morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-04-06
From: Sassafras Shelter

To: Cody Gap camp
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Good sleep last night and a calm morning. Got my things together and left camp at the same time as the ladies today. It was a steep early climb up to the first bald (a treeless, grassy patch found atop many hilltops). Broke quickly for a snack and discussed our target for the evening camp. Despite my concern for heavy rain, the consensus seemed to be that pushing to a tented campsite would be better so that we would have fewer miles tomorrow into Fontana Dam. No sooner had we agreed on Cody Gap camp as our destination, the sky started to spit rain. It was not yet noon and the forecast was steady to increasing rain into the night and through tomorrow morning. What fun. I made decent time getting to Stecoah Gap and took a break there with a few others to get out of my pack, eat a snack and rest my feet. A local guy from Robbinsville pulled up and offered up apples and cucumbers and I took one of each. Always grab fresh produce when you can. Our little group again reconvened and confirmed the plan to get to Cody Gap camp in about 5.5 miles. At this point, I noticed the guide mentioned a steep climb up something called ¢Jacobs Ladder¢ about a mile past the road. I was the first to light out and sure enough, after a mile the trail went straight up the hill to the unseen ridge top. This was easily the most relentless climb we¢ve seen yet and there was no relief from the sheer vertical punishment. I kept my eyes on the trail directly in front of me to keep from collapsing in despair. The trail will typically always go over the highest point on any given ridge and today I truly resented that fact for the first time. The next 3.5 miles into camp were some of the toughest I¢ve hiked yet, not because they were steep but because I was so spent and the shit weather was taking a toll on my psyche. I half jogged in the increasing rain until I finally hit camp and dragged my feet down the draw to the bottom of the gap where the streams were. Being too tired to hike back to the ridge, I pitched my tent in the flattest spot possible and got as much of my gear inside as possible to keep it from getting soaked. I ate a cold dinner being too exhausted to get the stove going and not wanting to fight the rain while cooking. I got in my tent around 5 and just checked some of the maps for the upcoming trail while listening to music and waiting for dark. The rain would only increase through the night so I settled in for a long night. Not the best day, anticipate being rather water logged by morning. Hopefully the temps won¢t drop too low.
Date: 2018-04-07
From: Cody Gap

To: Fontana Dam NC
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: overcast clouds

The rain did not disappoint last night. It kept coming steadily throughout the late hours. At a certain point, my front tent stake pulled out of the wet ground and the front of my tent collapsed in on me. Luckily the rain was only spitting when I went out to fix it but the readjustment caused my rear flaps to pull in against the screen and water began dripping into the corners. By morning I had standing water on both ends of the tent and the bottom of my down quilt was soaked. At this point in the trip, I¢m less concerned about sleeping wet and cold as I am about drowning inside my own tent. The rain stopped falling when I got out in the morning but the world was encased in fog and dew. It wasn¢t too cold but I didn¢t waste any time in packing up my wet gear, not knowing how long the precipitation would be stalled. I hiked up to the trail ridge and found Juke box and head chef collecting their things and we all decided to hike the less than 10 miles to Fontana Dam together. It was fairly quick moving and we were all eager to get to the Fontana lodge where the group had decided to overnight. The temps are supposed to drop into the 20s tonight and that combined with wet gear could spell big trouble. We arrived at the 28 road crossing and called the shuttle to come pick us up. The Fontana lodge was a nice hotel and I felt like a dirtbag shuffling through the lobby. Was able to pick up my packages from Amazon (indomie noodles and another merino wool T-shirt) and mad dog and Val¢s food resupply (thanks guys!). After a hot shower, we all popped down to the wildwood grill where I got down on pizza, wings and beer. All too happy to be in a dry bed tonight while the world outside freezes. Pending temperature and overall motivation, we may decide to stay here one more day before embarking into the Great Smoky Mountains for over a week.
Date: 2018-04-08
From: Fontana Lodge

