morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2022-10-07
From: Roan High Knob Shelter Mile 379

To: Unaka Mt Established Site Mile 358.1
Miles today: 20.9
Weather: clear sky

With the run of hostels we haven¢t been in the woods that much recently in the morning. Definitely can notice the later sunrise as it creeps later and later. Doing most of the packing up in the dark and it¢s not until close to leaving that there¢s much of a glow in the sky. It wasn¢t as cold this morning although it was pretty breezy. What goes up to the highest shelter must come down and Orchid, Coach and I started with a bunch of descending. We passed an old hotel site from the early 1900¢s but it didn¢t have much left other than a clearing. We ended up leapfrogging southbound DickButt (apparently named after a 10 year old internet meme) who was at the shelter last night. After a descent and climb we had a nice view out across the valley and to the far mountains which were really starting to change. We stopped to enjoy the views and have a snack. Just as we were getting ready to leave a bald eagle flew past. Tried to get a video but it was pretty far away by the time I got the phone out and wasn¢t successful. There is a tree that I think is a maple that is turning yellow and is further along than many of the others. As the leaves begin to fall you can start to get partial views out to the mountains and have more reds showing through the gaps in the trees. We also got spots with partial views here and there.We changed the plan and decided to push on to the enchanted forest on top of Unaka Mt. This is a beautiful pine forest with some established sites surrounded by lush green moss. Compared to some others it¢s not all that big. It¢s quite a pretty site although it does make you sad when you have to walk over the moss to dig a hole in the morning. We found three nice flat spots and settled in for the night. The wind started increasing as we were getting into our tents. This was blowing a bunch of pine needles on the tent and was also making two nearby trees creak pretty loudly. It¢s a bit hard to fall asleep to creaking trees even though you know you checked for widow makers. Steps 38000Weather Forecast: 63/37 sunny
Date: 2022-10-08
From: Unaka Mt Established Site Mile 358.1

To: Uncle JohnnyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hostel Mile 344.2
Miles today: 13.9

Woke up with the alarm and got out of the tent to pee and get the food bag to find that it¢s really foggy out. To really be able see you need to hold the headlamp out to the side otherwise the reflection off the fog is too blinding. The fog also makes it hard to find your food bag when it¢s hung well away from camp. Found the food bag with only a little bit of searching and finished getting ready for the day. Coach, Orchid and I started out just as it was getting light enough to just see the trail. Ran into DickButt at the first water source and ended up leapfrogging him again today all the way to Uncle Johnny¢s where he resupplied and then continued on. Most of the day was a big descent into Erwin TN, although there was the occasional short uphill. The trail was really nice and we were making really good time. It also helps that it was chilly so our breaks were short and there weren¢t any really nice views. As a result we managed to do another 12 by 12 without even really trying. Unfortunately our good luck with yellow jackets this fall ran out when Orchid got stung on her leg several times by the same bee. We were hiking at the time and she was following and we don¢t think we hit a nest so it¢s not clear why she got stung in the first place. Fortunately it was only about a mile from the hostel although we did end up stopping to put some Benadryl cream on it. Got to the hostel and started laundry before using three of the hostels bikes to ride about a mile to a local Mexican restaurant. While we were there Coaches ex wife (he¢s still good friends with her) who lives nearby arrived to visit and shuttle us around town. There¢s a big Apple Festival going on in Erwin and we headed over to check it out. We were really looking forward to some apple cider donuts and other apple treats. Turns out it¢s more a massive standard street fair with hundreds of craft vendors. We walked a bunch and only saw two apple related vendors - an apple farm and an apple pie food truck that was sold out. There was a map but no vendor list I could find to look for others so we left after a short while and headed to the grocery store for a resupply. When we got back finished sorting our food and then headed down to the river across the street where we chatted for a while. We got some more interesting Coach stories from his first AT thru hike as well as some of the other adventures he¢s done. Coach met Kim on the AT back in 2007. Eventually it got dark and we headed out for a late pizza dinner. The store had a duckie claw machine and Coach got me another duckie. This one has been named Zinnia by Orchid¢s nieces, Little Might and Pigtail.Kim brought her dog so she and Coach are in one of the hostel¢s private cabins while Orchid and I are in the bunkhouse with one other section hiker who arrived just as we got back from dinner. Steps 32300Weather Forecast: 55/34 partly sunny
Date: 2022-10-09
From: Uncle JohnnyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hostel Mile 344.2

