forward to the rest, but it's a tough 32ish miles from here. One other interesting note, I weighed myself on a scale outside the bunk house and it says I've lost 24 pounds. However, it is under reporting by 2-10 pounds. So I've actually lost between 14 and 22 pounds. I feel I'm towards the higher end of that range, but it's hard to tell. That's all for now. I hope to have a good hike to Hot Springs. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-04-29
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Max Patch Bald
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: light rain

Today started by waking up in a bed. Everyone was up and moving early. I had a big breakfast of a mountain dew, V8, Bacon egg and cheese sandwich, and cinnamon roll in anticipation of today's hike. The credit card machine was down for a while, so it was 10:00am before I left with Squirrel. The start of today's hike was a 2500ft climb out of the gap. I felt strong, but it was very difficult. I had lunch on top of a bald with an incredible view before making it to the first shelter. There I refilled on water and rested for a bit. I should have eaten more because the second half of the day was more of the same. In all, I climbed over 4000 feet on my 13.3 mile hike today. Towards the end, the only thing driving me was the thought of camping on Max Patch Bald. At 1 mile from the Summit I was hiking with Squirrel and we heard brief moments of people yelling. After walking .3, we saw a tent,and a bunch of people crowded around. Trail magic was upon us. Everyone let out a yell to welcome us in to the party. They had cooked sausages, a full size keg of Southbound IPA, brownies, fruit, candy, soda, and at least a dozen other things. There was also a band playing as a warm up for their festival performance this weekend in Hot Springs. I'll be getting in to town Saturday and leaving Monday morning after my zero day, so it works out perfect. After enjoying the trail magic, I walked the last .7 up to the summit. Along the way I had to be the bearer of a message that resulted in very bad news for a couple hiking. I won't talk about who or what, but my thoughts are with them tonight. After getting to the summit and seeing the 360 degree views, I was blown away at the epic beauty. I took more pictures and video up here than anywhere else on the trail. The sunset literally left me speechless. The wind is whipping over this bald at a good clip and it is cold camping around 4600 feet. Glad I have my 15 degree bag tonight. Tomorrow morning I'm getting up to watch the sunrise before my hike so I'm going to get some rest. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-04-30
From: Max Patch Bald

To: Deer Park Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: light rain

Today started with a 6:00am wake up call from Squirrel. I didn't want to move, but I wasn't going to let a Max Patch sunrise opportunity pass me by. A local photographer was up there doing time lapse photos. Like last night's sunset, this morning's sunrise was pretty epic. I'd heard today was going to be rainy in the afternoon so naturally I went back to my tent and slept for another hour. Seriously though, I should have packed up and left, but I chose the lazy route. After hitting the trail around 9:30am, I made quick work of the morning hike, making it to the first shelter in 45 minutes where I stopped to use the Privy. No places to go when you spend the night on a bald. After getting cleaned up, I hit the trail again and made the 2nd shelter at 6.8 miles before 1:00pm. on a bald. After getting cleaned up, I hit the trail again and made the 2nd shelter at 6.8 miles before 1:00pm. I hiked 16.7 miles today and camping just over 3 miles from town. Tomorrow morning I'll get up and hike straight to the Smokey Mountain Diner for breakfast. I think most of my meals will be there while I'm in town. From what I understand, it's run by a former thru-hiker. They have hiker size portions for a reasonable price.   It's bed time in the woods, so I'm out for now. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-05-01
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 3.2

I woke up around 7:45am and got moving. I knew it would be a short day and I wanted to get in to town early to have a good chance at finding a place to stay. The AWOL guide suggestion was Elmer's Sunnybank Inn. It is a hostel run in this large historic home in Hot Springs. Earl Schafer himself stayed there on both of his hikes. I called first and they had a spot so I jumped on it. After dropping off my pack, I scooted down to the diner for a bite to eat. I had a large breakfast of eggs, hash browns, country ham, biscuits with gravy and a pancake. I ate it all before heading to the outfitter for a few things. The rest of the day was chores and errands. For dinner, Squirrel, Zephyr and myself went to The Iron Horse Grill where I had a bacon wrapped filet, baked potato, and ceasar salad. It was the best meal I've had on the trail so far.I was able to weigh myself with a reliable scale and determined that 15 pounds is what I've lost so far. Tonight was fairly eneventful. I'm take a zero tomorrow to rest my body. It's been over two weeks since I had a day off. My roommate didn't show up so I've got the place to myself tonight. I'm going to sleep very well in this bed. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-05-03
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Creek Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

I was up and moving a little before 8:00am this morning. I wanted to hit the trail early because I knew it was going to be hot in the afternoon. It was around 9:30am or so when I hit the trail. I'm carrying 6 days of food to get me to Erwin, TN. It's 70 miles and my pack is the heaviest it's been at 33 pounds before water. Usually I come in around 28 leaving town. Leaving town is almost always a climb. Today's hike to Spring Creek Shelter was 11 miles and most of it uphill. I drank a lot of water today. Spent most of the 6 hour hike leap frogging with a few other hikers. One guy that I met at Clingmans Dome dropped his tracking device in the middle of the trail. I found it and gave it back when I saw him a few hours later.Around mid day I stopped for a lunch of cheese and summer sausage on a tortilla wrap. After lunch, I walked not more than 300 feet and right into a group of people with their clothes off. They were Pagan hippies, and a couple of other hikers I know well participated in a drum circle ritual they had last      night. Not something you see every day out here, but nothing shocks me any more. The last couple of miles dragged. When I finally saw the shelter, I was very happy. I set up my tent right away. A guy took a zero here today because he got sick last night. He doesn't think it is norovirus, but I'm not taking any chances. I finally have good service on my phone so I've been trying to get my backlog of journals uploaded. I'll finish the last couple tomorrow night. It's bed me for now. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-05-04
From: Spring Creek Shelter

