morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-27
To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: clear sky

Woke up to rain. Hiked in scattered showers. Got to Hot Springs by 2:30pm only to find out that every hotel/cabin/hostel was already booked up for the night except for a $150 room above the Iron Horse bar and hotel. We talk the manager into cutting the cost of the room by half and then cross the street for lunch and drinks at a hiker packed resturant. As soon as we walk in a young guy sitting next to the door offers us some floor space to drop our packs. We end up talking to this guy before our food arrives and he offers to buy us a round of drinks. Cool. Nice gesture. We accept it. Then we find out be has the room across the hall from us and his family owns the hotel and the 2 bar/grilles. We cross paths with him at a store some time later and to my surprise he invites the 3 of us out for dinner and drinks on his tab. WOW! We oblige and had a terrific time at the Iron Horse. Super good guy, great small town. And I jealously have to add that his fianc©e is ridiculously good looking. Laundry and a late start tomorrow. Weather was rainy all day and unfortunately the same is expected for the following day as well.
Date: 2013-04-28
From: Hot Springs

To: View Entry
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: moderate rain

Jedi playing his Trail Magic song. (With special ending) Cat Lady got married a couple days ago in Gatlinburg. It was a spur of the moment type thing. Pretty neat. Jedi left the trail yesterday, but plans to complete a thru-hike next year. Waterfall & Diesel are leaving the trail today. Waterfall was only doing 30 days. Diesel may hike a few sections in PA later this year. Melanie (from the German couple back on day 1) has also recently left the trail and is back in Germany. Her boyfriend John is still hiking. Tin Man had a 24 hr streak of close calls. He walked up on a bear, had half of his hammock fall while sleeping over top of a creek, a small tree fell in front of him, I melted a piece of his stove and then he burnt himself on my stove. Laundry today, maybe. I dunno how I feel about laundry, at this point it's useless. Either way we are going to stay in town for most of the day in hopes that the rain stops. The current weather forecast is rain today, rain tonight, rain all of tomorrow, and then some more rain all of the next day. Nervous about the next 75 miles. There have been lots of reports about a nasty sickness affecting hikers through that area. This virus leads to 48+ hours of consistent puking, diarrhea, fatigue, weakness, dehydration, etc. and can be easily transmitted if you physically come into contact with an area where somebody had previously been sick. Georgia was the toughest miles, so many huge pointless west-east climbs. Carolina was the least maintained section so far, trees down on the trail. The Smokies had the most rules and regulations. The miles are getting flatter and the climbs are getting relatively easier now. Left Hot Springs at 3pm to start hiking. It rained all day and night. Had warm clothes to change into thankfully. Slept really well. Woke up and created a clothesline to dry everything out.
Date: 2013-04-29
To: View Entry
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