To: Fontana Lodge
Miles today: 1.4
Weather: few clouds

The consensus was that we could all do with one more day of rest before heading into the smokies for over a week so we will stay at Fontana lodge once more tonight. After breakfast at the bistro, the group decided to slack pack the 1.4 miles between the 28 road crossing where we ended yesterday and the Fontana Dam visitors Center we will leave from tomorrow. Slack packing is just hiking a short section of the trail without all your gear when you can get transportation to the start and stop points. This way we don¢t have to hit that section in the morning ahead of a double digit mileage day. The hike was quick and easy and followed the edge of the reservoir before popping up to the Fontana Dam shelter and visitor center. Dragon and Honey badger joined us as they were just arriving for an overnight and zero tomorrow. We called the lodge shuttle to collect us after we finished and went for lunch at the wildwood grill. The fried green tomato blt was slightly underwhelming and I was regretting not getting a massive pizza. Damn. Just chilled in the room after eating and sized up my massive food bag for the coming week. I¢m going to try to make it 100+ miles through the smokies and into hot springs NC without a resupply. Needless to say I¢m carrying a shit ton of food and my pack feels super heavy. Tomorrow could very well suck given the elevation gain and maximum weight I¢ll be carrying. Such is life these days. Excited to get into the smokies and hopefully some improved weather.
Date: 2018-04-09
From: Fontana Dam lodge

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: broken clouds

Another glorious night of bed rest and a hearty pancake breakfast and I was ready to get back at it this morning. The rain was subsiding this morning and had stopped by the time head chef and I got shuttled back to the trail near the visitor center. We crossed the road over the Dam and shortly thereafter entered the great smoky park boundary. It was just under 10 miles from there to our planned shelter stop. I was cursing the oppressive weight of my food bag as I made my way up into the hills. Moving slowly, I counted off the miles slowly. Came to the shuckstack firetower which apparently has incredible views of the park on a clear day. Not today. The sky was fog soup so I just continued on. The afternoon kind of dragged and I was spent by the time I arrived at the shelter. There was still room inside so I opted to grab a spot up top. Made a small dent in my food bag before hanging it on the bear cables for the night. Shooting for a dozen miles tomorrow as we push deeper into the park and hopefully see the sun again.
Date: 2018-04-10
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Slept decently in mollies ridge Shelter last night save one nearly critical mishap. Had to piss in the middle of the night and rather than lower myself from the top level down to the platform, I decided to hop feet first down and I did not stick the landing. I clipped the platform below with my foot and spilled onto the dirt floor, skinning my knee and nearly crushing my wrist under my own weight. Picked myself up and saw that miraculously no one else in the shelter had stirred at all despite my crashing and cursing. Smooth.The morning was cool but the sky was clear and the trail was good. I stopped with Juke box, ibex, Girl Scout and head chef at a grassy field just before the uphill section of the day started. What was intended to be a few minutes of rest turned into an hour of lazy conversation and catnapping. It¢s great to be able to take advantage of these kind of spots on the trail and we all look forward to many more sunny days when we can just relax, take in the sun and views and just generally enjoy being where we are.The climb up over rocky top wasn¢t too tough and there we found Audrey (now glow stick) and took another long snack break/photo op session. It was a perfectly clear and calm day so we were in no great hurry to get to camp. The rest of the day was a roller coaster of ridge climbing and descents and the last little push up to the shelter was a full mile of pretty steep uphill. The shelter was packed and we were all too happy to set up our tents instead. We also made friends with two dogs that had been leapfrogging hikers all day. Apparently they are trained bear dogs that had decided to come up into the Smokies on their own from Robbinsville some 40 miles away. One of our group had contacted their owner and he sounded like this wasn¢t the first time that they had lit out on their own and he would come up to newfound Gap in two days to collect them when they arrived with our bubble of hikers. We named them Smoky and the Bandit and they ate like kings around camp tonight. Guess we have a little extra bear protection tonight
Date: 2018-04-11
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mt Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Good sleep last night and awoke to another very cool morning. There was a small wind break next to the shelter where the sun was starting to come up where I stood to eat breakfast and slowly warm up. Was in no great hurry to get out of camp despite a decent day of mileage and vertical ahead. As I was getting the last of my things together, John (butterstuff) rolled in to camp having made up significant miles to catch the group after we last saw him in Fontana. A few of us hung around with him while he made a quick coffee and snack. It was nearly 11 before we left camp and we planned to get over Clingmans Dome today and log a dozen plus miles.Made quick work of the early trail and it wasn¢t long before we arrived at silers bald shelter for a fast lunch. Butterstuff, Juke box and I ate quickly then tackled the next section to double spring gap where we filtered water before the climb up Clingmans. Rebel Yell had caught up to us and joined us for the ascent through the dense alpine forest. The trail looked more like the pacific NW here and the change of scenery was not lost on the group. A steady climb eventually brought us to the final ridge where we nearly dropped off the main trail and headed toward the parking lot instead of the proper summit. Two local Tennesseans noticed our mistake and pointed us in the right direction. We arrived at the top to find glow stick, ibex, and Girl Scout lounging below the observation tower. Made the obligatory walk up to the top to take in the 360 views and snap a few pics. The day was getting late and a bit cooler. With 4+ miles still to go, we grabbed our packs and got back on the trail again. Made pretty good time down Clingmans and passed the 200 mile marker (woohoo!) and then a steep climb up Mt Collins on the other side. The shelter was .5 mile off trail in deep forest and I opted to grab a spot inside on the second level. Went full junior high kid at dinner and made Mac and cheese and washed it down with Hawaiian Punch. We are planning to get about 5 miles down to newfound Gap tomorrow before lunch where we can catch a free shuttle into gatlinburg for lunch and then get back on the trail again in the afternoon.
Date: 2018-04-12
From: Mt Collins Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: broken clouds

