morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-04-08
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Bly Gap campsite
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Made it to North Carolina!!! Lots of people camped here tonight (probably just like me and were motivated to get outta Georgia) So many hills today - up down up down up down.Also, note to mom: no more reading forums! Hiking a trail for over five hours gives me waaay too much time to think and when I get the message that this part of the trail has "tons of rattlesnakes" ... that thinking becomes paranoid about every curvy looking stick on the trail. Just for the record, so far, I have seen ZERO snakes. In general wildlife is few and far between.
Date: 2014-04-09
From: Bly Gap campsite

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: light rain

Longest day yet - over 15 miles! Got to beech gap early enough and I was feeling good I decided to catch up with Kevin, Dustin, Camel, and Ladybug (the four people I have been hiking with since early on) Very glad I did decide to go on because I met Mundo, who is raising money by doing a Post War Hike (search for it on blogspot, I think... otherwise ask my mom for her link). Anyway, she heard me say Zima's name when we walked in to the shelter/campsite area and said my mom had emailed her and told her I was also hiking. Cool paratroop stories - good luck to Mundo and her mom on hiking to maine!Zima got to play with Charlie (chocolate lab) at the shelter. Clearly Zima needs to carry more weight in her pack because she had TONS more energy then him.Another cold night... not sure of a plan for tomorrow yet. Hike until I feel like camping I guess, which is actually proving to be a good strategy.
Date: 2014-04-10
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: "campsite" on the ridge
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: few clouds

Hiked up albert Mountain today... all the way up the fire tower too. Zima did GREAT with the steep climb! Lots of people asked how she did and was surprised she did not need any help at all. Met Dragonfly today (well, actually last night) but learned today that she has potential to be the oldest AT thru hiker (74 yrs. old) - I hope you make it Dragonfly! Got to Rock Gap shelter and decided I wanted a shorter day tomorrow, so kept going and camped at a random flat spot on the next ridge.
Date: 2014-04-12
From: campsite by Bartram Trail

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: clear sky

Overall, I think hiking up and down mountains is getting easier. At least the gradual ones. I dont always need a break every couple steps on a thousand foot climb (every day out here I have at least one thousand foot climb in elevation mountain) Zima is doing well - She has tons of energy in the mornings but by night time she is an adorable sleeping puppy.I met Chris and Sam today. Sam is an eight year old that is thru hiking to Maine! Way to go you two - I hope you get there! Their instagram is trailingclods if anybody wants to check them out.
Date: 2014-04-13
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked downhill (mostly) for six miles. It seemed to take forever, but made it here by 11am. Checked in and went to take a shower! Hey Speedy, this week or last week is the rule on a thru-hike, right?? Spent the day relaxing by the river. Zima tried to catch a duck for dinner and failed miserably. Poor dog pretty much just made a fool of herself as the ducks stayed just past her reach and the current was NOT helping her at all. Even strangers laughed at her.
Date: 2014-04-14
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.5
Weather: light rain

An uphill day for sure... NOC is at 1749 feet and Swim Bald (the mountain just before the shelter) is at 4710 feet.To the nice Atlanta section hikers (who get to start with this uphill climb the next time they come hike): First of all, NOC is awesome. So relaxing and great food... probably best to just stay there for the weekend and relax. BUT, if you are set on hiking... coming out of NOC is definitely a mental game - tell yourself you can do it and it wont seem that bad. There are some cool overhanging rocks and overall, its not that steep. Then you get to Wright Gap (dirt road) and you realize how little progress you have actually hiked up hill to the shelter. Obviously by then, you have no choice but to keep going. From Wright Gap to Grassy Gap - its steep. definitely a tiring climb. After grassy gap, you have a nice ridge walk and I think this was the part that had a memorial to a firefighter who died defending this part of therail (so of course you cant hate it then). Also, theres some scrambling over rocks which will take your mind off the fact that you are going uphill. The Jump-up does have a cool view of the river, so you can look forward to that. And again, the trail got steep. Somewhere shortly after the jump up view, it started to rain. (not just sprinkle... RAIN) The last two miles were wet and miserable and when the wind blew it was cold. I was way more miserable from the rain than the uphill so I dont even remember it well enough to describe it to you. Overall, I made good time and if it were a nice day, I probably would have kept walking. GOOD LUCK ATLANTA SECTION HIKERS!!! Let me know how your hike goes This is the first night Zima and I stayed in a shelter. Zima had PERFECT behavior. Honest. If anybody were to say anything bad about her for staying in the shelter they just hate dogs. She was so good!!!
Date: 2014-04-15
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: moderate rain