4/29 - 13.5 milesSlept well, woke up to a sunny morning. Hung up clothes and gear to dry. Only my shoes were still wet when we started hiking. This lead to a tiny blister on the inside edge of my right heel. As far as blisters go I've been doing really well. I have had tiny ones on the tips of a few toes and one giant almost blister in the middle of one foot. None of them every got bad enough to pop or become infected. Hiked 7 miles, sat down to have a lunch break at an old dirt road. Some cabin rentals and a hiker general store are located off the trail a half mile down the dirt road. Tin Man drops his pack and heads down to the store to see what they have. A guy walking his dogs sees me and offers oatmeal brownies and some tap water; I accept. Tin Man returns 30 mins later with one can of Coke, one can of Mt. Dew, and a sad face. He was hoping for a couple of beers instead. Finished the night camping by a few streams. I'm expecting to wake up to a moist rain fly from the morning dew. Mudslide is here already. Sun drops soon, we get a fire somewhat going, and eat dinner. A headlamped hiker named B-line comes down the trail while we are finishing eating. He is a north bounder but is going south to make up for miles that he hitched past to catch a bluegrass festival a few days ago. Plan is to hike 13-16 miles tomorrow and then hit a well publicized trail magic cookout at Sam's Gap early the following day.
Date: 2013-04-30
To: View Entry
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Hiked , sweat , camped. Saw a fox. Cool. Camping about 5 miles short of tomorrow's trail magic. Menu lists free "hamburgers, hotdogs, sodas, chips, etc. " Can't believe I'm so excited for a damn hot dog. Hahaha. My diet on the trail EACH DAY will consist of half a box of some Hostess snack cakes, a 4-serving bag of instant mashed potatoes, 1 full sleeve of Ritz crackers, 1-3 bags of gummy worms/starburst/hershey bars, 1 pack of Ramen noodles, 3 packs of peanut butter cheese crackers, 2 pop tarts, a scoop of dried fruit or nuts, and 1-2 granola bars. ---- I have lost about 4lbs since starting this trip 31 days ago. Heavier people are losing a lot more weight. Smaller people are not losing as much yet.Tin Man joined the Peace Corps. before coming out here and will be leaving the trail during our next resupply. Probably in Erwin, TN. S'all Good and I will be the only two left from the original group of four. Kate/Nibs is about 3 days behind and hiking with a slower group. We will be scouting out a new member shortly. Jedi would have been a good fit but he is gone. We're thinking maybe Mudslide might join us but he usually hikes at a slower pace as well.
Date: 2013-05-01
To: View Entry
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Tin Man left the trail. Trail Magic at Sam's Gap was out of burgers & hot dogs when we arrived. They planned for 40 hikers but over 65 came through that day. The group was generous enough to go to the store and buy more food for all the extra hikers. Big Bald was nice. Very comparable to Max Patch Bald. Tented in a very windy area. We got strong gusts all night, off and on rain, and I started feeling cold and pukey sometime during my sleep. Probably one of the three worst nights of sleep on the trail. (Bad area, other hikers didn't get the cold rain and wind)Swallowed a handful of Ibuprofen and added two layers of clothing. Went back to sleep and felt better by morning.
Date: 2013-05-03
From: Erwin, TN

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night we camped just 30 feet off the trail near a lightly used road intersection. One road lead to a rafting/camping area, one road was a bridge that crossed onto Uncle Johnny Nolichucky's Hostel, the other two roads lead to a bunch of churches. An interesting thing happened just as night hit. A cop car drove past us slowly and then 1 minute later a truck stops and the driver gets out to place a bag behind a huge rock 25 feet away from our tents. I finish cooking my dinner and the go to check out the bag. Inside it is a brand new bottle of tequila. Beer is legal in Erwin, TN but you have to go to a neighboring city to buy anything stronger. Assuming this liquor is not trail magic for me I let it be. Next morning...it's still there. Woke up and quickly broke down my tent before 8:30am. Pretty excited to already be in town instead of the usual hassle of hiking and getting to town mid afternoon. Unfortunately the heart of town (groceries, post office, hotels, etc.) is still 4 miles away. It's paved road and not mountain climbing so we start our slow walk to the downtown area. There is no real traffic so hitching a ride is unlikely. We make it about a mile and a half before a white 15-passenger van pulls over a few yards past us. A passenger door swings open and a tiny little head pokes out cheerfully shouting "Hey Smilessss , need a ride?!?" It's none other than Slow n' Steady. The van is being driven by the trail famous Mrs. Janet. Other passengers are a guy named Skinny (who slept in the van the night before), two of Slow n' Steady's hiking friends and two younger female section hikers. Mrs. Janet takes us a few miles down the road to the Super 8. It's about 10am so the rooms are still being cleaned. Outside I talk to Cat Lady for a few minutes and inside Grey Locks pours me a small cup of Blue Moon. Rest of the night is pretty relaxing. Shopping for groceries, cleaning up, and watching hours of NFL Network... probably some Family Guy too.
Date: 2013-05-04
From: Erwin, TN