No issues in shelter last night and slept soundly. The 5 miles to newfound Gap was pretty quick and we chatted with a trail runner for a couple minutes while she checked our permits. Arriving at the Gap parking lot, we were thrilled to find that the church who offered the free shuttle were also set up with a table full of trail magic. Grabbed a coke, orange, brownies and fruit snacks as a precursor to lunch. We piled into their vans at noon and pulled into the NOC outfitter lot 15 minutes later. Most of the crew needed at least one small item so we made our rounds and grabbed what we needed-small fuel bottle for me just to make sure I can get through the smokies. Next, we walked down the block to five guys for a burger. Got hooked up with a triple because they had thrown extra patties on when we all walked in. Threw that thing down without blinking. Walgreens next door then provided some candy weight for my food bag (red vines and coffee nips). We thought it would be a shame to miss out on a little moonshine before skipping town so we sauntered in to the closest tourist trap and did a quick tasting. Closed out the town tour with a large jamocha milkshake from baskin Robbins at a mere 1600 calories. Town diet was on point today.We spilt into a few different groups to hitchhike back up to the gap and after we snagged some tall boys for camp, we were strolling past the last stoplight in town, head chef spotted and picked a huge morel mushroom on the side of the road. A couple local college kids gave us a lift back up to the trail and we started towards the shelter about 3 miles ahead. It was fully packed, the only remaining tent sites were directly in front of the shelter and sloped noticeably down hill. Then I discovered a larger problem: I had left my tent stakes behind, presumably two nights prior when I last tented. D¢oh. I borrowed two stakes and head chef was able to quickly fashion four sticks for my corners and I was back in business for the night. I¢ll have to grab some replacements in Hot Springs in a few days and will probably opt to sleep in shelters until then. We have an incredible view of the smokies from this shelter and will try to get up before sunrise tomorrow and watch the sun come up over the mountains.
Date: 2018-04-13
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Tri Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: clear sky