To: Uncle JohnnyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hostel (Exit at Spivey Gap 19W) Mile 333.9
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: clear sky

Erwin is apparently located in the bible belt as there is almost nothing food related open on Sunday mornings. Even the diner is closed. We had to settle for Dunkin¢ Donuts where I ended up having two sandwiches. Kim is slackpacking us today and we headed to the trail head after breakfast. We¢re heading north back to Uncle Johnny¢s. Kim and her dog Hank joined us for the first two miles before she turned around and Orchid, Coach and I continued on. Today is the first of four days to get to Hot Springs where Coach will finish his Bama to Baxster AT Thru Hike (Pinhoti to Benton MacKaye to AT). We had some nice partial views but otherwise it was a fairly mundane day on the trail just with nicer foliage. Only saw one southbound Thru Hiker and didn¢t see as many overnight hikers as in days past. Eventually we came to the Lover¢s Leap Overlook which had a great view down to the river, mountains across the valley and the town of Erwin. Kim and Hank were waiting for us and we slowly made our way back to the hostel where we had a snack. The four of us headed to Walmart for some resupply items and then tried to find a place to eat dinner. Turns out not much is open Sunday and what is open seems to close early. Eventually we ended up at a Brewery in Johnson City which actually had pretty good food. After dinner Kim dropped the three of us off at the Hostel. Coach is in the bunkhouse tonight and two other southbound Thru Hikers are there as well. Tomorrow we have a shuttle driver coming to bring us back to the trail.Steps 25700Weather Forecast: 60/36 partly sunny
Date: 2022-10-11
From: Established Site by Sugarloaf Branch Mile 312

To: Established site by Log Cabin Drive Mile 291.4
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: broken clouds

It¢s Coaches birthday today. Unfortunately being in the middle of a resupply we didn¢t pack out anything. We¢re planning to make up for that in Hot Springs although we did regale him with an off tune Happy Birthday song. We had a short bit of downhill before starting a nearly 2000 foot climb over 8 miles up to Big Butt. We¢ve been hugging the border between NC and TN, crossing back and forth. Orchid and I took advantage of the North Carolina located shelter having a privy. Most Tennessee shelters do not have a privy so it¢s hit or miss as we border hop. We stopped on the top of Big Butt for a snack and found a spot on the rocks in the sun on the overgrown top. Queue the bad jokes here¢¦ but ironically yesterday we passed a rock formation that really looked like a butt and that the mountain was mooning us. After snack we continued for about 5 miles until we reached the top of Big Firescald Knob. This was an exposed ridge walk with excellent views into both NC and TN. The mountains on both sides were bursting with colors and it was one of the best views we¢ve had so far. We found a lunch spot in the sun and just soaked in the views. Eventually it was getting hot in the sun even with the breeze. However as soon as we got back into the green tunnel it got chilly as the breeze was making it through the woods. It¢s not paranoia when everything is trying to eat, bite or sting you and end your hike. Coach was leading on the ridge walk when we came across a large ¢friendly¢ off leash dog that was barking up a storm at us. Owner wasn¢t doing much to control dog or move it off trail other than to keep telling us her barking dog was friendly. Coach was following Orchid and I when he saw a bear just minutes after we passed through. Shortly after that I walked over a baby snack that I never saw but Orchid spotted. It looked like a Copperhead but it¢s hard to tell as the pictures of it are blurry as it slithered off trail as I got closer to take a picture. Not too much further along we came to a large yellow jacket nest right in the trail. Fortunately we were in the lookout and spotted it before we walked over it. We camped at an established site about 0.1 miles before a trail angel that bakes delicious homemade cookies. We setup camp and ate dinner and then headed down for a cookie. The woman who bakes the cookies came out and we talked with her for quite a while. It¢s the first year she¢s been doing this and she had baked upwards of 60 cookies per day during the peak northbound bubble. We¢re thinking she should be called Cookie Lady 2.90 based off her NOBO mileage. In addition she had Halloween candy, water and trash. We returned to camp where the wind was picking up but it was still a warm breeze. Overall it was an absolutely gorgeous day, with warmer temperatures than we have had recently and wonderful views throughout the day. Steps 40800Weather Forecast: 68/51 sunny
Date: 2022-10-13
From: Laughing Heart Hostel Mile 274.6