To: Deep Gap 
Miles today: 12.1

Miss Janet shuttled us back to the trail. Found a big box full of trail magic about 30 feet into the trail. Grabbed a couple energy bars out of the box and continued my hike. Talked with Cat Nap for a few miles. Switched gears and started talking with Mudslide for a few miles. Wore a rain jacket and pack cover for most of the day but there was never anything more than a sprinkle dropping. We climbed in fog or mist for most of the afternoon and braved some decent wind gusts. Found a good campsite that already had a steady fire burning. Sit down and eat dinner with Greenlight who had a very interesting story about his hitch ride out of Gatlinburg a while back. Also here is First Gear and two section hikers headed to Damascus. Grey Beard and S'all Good arrive a few minutes after me. Pretty cold night so we all hit our tents as it gets dark outside. The weather forecast for tomorrow is storms and rain. The following 2 days are supposed to be rainy as well.
Date: 2013-05-05
From: Deep Gap 

To: Greasy Creek Hostel
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: moderate rain

Slept well, no bears messed with me. Rain was consistent through the night. Woke up around 8am but didn't leave my tent. Slept off and on until 1:30pm before finally breaking down my stuff and started hiking. Last night I overheard that there was a hostel 13 miles away (12 AT miles plus .6 miles on side trails). Leaving this late in the day means I probably will not get to the hostile or I will get there and it will be packed full. The later is true. S'all Good and I arrived at the hostel around 8:10pm, just before dark, to a crowded little old house in the middle of nowhere. A hiker lets me in and gives me a brief list of rules the owner has: shoes off, wash hands, etc. All the beds are full and some of the floor space is full as well. I called the hostile earlier and was well aware that I would be sleeping on the floor so this was not a surprise. I can't find the owner so I just sit and watch Gladiator on a 16 inch tv with about 12 other hikers. Some pizza is being passed around so I get a quick meal. Ten minutes goes by and I realize S'all has not come into the room yet. I find him back where we entered at and he looks uncomfortable. He decides to night hike back up the random flooded trails to camp back on the official AT about .6 miles away. I stay at the hostile and tell him I will see him tomorrow. We hiked all day in wind and rain so I easily justify the $10 to sleep on the floor. Sadly tomorrow is going to have the same weather and the follow day might be as well. I haven't seen the sun in about 4 days. I know a few of the hikers here but not all of them. I meet a new hiker named Nerds / Lennon who gives me a Red Bull. Yum!
Date: 2013-05-06
From: Greasy Creek Hostel

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: light rain

Didn't sleep well on the floor of the hostel. There were some extremely loud snorers right next to me. Scotty started off next to me but eventually had enough of the loud snores and decided to cramp himself up between the washing and drying machines. So you know these noises were loud if a 65 year old man puts himself into a cramped spot just another 20 feet away hoping for something more quite. The snores finally stop at 4:30am and I finally begin my sleep. The owner of the hostel busts busts through the room at 7am sharp turning on all the lights, the TV, and aggressively washing the same 5 dishes over and over until people wake up. For the 2nd time in 3 nights I get less than 4 hours of sleep. Just previously in Erwin I had trouble sleeping at the Super 8 hotel because I was all hopped up on caffeine. I hike the long wet driveway back to the campsite where S'all Good is at. He is awake when I get there and talking to Mudslide. Apparently it was really cold and wet where they slept (duh!). S'all is feeling sore and says he is only going to do 5 miles and then maybe get back to town. I tell him I was planning on 16.6 miles and checking out "the barn" shelter. We go our own ways and promise to keep in contact within a few days. We are starting to hike different hikes but this is fine, this is how the trail works. The weather was amazing today. No strong winds and no rain. The evening temp was a little low but I can't really complain as I was expecting more rain. I do however spend the entire day with wet muddy feet. Instead of hiking on a dirt trail I am forced to trudge through glops of mud and streams of cold water. Today also had the longest climb that I can remember doing in a month. The terrain was beautiful, different trees were available to look at, the climb was fun and challenging and there were a few big balds near the end of the day too. I make it to the barn shelter but actually never go look in it. I'm hungry and my feet are wet. Set up the tent, talk to Cat Nap and Phoenix, cook some taters and then off to bed.
Date: 2013-05-07
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: light rain