To: Jones Meadow Campsite
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: few clouds

Today started around 7:30am. I took my time eating breakfast and packing up, so I didn't get out of camp until 9:30. It was a fairly easy first few miles. I didn't get far before running in to a small store called Mom's. They sold sodas, snacks, and ice cream. I purchased a couple of cold drinks and ate out of my food bag. Zephyr and Squirrel both purchased food. We ate an early lunch in the morning sun before pushing on.   The second half of the day consisted of a very difficult uphill climb of 2500 feet in all. It was broken up in the middle with a shelter where I had my 2nd lunch. It was very hot and I had trouble mustering the motivation to get up and hike again. It was there that a huge bubble walked in to me. There are 12 or so of them hiking together. I also met a few others who just happened to be there also. After a 90 minute break, I finished the last 1100 feet that felt like it was straight up. It wouldn't have been too bad, but the bugs were awful. The last two days, everyone has been getting eaten alive by the bugs. They swarm you while you are walking and you can't get away from them. I was completely soaked by the time I got to the top. I went another couple of miles and faced a difficult decision. Push another 4.7 and not get to the shelter with no camping until close to 8:00pm. Or stay at the only campsite with water right next to it, and my choice of tent sites. I decided to stay and do a longer day tomorrow on my birthday. I'll need to get up early because it is supposed to be hot again. The big bubble is also staying here this evening and tents are stacked on top of each other. I counted at least 18 hikers here this evening. A hiker named Forrest, who I met In GA, is here and he hiked an entire pineapple up the mountain and shared with everyone. It was delicious. One of the ladies in the group brought out some apple pie moonshine that she shared, and it too was delicious. It has been a great evening, and time for bed. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-05-05
From: Jones Meadow Campsite

To: Rice Gap
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: scattered clouds

What a day it's been. I slept well last night considering there were 20 people camped in a 50 ft radius. The moonshine shot really helped me fall asleep. This morning I got up early because I wanted to make some miles today, and because it's my birthday. Unfortunately, not being in town, I didn't have a proper way to celebrate, so I just walked all day instead. I got up at 7:00, but was a little slow packing up camp. I ate a quick breakfast of the usual pop tarts and hit the trail. The morning was tough with a 1.5 mile ridge walk over boulders. Hand over fist climbing was necessary in some parts. After 4.7 miles I reached the first shelter where I visited the privy and ate a snack. I also downed a bunch of water. In all, I probably drank almost 2 gallons of water today.I pushed on another 6 miles through the easiest part of the day to the next shelter. I got in around 2:00 and ate a bunch of food and drank a bunch of water. I also took an almost 2 hour break. After finally mustering the motivation to push on, I found myself in more easy terrain. Then about 14 miles in to the day, I found myself starring up at a 1500 foot mountain. I felt very strong while climbing, despite the long day and carrying 3 liters or almost 7 pounds of water to the top. I had a campsite picked out, and when I got there, it was smaller than I was expecting and full. I begrudgingly pushed on another mile or so to a gap where I set up for the night. It was only another 1.2 to the shelter, but also a 500 foot climb, and I was exhausted after an 18.7 mile, 11 hour day.Here I am camping for the first time completely alone, on my birthday no less. It turned out to be a good decision because the sky opened up and poured for an hour right after I pitched my tent and climbed inside. I also passed the 300 mile mark today, so that was fun. I'm hoping for an early start tomorrow, but we'll see. Take care all.-Andy
Date: 2015-05-06
From: Rice Gap

To: Big Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.3

After yesterday's almost 19 mile day, 7:00 am came way to soon. I went back to sleep for 45 minutes before getting motivated to pack up camp. I finally started walking around 9:30 am. And felt very fatigued.My plan was to go to the first shelter and eat the big dinner meal I missed last night due to the rain. Unfortunately I was out of water despite packing 3 liters out of the last water source I passed yesterday. The source at the shelter was a half mile round trip, and by the time I ate and cleaned up, it was10:45 am. The entire hike today I felt weak. Every mile this morning was a struggle, even after the big meal this morning. Around 12:30, I happened to come out of the woods at a gap with a big overpass to walk under. I followed the AT to a parking lot where I saw a couple of people I recognized. When I walked up, a guy with a big poodle asked me if I wanted a McDonald's double cheeseburger and a beer. Hell yeah I do! He turned out to be a former hiker, and was about to take his dog for a walk on the AT. Thanks for the trail magic Fire Hydrant, hope to see you at Trail Days. That extra bit of food gave me a good energy boost to finish out the day. It was still difficult with a lot of climbing this afternoon, and the sun was out most of the day just sucking the energy out of everyone. Most everyone agreed that today felt much more difficult than they were expecting. I arrived at the shelter around 5:00 pm after an 11.3 mile day. Not my best effort, but you've got to take what the trail gives you. Some days she is very kind, other days she is a b****. Most days fall somewhere in between and you manage however you can. Tonight I'm staying at Bald Mountain Shelter. It is one of the nicest I've seen so far, so I elected to try it out. There are 12 or so people here tonight, but some are camping so it isn't full. Tomorrow I hope to get within a few miles of Erwin, TN, so I can walk in on Friday morning. It will be my 5th day in the woods, and longest trip so far at around 70 miles. I need a shower and clean clothes in a bad way. After 5 days of putting on the same wet, cold, stinky, salt stained hiking clothes, I'm ready to be in town. Well, it's hiker midnight, that's 9:00 pm, so off to bed. Take care all.-Andy