To: Roaring Brook Shelter Mile 257
Miles today: 17.6

The six of us all ate breakfast at the Lodge. We were hoping for a hot breakfast but it was a continental breakfast. I ate a mix of stuff and was pretty full but would have preferred eggs and pancakes. After breakfast Orchid and I said goodbye to Coach and headed out on the trail much later than usual. First we were The POD with Pilgrim, then The COD with Coach, and now we¢re just The OD, or The OD Couple if you know your 70¢s sitcoms.We started out with a ling 3200 foot climb up to the top of Bluff Mt. Although there were no views from the top, there were some nice rocks to sit on and we stopped at the top to each lunch with several other hikers. Generally it was an unremarkable day of hiking. We had the occasional partial view but nothing really spectacular or unobstructed. The trail corridor is pretty with the changing leaves but it¢s the full hillsides that are the most spectacular. A bunch of leaves have fallen already and there are spots where the leaves are starting to hide the rocks and roots making it slightly harder to walk. We did see a bear today. It was just watching us and holding in place until we gave it a Hey Bear and it ran away. We also came across another baby snake that was possibly a Copperhead. It blended in well with the leaves on the ground but fortunately we didn¢t walk over it today. We stayed in the shelter tonight for the first time in about a month. There was a breeze with the occasional stronger gust that made it slightly chilly but otherwise it wasn¢t too bad. This shelter has bear cables which makes hanging food super easy. Steps 33400Weather Forecast: 69/42 partly sunny
Date: 2022-10-14
From: Roaring Brook Shelter Mile 257

To: Standing Bear Farm Hostel Mile 242.7
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: clear sky

We ended up getting up to leave at the regular 7:15 time. Packed up and ate breakfast in the dark. Had to use the headlight for a little while while going. One of the first places we¢re coming to today is Max Patch, a large grassy bald with 360 deg views. We realized too late that we probably should have gotten up extra early and hiked in the dark to catch the sunrise. The sun was just past fully up when we arrived. Max Patch is extremely popular and close to a trailhead and there were about 3 dozen people on the top watching the sunrise. We stayed for a little while enjoying the views and the surrounding mountains fall color. Descending out of Max Patch we came to a road crossing where Biscuit (previously thru hiked the AT) was providing trail magic. Unfortunately Biscuit had not yet fully setup or gotten a fire going so we missed out on breakfast burritos. However I did get hot chocolate, OJ, banana, chips and Halloween candy. We stayed for a little while but eventually started to get cold and pressed on. The trees and understory around the trail are turning colors, mostly yellows, and it¢s nice walking through the woods especially if the sun hits things just right and everything glows yellow or orange. However you can¢t see far if the forest is thick and it¢s the entire hillsides where the colors pop the most. We get peaks through the trees but not too many unobstructed views. Often you are walking along the trail looking through the trees trying to catch a better glimpse. Other than Max Patch and the foliage it was a mostly unremarkable day.We headed into the hostel to resupply for the Smokies and spend the night. It¢s an interesting hostel that¢s been going for a long time. The resupply options for breakfast and dinner weren¢t too bad but could have been better for snacks. I¢m definitely going to miss Snickers bars among other things. Hand wash laundry but they have a dryer. They made a white bean chicken chili for dinner that was really good. Most of the people staying here tonight are section hikers and they stayed up until midnight around the fire ring listening to two guys sing and play (base and guitar). It was close enough to the bunkhouse that it made it hard to fall asleep. Steps 33300Weather Forecast: 69/47 partly sunny
Date: 2022-10-15
From: Standing Bear Farm Hostel Mile 242.7