Slept on a pretty bad slope last night and constantly sliding to the wall of my tent kept me up a bit. Awoke to an early alarm and many at the campsite were also awake to catch the sun coming up over the Smokies. Definitely worth it. The trail ran easily along the high ridges today and we made an early stop at an outlook called Charlie¢s bunion. It was only .2 miles off the trail and had some really great views of the mountains and some decent exposure. We also stopped to lunch at another great vista spot right on the trail. It was almost starting to feel hot today after the morning breeze died down. After arriving at the shelter, we discussed a plan to get off the trail ahead of a storm that would arrive in 2 days and drop 2¢ of rain. The plan is to see about getting a shuttle from Davenport Gap tomorrow afternoon and get into hot springs. This will bump our planned zero day up by a couple days but could be worth it to avoid super heavy rain. Glow stick and ibex will stay with a friend in Asheville for the weekend so we will have to try and reconvene with them in a few days. Grabbed a shelter spot for the night to avoid any chance of rain.
Date: 2018-04-14
From: Tri Corner Knob Shelter

To: Davenport Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

We lit out from camp with some low, fast moving clouds overhead and the hike along the ridges this morning was pretty windy. Made good time to Cosby Knob Shelter and broke for a snacking lunch. When Juke box showed up, she called the hostel in hot springs to inquire about a pickup from Davenport Gap this afternoon. Even though the town is about 30 miles away on the trail, it takes quite a bit longer to drive there with the highway going around on not over the mountains. They said it would take an hour for the shuttle to get up there and they wanted $75 for the ride. Ok, no. We decided instead that we would spend one last night in the Smokies at the part shelter in the park and then hightail it tomorrow morning to Standing Bear Farm hostel to beat the heavy rain and lay low there until the storm passes the following morning. The afternoon hike was sunny and made good time down to Davenport Gap Shelter. It¢s kind of a freaky looking set up with a caged front to keep bears from getting in. We call it the reverse zoo. There is virtually no flat ground anywhere around us so every one is cramming into the shelter tonight. Almost all of us have the same plan to get to the hostel tomorrow early so it will be a pre-dawn mad dash to get there and secure a bunk out of the storm. Hope they aren¢t overbooked.
Date: 2018-04-15
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 3.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept decently and as expected awoke early to the hissing sound of deflating sleeping pads as everyone scrambled to get out of the hills and into the hostel. It was spitting rain when I hit the trail and there was just enough morning light that a headlamp wasn¢t necessary. I arrived at Davenport road Gap to find a sign indicating trail magic and found three beers remaining in a six pack. Grabbed a sculpin pale ale and threw it in my pack and removed my rain coat. No sooner had I crossed the road then the rain picked up again. Quickly threw the rain jacket back on and continued through the woods and followed a beautiful creek with several waterfalls. It was still and quiet and I had the trail to myself. Knowing the hostel awaited I was I good spirits. There were several other signs on the trail indicating that trail magic was ahead but nothing materialized. After crossing I40, Juke box and head chef caught up to me and we booked the last mile to the hostel. The Farm is a funky little place with a Main house, bunk house, several cabins, a tree house and a couple communal buildings for kitchen, laundry and showers. We were relieved to learn that they could accommodate us above the main house in an overflow room. We would have mattresses and a dry roof. Good enough! Took the opportunity to shower, hand wash laundry and cook a digiorno pizza. They also sold fat tire and pbr by the can so I day drank in the kitchen with other hikers while watching the rain fall. This place is quintessential Appalachian trail community and I have really enjoyed mixing with all the other characters and dogs here today and eating junk food from their resupply store. The weather may be cold and snowy tomorrow but we will get back on the trail as most of the moisture has passed today. Fingers crossed that we have avoided the worst of it.
Date: 2018-04-16
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: light snow