Beautiful views today. Absolutely gorgeous. The weather was toying with me all day. Some sprinkles here and there and plenty of clouds. I put on my rain gear a few times but then the weather would switch back to just clouds. I randomly met up and hiked the last half of the day with Cat Nap and Phoenix. They were getting dropped off by a truck as I was coming across a road. They had hitched down the road to a local pizza and bakery shop. We have a good hike, keep a steady conversation going, see an awesome waterfall and then we get thunder, lightning, and heavy rain.
Date: 2013-05-08
To: Black Bear Resort (Cabins/Hostel)
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: light rain

no rain until 5pm.. damn, almost out rain it.passed up Cat Nap, Phoenix, Slow n' Steady, Magic Scout, others and ended my night at the surprising nice Black Bear Resort just before 6pm. $15 for a bunk bed room which is the usual price. nice , clean place and I even have the 10 bed room to myself! a couple cabins on site as well for groups of 4. Pink Lady, Subaru, Hawk Eye, and a few other hikers got here before me and split the cabin fees.Shower, laundry, frozen pizza dinner, ice cream dinner, and a couple of beers before getting on the public-use computer at about 9pm. Pac Man pops into the room and asks me if I want to do a distance challenge with him the day after tomorrow. We are to meet at a specific shelter tomorrow night about 16 miles away and then on the following night bust out 30+ miles from that shelter to Damascus, VA. This should be interesting as i haven't done anything over 18 miles with a full pack and only 23 with a slack pack. I accept the challenge. Pac Man heads out into the darkness and sets up his camp down stream from the riverside Black Bear Resort.
Date: 2013-05-09
From: Black Bear Resort (Cabins/Hostel)

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: broken clouds

Started hiking in the heat at 11:30am , felt like I was climbing all day, lightning & thunder around 6pm again, no rain, made it to destination before 7pm. Starting to average close to 3 mph on most days. That is too fast, that means I'm not resting/drinking/eating enough thru the day. Probably not going to do the 32 mile challenge tomorrow. Pac Man isn't here to hike it with me and I can never wake up that early anyways. This is for the best. No need to rush into town and cause injuries after the tough day I pushed today. I hauled 5 beers the 18 miles today and handed them all out at the shelter. Didn't feel like drinking any myself but wanted to share the wealth. Somebody had dropped off a case of cheap beer this morning at the hostel. All I wanted today was water and food. Half the people hanging out at this shelter are German and they are dominating the conversation. I'm in my tent listening to a tornado of the German language. I can understand about 1 out of every 100th word.
Date: 2013-05-10
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 33.0
Weather: light rain

Hiked from 8:10 am to 7:05 pm. Made it 33 miles!! Never did see Pac Man though. Terrain was relatively easy compared to other sections. I only had 1,050 calories worth of food with me and I ended up burning probably close to 10,000 or so. Felt fatigued all day since I've pushed a lot of quick miles all week. 20 miles into my hike thunder, lightning, and extreme amounts of rain pour down from the sky. The trail turns from moist dirt into flooded mud puddles in seconds. My feet do great on dirt and rocks but as soon as I have to hike in water my feet begin to burn and blister. I don't see one other person for my last 10 miles and at times my mind plays tricks on me. Did I go in a circle? Did I go backwards? Is the mileage in my book wrong? I keep plugging forward and finally get to the edge of town. Just as I leave the trail I see my first hiker in almost 4 hours, a guy from Holland name Dutchy. He stayed at the same shelter as I did last night and had overheard my goal of hitting town today. At first he was not sure if he was going to attempt the same 33 miles, but as soon as the rain hit his decision was forced. We walk the half-mile or so into town together and split at a pizza place. He was worried about finding a bunk at The Hiker Inn and I was only worried about pizza. I sit down all muddy and stinky and begin my order. 45 minutes later Dutchy sits at my table and eats a large meat lovers pizza before I even eat half of my small veggie lovers pizza. I went so long without eating today that my stomach just can't handle anything significant. Another half hour goes by and I anxiously make my way down the street to look for a warm place to sleep and possibly shower. Luckily I find both. Behind a local church resides the famous hiker hostel "The Place".Going to stay 2 nights here. I have a very busy week ahead of me. Tin Man is stopping by on the 13th, Sarah is going to hike with me soon, I need a full day or two for minor body recovery, and I have a shoe situation that needs fixed.
Date: 2013-05-11
From: Damascus, VA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Zero day in Damascus. Well deserved, needed, and quite appreciated. Found some old friends along the way like Danger Dave, Cisco Kid, Scarecrow, etc. Bought a new food bag, found dry town shoes in a hiker box, bought camp sandals, got a free shirt from high school cheerleaders that says "I <3 Cheer", ate at a delicious vegan resturant, strolled through the town wide yard sale, and built a friendship with hikers I had just recently met a day or two ago. Wolverine, Chug, Dutchy, and Lucky are my newest pals. I also had a good bonding period with Magic Scout whom I had crossed paths with many times recently but had never really said hello to. So many Germans. It's neat though. At times the Americans are out numbered so they stop talking but the Germans keep conversing so it feels like I'm in a different country at times. Might hike out tomorrow afternoon, not sure.
Date: 2013-05-12
From: Damascus, VA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Walked around town in a circle for 3 hours until the outfitter opened up only to find out he couldn't help me at about my broken shoes. Hit the trail for a few miles and set up tent at a shelter. Three section hikers are here plus Red Specs, Wolf, and Wolverine. Very quite night and a very cold morning as temps dropped just below freezing around midnight. Walked with Jillian for a mile or two. Talked to Brook Trout and Laces during my lunch stop. Felt good to get out of town.
Date: 2013-05-13
To: View Entry
Miles today: 6.0