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter Mile 224.6
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: clear sky

Got up a little later than usual as it¢s slightly quicker to pack up if you¢re not using your sleep setup. Got on the road a touch late because I packed up the ¢blank¢ postcards Orchid gave me because she wrote in red ink and I was using the red light on the head light. We were followed for a while by the hostel¢s orange tabby cat as we descended to Interstate 40. Just before we got there I spotted a styrofoam cooler someone left for trail magic and was focusing on it as I walked right past a bear that I never saw. Orchid was 20m behind me and spotted it but because it didn¢t run she kept going and didn¢t get a picture. We think the bear was probably at the cooler and moved off when it heard us coming. Still don¢t understand why you leave easily opened containers in bear country. Once we crossed under I40 it was 4900 ft up to the high point on Mt Guyot. This is the largest valley to peak that we have had so far and accounts for most of the 6600 feet of elevation gain for the day. I was getting warm so I switched to shorts before starting the climb. About a mile in we entered the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We dropped off our permits at the box and continued on our way. We crossed a road which had a converted ambulance with Fastest Known Time emblazoned on it. We would get passed soon after by a guy heading north. It seemed like he was going to turn around and head back but we never saw him again. About halfway up we came to the Mt Cammerer fire lookout side trail and decided to go see it since You Only Live Once. This added 1.2 miles to our already long day. It¢s a lookout since it¢s a two story structure built on the ground. It offered some really nice views and the surrounding mountains were quite colorful. However the views from Big Firescald Knob are still the best we have had.  This started a 2 mile stretch of trail to the Low Gap Trail where we saw lots of people and five people on horses.We stopped for lunch at Cosby Knob Shelter  where there was a father and son backpacking and we chatted with them as we ate. This was the first water for the day making for a long water carry this morning. We continued climbing after lunch and eventually reached 6320 feet on Mt Guyot, which is the highest point we¢ve been at so far on the trail. We continued to get spotty partial views as we made our way to the shelter. It¢s going to be nice tonight and the shelter is crowded with section hikers so we decided to take the tenting option. The sites were not great and so we decided to squeeze both our tents into one small space. Ate dinner and chatted with the other hikers. Hung our food on the bear cables (Yay!) and retired to our tents. I heard them talking until after 9 so tenting was a good choice. I even slept with the vestibule unzipped and open. Steps 32500Weather Forecast: 75/49 sunny
Date: 2022-10-19
From: Wolf Creek Hostel (Exit at Fontana Dam Upper Lot) Mile 167.0

To: Wolf Creek Hostel (Exit at Fontana Dam Upper Lot) Mile 167.0
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up around 8 and slowly got going. Made a breakfast sandwich and chatted with Decadent and a section hiker Cruise, who arrived this morning, for a while. Lonnie the amazing hostel owner shuttled us to the Ingels around noon for a resupply. In addition to food, I managed to find a decent hat but not any warmer gloves. Fortunately the gloves with the rain mitts worked ok so I¢ll keep going with that and hopefully the temperatures won¢t dip as cold in the next 10 days or so. Spent the rest of the afternoon chatting, catching up with things, and watching some Netflix. Cooked a chicken, broccoli and green bean stir fry for dinner so got some greens. Generally over half of what I eat in town is really healthy but the rest are delicious pastries and junk. Tomorrow brings an additional slackpack to help with recovery before the final push to Springer Mt. I¢ll tease that we got some unexpected and exciting news this evening which I¢ll reveal in a couple of days¢¦Steps 4100Weather Forecast: 52/25 Sunny
Date: 2022-10-20
From: Wolf Creek Hostel (Exit at Fontana Dam Upper Lot) Mile 167.0