First it rained. Then it was very windy. And the last third of the day it snowed.I think I pushed a little too much today. My feet hurt and I have a hotspot (potential start of a blister) because my feet were wet hiking. I have no dry socks but I plan on keeping the less wet ones in my sleeping bag in hopes of them drying by morning. Overall, the terrain wasnt bad today. But the weather made for not a fun day. Every time I stopped, I got cold. So I just kept walking. Although, I was much happier in the snow than the rain. Hopefully tomorrow will be a nice easy day down the mountain and then we are getting a shuttle around the Smokies.
Date: 2014-04-16
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: clear sky

Hiked from Cable Gap Shelter to Fontana 28 AT Crossing, then got a shuttle to Standing Bear Farm (we skipped 76.1 miles of the trail - no dogs allowed)Woke up this morning and my shoes were frozen solid and I had frost on my tent! I was warm overall last night (Thanks Zima for keeping my feet warm!) hehe. Hiked the 5.5 miles in my Teva sandals (I wasnt sure how my tired sore feet would like frozen shoes) Got to Fontana crossing about an hour early so walked down to the marina and ate lunch out on their patio. Then got picked up by Donna from "the cabin in the woods" and she passed me on to her husband, Phil. Both were very nice people. Thanks for the shuttle you two! When I got to Standing Bear Farm, took a hot shower, did some laundry (hand wash so only did one set of clothes) and then ate dinner and went to bed.
Date: 2014-04-17
From: Standing Bear Farm

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

Met a bunch of new hikers including two step, boss, luna, and yogi.Zima LOVED Max Patch Summit!!! It is pretty much a big grassy field, so I took her backpack off and let her run and she RAN! AND RAN SOME MORE AND THEN KEPT RUNNING. The entire time it took me to walk up and down (about a mile) she was running. She had so much fun!!With the encouragement of Two Step, I hiked 15 miles today in hopes of getting to Hot Springs earlier in the day on Saturday.
Date: 2014-04-18
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: "Old Rd." campsite
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Slept in today until 11am... I realized I hadnt slept in yet while on the trail and I have plenty of time to get to Hot Springs, so why not. Pretty easy day overall, only two uphill sections. Lots of stream crossings. Not as many people on the trail as there were back before the Smokies. This is the first time I was the only thru hiker at night (two families were camped nearby) Zima and I both ate big dinners tonight as I realized we once again have way more food than we need. Hopefully I will be motivated to get up early tomorrow and head in to Hot Springs!
Date: 2014-04-19
From: Old Rd. campsite

To: Hot Springs, NC (Hostel at Laughing Heart Lodge)
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: light rain

Got into town, checked in, showered, laundry done, ate pizza for lunch. Went downtown to watch the Easter parade which in Hot Springs, NC means about ten pick up trucks with kids in the back holding crosses and religious music being played. The whole parade was maybe ten minutes long... and then because Hot Springs really only has one Main street, they all turn around and come back that way to get back to the start of the parade route! haha.Also went to Bluff Mtn. Outfitters and Dollar General. Im looking forward to a zero day tomorrow
Date: 2014-04-20
From: Hot Springs, NC (Hostel at Laughing Heart Lodge)

To: Hot Springs, NC (Hostel at Laughing Heart Lodge)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

First Zero day! Went shopping at Bluff Mtn Outfitters... bought new insoles for my shoes in hopes of my feet hurting less and then bought some other littler stuff.Finally uploaded some pictures (check them out on Facebook)Played frisbee with ZimaAnd ate lots of junk food... so pretty much did not a whole lot all day which is the point of a zero day.
Date: 2014-04-21
From: Hot Springs, NC (Hostel at Laughing Heart Lodge)