Last one to leave the campsite this morning. Hahaha, always the last one to leave. The cold mornings are not my best friend, my sleeping bag is though. Hiked an easy handful of miles and then hitched my way back to Damascus around 2pm. Pizza again tonight, my third specialty pizza from the Blue Blaze Caf©. Yum!Current plans are to mail my shoes to Montrail tomorrow afternoon and find a cheap replacement for the next month. Spend the next 3 nights tenting by the small river in town and then finally hiking again on the 18th after a day or two at Trail Days.
Date: 2013-05-14
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I actually walk, a lot on my so called "zero days".Grocery resupply today. Lunch with Tin Man who was passing through on a group motorcycle ride. Spent some time at the library finally reading some Vonnegut whom I have been thinking of reading for years now. Bypassed the Blue Blaze Caf  tonight in search of something new, different, and better. My search did not disappoint. Came across the closed Old Mill Inn. Even though they are not opened on Tuesdays I was still invited inside for an ice cold beer with a few locals. Had a great time. Wish I would have spent all my money here this week instead of the customer service-less Blue Blaze Caf©.   Lesson learned I suppose. Had a great time listening to the co-owner, his father, and their family friend. A guy staying at the Inn asks for a light so I give him one of my new camp lighters. Moments later I pay my tab and upon leaving ask if anybody knows where I can throw my tent up at. The family friend suggests The Place but I tell him I've already exhausted their 2-day limit. The father offers me a riverside spot next to his cabins down the street and I joyfully accept!! Wow, what a great finish to the night. These guys are great. The Old Mill Inn is probably going to be where I spend most of my time during Trail Days. Printed out the warranty paperwork for my broken Montrail shoes. Maybe I'll mail the shoes out soon, just waiting to find a decent replacement pair.
Date: 2013-05-15
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

My emotions are elastic. These obnoxiously loud and caddy librarians are going to make me snap. Shhhhhhhhush already you damn troll. ---------------Anxious for a friend to visit and begin hiking with me. Joyous curiosity fills my empty thoughts on what the over promoted Trail Days Festival will bring. ---------------My camping spot last night was beautiful. Rushing river lulled me to a deep sleep. I awoke to the sights of randomly colored geese waddling past my tent. As I packed up my stuff I could hear beavers slapping their tails on the river's surface. ---------------My journey is still months away from completion but I can already feel the sadness of completing it.
Date: 2013-05-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Hanging out Day 1 of Trail Days. Thinking of a trail name for Sarah. Got a few names in the lineup, thanks to Gilgamesh for the suggestions. --------------------Update 11:30pm. I miss the woods. I never realized how grateful I should be to the hiking days. They relieve my stress. They allow me to escape the bigger fears in life and allow me to just enjoy the simplest of joys. -------- I need to hit the trail tomorrow.