To: Wolf Creek Hostel (Exit at Stecoah Gap) Mile 151.8
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

The four of us were dropped off at Stecoah Gap around 9 AM as it¢s a shorter day for all of us. Decadent is heading south while Cruise, Orchid and I are slackpack north and coming back to the hostel tonight. Immediately after leaving the gap we started climbing Jacob¢s Ladder. This is a 650 ft climb in just over half a mile which comes to approximately a 25% grade. It has a lot of steps and the occasional switchback to help but it¢s still a tough climb. As Coach is fond of saying ¢This shit is hard¢! Went from cold to sweating over the course of the climb. There was a small view at the top.I forgot to mention that Orchid and I left TN for the last time about 10 miles or so before we left the Smokies. We didn¢t notice a sign but weren¢t really looking for one either. In any event we¢re now in North Carolina and only have two states remaining. We¢re noticing that three of the wildflowers that have been prevalent have survived and don¢t seem any worse for the wear - Gentian, Blue Aster, and a yellow one. We think these areas also got a freeze or frost as some of the other plants like stinging nettle are wilted. There¢s also some ferns that have survived as well. It¢s nice to continue to get the blue and yellow flowers as the mountains slowly turn brown and grey. After the initial climb most of the day was spent gradually descending. The lower the terrain the better the foliage colors. Generally it was a relatively uneventful day. It¢s an easier day without the full pack weight which helps with additional recovery from the long stretch we just completed. We came to the Fontana Marina and went down to check out the views, but it turns out it¢s in a little bay and has no good views. Since the lake levels can vary by 50 feet the marina is completely floating and is connected by a long floating dock. After the marina we saw another baby snake sunning itself on the trail. Probably was a Copperhead but not sure. This one was easy to walk around. Finally we checked out the Fontana ¢Hilton¢ shelter so named because it has running water, showers, trash cans, and a solar charger.We passed two southbound hikers Taz and Yorkshire Pudding during the day and then saw Flip again at the Fontana parking lot while waiting for our shuttle. We covered 15 miles which means there were only three southbound hikers in a roughly thirty mile stretch of trail. Turns out Taz and Yorkshire are staying at the hostel tonight. Steps 36000Weather Forecast: 59/29 partly sunny
Date: 2022-10-21
From: Wolf Creek Hostel (Exit at Stecoah Gap) Mile 151.8

To: Gorgeous Stays (Exit at NOC) Mile 137.9
Miles today: 13.9

The five of us got dropped off at Stecoah Gap around 9 AM again. Orchid and I have a shorter day planned so it¢s not too important to get out early. We ended up leapfrogging Taz and Yorkshire several times during the day but never saw Cruise after we got going.We started with a big climb up to Cheoah Bald where we got some partial views but nothing spectacular. The best color is lower in the valley as the upper mountains, especially above 5000 feet are mostly bare. Following that was a long gradual decent into the NOC ( Nantahala Outdoor Center). This is a large complex offered everything from white water rafting and kayacking, to traing, to restaurants and an outfitter. Shortly after we arrived a train from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad pulled into the NOC station and several hundred people got off. Unfortunately we were parked at a table in the midst of all of them. Felt like we were in a zoo. We managed to finish our resupply and got picked up for the ride to the hostel. We¢re staying in the Hero¢s Hideaway which is a super hero themed little house built out of a shipping container which included capes and masks of various super heros. Most of the places are fun and quirky like ours, including a double decker tour bus, school bus and a chicken coop. Overall it¢s a nice place with very comfortable beds. And for those wondering, no we didn¢t dress up. Steps 30500Weather Forecast: 68/33 Sunny