To: Allen Gap campsite
Miles today: 14.8

Overall, good day. I have just accepted the fact that my feet are going to hurt when I am walking on rocks for 15 miles with a forty lb. pack on my back. Camped with ZigZag and her dog Lazarus (sp?) Zima was a VERY happy puppy running around crazy playing with him.
Date: 2014-04-22
From: Allen Gap campsite

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: light rain

LONGEST day so far! 17.5 miles! Headed out around 8am and hiked until about 730pm (Yeah, I know.... I walk slow) Zima had WAY too much energy... but lucky for her, Lazarus was there to run around with. And because it rained most of the day, Zima was beyond wet and muddywhen she came in my tent at night.
Date: 2014-04-23
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 12.9

First of all, I really need to start waking up earlier when I want to hike more miles in a day. I got to my campsite around 730pm again which only gives me an hour before dark.This morning at Flint Mtn. Shelter, Zima had a very traumatic morning... I almost lost her frisbee!! Oops. Good thing I looked one last time and spotted it in a tree just before we left.For the second time this hike, I was the only one at my campsite and it was awesome! Zima and I watched the sunset together. And my tent was on a perfectly flat spot with no roots or rocks underneath it. It was great.
Date: 2014-04-24
To: Spivey Gap campsite
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

Stopped to fill up on water and stretch at Spivey Gap with intentions to keep hiking, but then started talking to Kickapoo who has worked at Snow Mountain Ranch out in Colorado. After about 45 mins. of talking about who we knew and our experience working out there at different times, I decided I couldnt make it to the next shelter before dark. Also met some more hikers tonight... Styles, Bluebird, Blacksmith, Cape, etc.
Date: 2014-04-25
From: Spivey Gap campsite

To: Uncle Johnny's Hostel (Erwin, TN)
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: light rain

Woke up early this morning so I could get to the hostel with plenty of time to relax and get "town stuff" done.The terrain was pretty easy today but the weather was annoying. Rain, sun, rain, sun, rain, sun. I think I took my rain jacket and pants on and off at least half a dozen times!Lots of cool people hanging out tonight at the hostel.
Date: 2014-04-26
From: Uncle Johnny's Hostel (Erwin, TN)

To: "piped spring & campsite" (mile: 354.2)
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: light rain

Overall easier day than expected. Coming out of town is always an uphill day. I am to the point where I dont know if I like uphill or downhill better. Downhill is definitely way less tiring, but my feet dont hurt going uphill. Got trail magic today - and the guy was from WI! Got to my campsite nice and early, which means I think I am walking a slightly quicker pace now.
Date: 2014-04-27
To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Stayin in the shelter tonight. It is supposed to rain and there is plenty of room so Im going to try keep my tent dry for as long as I can (forecast says rain for the next four days) Unaka Mountain was cool - a spruce forest was a good change of scenery from the half dead hemlock forests that I have been walking through. This is one of the few mountains I can honestly say I would hike again (I think I might be getting more in mountain climbing shape, which definitely helps). Trail magic today at Iron Mtn. gap was very much appreciated. It was a hot day! The guy (Rob) let Zima lay in his shaded van out of the sun too Lucky pup. The last four miles today seemed like it took forever to hike, but I am feeling good and ready to hike a 15 mile day tomorrow.
Date: 2014-04-28
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Woo-hoo! Day 30!! No rain yet, so that was great! Last night in the shelter I didnt sleep well - Im too worried about Zima when we sleep in shelters or bunkrooms. I prefer my tent. And so does she. But, once again, rain is in the forecast AND we are at probably the best shelter on the trail. It is an old barn converted into a hiker shelter. There are over twenty people here and we have plenty of room. Four solid walls in the rain & wind right now is really nice.Poor Zima... I pull about 5-10 ticks off of her every night. We are both looking forward to the Advantix coming in her next mail drop.
Date: 2014-04-29
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

High winds and rain made me decide to take a zero day at Overmountain Shelter today. Later in the day the weather really wasnt that bad, no rain, just windy, but I felt guilty hiking after I told everybody on FaceBook that we were safe, warm, and dry. So we stayed put. We are BOTH antsy on zero days, esp. at a shelter. Looking on the bright side, tomorrow my pack will be lighter because I dont have too much food anymore. I guess it is good we carry an extra days worth of food. Some people had to hike out this morning because they were out of food or fuel.
Date: 2014-04-30
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Mountain Harbour Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: moderate rain