Slept soundly in the hostel last night and awoke to a cold and cloudy morning. Did not rush in getting out the door and had a breakfast sandwich and donuts from the store while chatting with other hikers in the kitchen. Had loaned my sleeping pad to Snorts last night as she slept on the porch downstairs because it was far too wet to hammock. Collected it back and settled up my bill and we reluctantly got back on the trail. The snow was supposed to let up around noon. It did not. The climb out was steadily steep and the freezing rain down below turned to consistent snow up higher. I went from sweating to freezing in a matter of minutes and I was hating life by the time I reached the top of thunderhead mountain. I quickly dipped back down into the woods after the summit and the temp improved slightly and the snow had let up a bit too. I was aiming to get something to eat at the first shelter and hopefully reconvene with the group to see where we wanted to get to that afternoon. I slipped on the mud approaching the shelter and fully went down. First complete fall on the trail, almost made it a month without a wipeout. Luckily the soft mud absorbed my fall and I merely got caked. Head Chef was already there and tending to a small campfire; a quick firewood run and we had it roaring nicely. We both agreed that we could stand to stay here for the day given the inconsistent weather and sloppy trail. Juke box and Girl Scout arrived a while later and they both quickly agreed that a good campsite with a fire was a fine place to be. The shelter was full but we scoped some good flat tent sites and decided this would be an ok place to get through the cold night. The snow persisted through the afternoon and evening but never really came down hard. I knocked off about an inch of snow from the exterior of my tent before bed and after lingering by the fire for as long as possible, burrowed in for the night. Put on my performance under layers for the first time on the trail as temps are expected to drop into the low 20s. Hope to keep relatively warm tonight.
Date: 2018-04-17
From: Groundhog creek shelter 

To: Stealth camp after Bluff Mt
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept fine last night despite the cold and stayed perfectly warm. Snow still fell a bit but very little wind. We had a small fire still burning and took our time in the chill air to eat breakfast and get packed. I was the first of our crew to leave camp and we planned to do significant mileage today as well as pass over max patch, a notable high point with supposedly amazing views. The first hour was great. Sun was out and things were starting to get warm again, the snow shouldn¢t linger long today. I reached the road gap below max patch and started the 3.5 mile incline to the top when the winds kicked up. All of the water and snow that had frozen high in the trees the previous night was now being blown down in sizable chunks of ice. What was a somewhat beautiful forest scene quickly turned into a shooting gallery with bitterly cold swirling winds. The ascent seemed to drag on forever and I took several direct hits from the flying ice only to curse at the air and throw a fist at an unattainable enemy. It basically sucked and the higher I climbed, the deeper the remaining snow got. Eventually, I passed another gap where the forest gave way to a more exposed and less snowy clearing and the final climb up to max patch. Here, the winds really kicked up. The menacing ice barrage from above was replaced with a slick sheen of mud below me. I could barely stand against the force of the wind as it was but now had to keep my feet from sliding out on the greased ground. This also sucked. I barely had a chance to take in the panorama up top before the 50mph gusts forced me down the other side. I briefly encountered a nice couple who were waiting for their friend and they offered me a pbj which I gladly accepted and scarfed down before dropping into the woods again. From there I made it quickly to roaring fork shelter where I would snack and wait for the others to catch up.Head Chef was barely 10 minutes behind me and we chatted with Tab for a few minutes before Juke box and Girl Scout got there. We decided to still push for a campsite beyond bluff mountain but settled on one that was slightly closer because it was getting late in the afternoon. We all went at our own pace from there and the 8+ miles were fairly taxing after such a rough morning. Luckily, the weather was much improved and we enjoyed generally sunny skies with only a light wind. By the time we all made it to the tent site off the trail, we were spent. The sunset was throwing off some beautiful shades of blue and purple and we are all excited to get into hot springs tomorrow. Juke box made a reservation for us to have bunks for the next two nights and it will be so great to have our first zero day since  just before the Smokies. Town food has no idea what¢s coming.