Wow, WIND!!! Zima woke me up around 6am this morning and told me she was ready to leave the shelter and go for a hike (normally she doesnt mind sleeping in until at least 7am or 8am)We left the shelter and headed over some grassy balds and it was WINDY. I could barely stay standing (but I did compared to another hiker I talked to at the hostel and he said he fell over a couple times! haha) I walked/stumbled across these ridges for about five miles before it was easy walking down to the road. Zima on the other hand had a great time!! She would run with the wind and pretend like she was flying! She learned very quickly though that if she wanted a break from the wind to run ahead and duck behind some rocks. Smart pup! When I got down to the road, I decided to stop by the hostel for lunch and to plug in my phone (to check weather and call ahead and reserve my room at the vango/abby hostel) Upon arriving, I learned that the Vango/Abby Hostel is closed and my maildrop was still at the post office!! Yikes!! Thats Zimas dog food!! The nice people at the Mountain Harbour Hostel took me into town to pick up Zimas maildrop and since I decided to stay here, I was able to eat dinner in town and resupply. Looks like I am skipping our planned stay at the Vango/Abby Hostel. On to Damascus tomorrow!! (Once again with WAAY too heavy of a pack... food is heavy.) My pack weighs around 45 lbs. whenever I leave town and by the time I am heading back into a new town (like this morning)it weighs around 35 lbs. I was feeling great this morning... tomorrow morning will not be a fun day carrying 7 days worth of food.
Date: 2014-05-01
From: Mountain Harbour Hiker Hostel

To: Upper Laurel Fork campsite
Miles today: 13.2

BEST breakfast on the trail so far at Mountain Harbour B&B/Hostel. Started hiking around 10:30am at a SLOW pace (very full from breakfast AND a heavy pack) Super nice terrain - easy rolling hills. Jones Falls was a GREAT waterfall! I normally don't take the 0.1 mile side trails to "view" or "summit", but as I was coming down the trail, a hiker was coming back from the waterfall and told me it was worth it and it was! Pictures will be posted on FB soon. This entire section was nice enough that I would hike it again! It went along a river and crossed lots of creeks all day. We also saw our first SNAKE! Another hiker had to point it out - it was curled up on a rock in one of the creeks. Oliver (another hiker's dog) had gone after it, which is why they spotted it in the first place.
Date: 2014-05-02
From: Upper Laurel Fork campsite

To: Griffith Branch campsite
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: light rain

TWENTY TWO MILES!!!Woo-hoo!! We did our first over 20 mile day!! I am tired, my left shin & foot hurt, but it was worth it. Oh yeah... and ZIMA IS TIRED PUPPY!!! FINALLY.I was also the first hiker out of camp this morning on the trail around 730am. A hiker's dad did some trail magic around mile 12, which kept me hiking to Laurel Falls (really cool waterfall) I thought about camping there (14.2 miles into the day) but it was only 4:30pm, so I kept going... uphill. Made great time hiking up Pond Flats, esp. so late in the day. Hit the top at 6:15pm, so could have stopped, but some other hikers were continuing, so I decided to join them. Crossed US 321 at 8pm and had a mile left to the campsite, so why not keep walking.Tomorrow will be a short mileage day.
Date: 2014-05-03
From: Griffith Branch campsite

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: few clouds

Slept in this morning (reward for hiking 20 miles yesterday) so didn't get on trail until 9am. Way more uphill than I initially though today but the uphill doesn't hurt as bad as the downhill, so I didn't mind. Today wasn't that fun of a hiking day - I had a headache most of the day (I know... drink more water)
Date: 2014-05-04
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: "campsite" (mile:462.1)
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: clear sky

ANOTHER OVER TWENTY MILE DAY! AND WE SAW A BEAR!!!Great terrain today, no real steep uphills or downhills at all. Got to Abingdon Gap Shelter and ate dinner there, which was the last place to get water before Damascus. So, at 6pm (done with dinner & had enough water for the night), I still had 2 hours of daylight left. Every mile today is a mile less in the morning into Damascus.
Date: 2014-05-05
To: Damascus (campsite north)
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: scattered clouds

To Damascus for the day! Went to the library, updated trail journal and added pictures to FBb. Went to lunch at the blue blaze cafe. Zima behaved PERFECTLY!! Went to Mt. Rogers Outfitters and spent the afternoon looking for ways to lighten my pack. Back to blue blaze for dinner and then hiked just out of Damascus and found a campsite.
Date: 2014-05-06
From: Damascus (campsite north)

To: stream, campsite
Miles today: 15.6

Virginia is so far great! Nice easy terrain, even the uphills werent bad (I think I finally can say I have my "trail legs") My shin didnt hurt hardly at all, my foot hurt, but not horribly. Just enough to remind me to take it easy and watch where I step. Camped with Sprinkle Burst and Cupcake tonight - theyre from Wisconsin!
Date: 2014-05-07
To: East fork of Big Wilson Creek
Miles today: 16.0

Woke up at 420am!! Was on the trail by 5am in the dark hoping to watch the sunrise from Buzzard Rock. Got up there and Whitetop Mtn. was in the way, but glad I got the big climb of the day done by the time it gets hot out. Got to the first shelter in great time, ate lunch. Next couple miles were VERY rocky so went pretty slow. Saw the wild ponies today!! Got to Wise shelter, ate dinner and hiked out of the park to camp - great campsite! Got there early in the day with plenty of time to give Zima a bath in the creek (she rolled in slimey cow pie)
Date: 2014-05-08
From: East fork of Big Wilson Creek

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: clear sky

BEST TRAIL MAGIC EVER TODAY! Zima and I got hamburgers and hotdogs at Fox Creek! The nice man tried to bribe Zima to stay with him! I got to the edge of the parking lot before she ran to catch up.Also, even though my miles say "19.9", really I hiked 20 miles... the shelter was .1 off the trail. Really this happens every day - none of the side trails to shelters or views or waterfalls etc. count toward the miles on the AT.
Date: 2014-05-09
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Chatfield Shelter
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: broken clouds

Early trail magic from a church (they leave a cooler of drinks and snacks in the woods for us) My feet were pretty tired for the first 10 miles to Mt. Rogers Visitors Center. Took a 2.5 hr. break there eating candy and drinking soda. Left in the afternoon and my feet felt great. Up and down mts. and some rain made me pretty content to stop at the shelter before Atkins. met Waterboy, MAD JAC, Moses and Slayer here.
Date: 2014-05-10
From: Chatfield Shelter

To: Crawfish Trail campsite
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Went to The Barn Restaurant in Atkins for breakfast and to pick up my maildrop. Ended up sticking around for lunch after resupplying and calling home. Sometimes it is hard to get back on the trail when other hikers are hanging out in town and it is raining out.
Date: 2014-05-11
From: Crawfish Trail campsite

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: broken clouds

Whew! What a tiring day! Its been a while since we had a 2000+ foot climb, esp. tiring at the end of he day. And to make it even "better", the best water source was 2 miles before it which means I had to carry 3 liters of water up this mountain and Zima couldnt even help (she had a really heavy pack already because we just picked up a maildrop) I thought about hiking on because Whitey, Moe, and Chili were camped a mile or so north (they had been trying to pass me for the last week or two and they finally did today) But cool people were at the shelter so I stayed and it was a perfect mountain to watch the sunrise (pictures coming soon!) Zima rocked today! She had tons of energy despite having a very heavy pack. She got to go swimming part way through the day and played frisbee at the shelter in the evening.
Date: 2014-05-13
From: Laurel Creek campsite

To: campsite past Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.0

Started taking Ibuprofen for my foot and for the morning half of my hike it worked great, but definitely painful when it wears off. Laurel Creek to Bland was an easy hike. Got to the road and realized I had left Zimas leash tied to a tree at our campsite! Lucky for us, Sprinkle Burst and Cupcake were slackpacking the opposite direction that day so we were able to ask them to pick it up for us and bring it to trail days. Meanwhile Zima got a paracord leash cut off from our bear rope. Virginia is in a drought right now which meant no water source all day, so had to carry 3 liters again for the 20 miles. When I got to the shelter around 19 miles, Zima convinced people there she was limping, so I carried her pack the last mile while she romped and played in the woods NOT limping at all once we are out of site of other people. Sometimes my dog is TOO SMART.