morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-03-26
From: Unicoi Gap

To: zero
Miles today: 0.0

Being lazy today & packing up for tomorrow. Walked to town for a huge breakfast, grocery shopping and then had a big dinner at Danielle's Restaurant tonight, all you can eat! Great food and nice people work there.    I guess I need to finish up journaling, it's 11:00 pm, Bev's snoring! We have more mountains to climb in the morning. Good night friends & family, love you!
Date: 2017-03-27
From: Unicoi Gap, Ga

To: Sassafras Gap
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We left the Budget Inn this morning and was back on the trail by 10:00 am. We had planned to do only 7 miles but we both felt great after our zero day so we did over 10 miles. We set up our tent, made a Pad Tai meal, cleaned up and hung our food bags. Now I'm in my tent exhausted, ready for bed but it's only 7:30.    Oh, I forgot, Bev's lens fell out of her glasses today which could of been bad, she's almost blind without them. The screw was still in the frame do I used my handy mini Swiss Army knife and fixed them for her.    No wildlife seen today either. Bev and I only saw about 5 people all day today, it was great! Here at this campsite there are 20 tents though, 3 dogs so the bear won't come near here.    It's supposed to cool off tonight and it's calling for thunder showers towards early morning. I have my tent secured this time!    I was told my dad came home today after going through treatments for lymphoma. He's been staying at a boarding home during treatments. Welcome home Lee!!!   Good night all, life is good!
Date: 2017-03-28
From: Sassafras Gap

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We left Sassafras Gap at 9:10. I guess it poured all night but I finally slept great so didn't hear it. My tent underneath was a muddy mess again! My tyvek was even worse so it took time to pack up this morning. Our hike today wasn't bad, mostly downhill to Dicks Creek. Highway 76 runs by here.    When we arrived at the parking lot there was "trail magic"! Former AT hiker, Parachute had McDonald's hamburgers for the hikers.... Bev & I inhaled two each! He even had some dehydrated meals he gave us! Thank you so much Parachute! We had the campsites to ourselves but is was noisy being so close to a busy road. We were up early and on the trail by 8:15.
Date: 2017-03-29
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Bly Gap. 
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: mist

Today leaving Dicks Creek Gap was beautiful day, very warm 75-80. Water sources were terrible, most very stagnant so Bev & I had a tough time finding drinkable water most of the day, which stunk since it was so hot. We reached the North Carolina boarder today!!! One state down, 13 to go. We arrived at ably Gap about 3:00, very tired.
Date: 2017-03-30
From: Bly Gap. 

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: few clouds

We left Bly Gap campsite at 8:30. Our morning started off straight up a huge Mountain, elevation 4,500....What a way to wake up!! Thanks to a morning power bar & some powdered propel mixed in my water helped get me going. We hiked most of the day in the clouds, which was kind of eerie but beautiful at the same time. It was so quiet & peaceful. We had a great afternoon except the scenery of burnt forest wasn't pretty. At about 2:00 we stopped to have a power bar for lunch while filtering water and sat a chatted with, King & Wide Sky. I made a comment to them, I think we are almost to a parking area, wouldn't it be great if there was some trail magic. Well, it was there at Deep Gap!!! Granny & Old Goat had so much food for us hikers! Beans, rice, cooked broccoli & carrots, pastas, drinks, Oreo cookies & so much more!!! Thanks again for your generosity! Their daughter hiked the AT a few years ago. This is were we heard that a bad thunderstorm was coming in about 8 pm so we decided to say in our first shelter for the first time! This is a three sided hut. Look through my pictures you'll see what one looks like. There ended up being 6 of us in the shelter, one being a Ridge Runner, her name was Shelo (? Spelling).... she patrols 60 miles of trail, as a volunteer! I think that's so amazing. Thanks for your kindness & stories. It was a wild, stormy, cold, damp night.... I got zero sleep! The thunderstorm started about 8 pm & didn't end until 7 or 8 am! Bev & I was so thankful we stayed in the shelter, others who stayed in tents had a muddy mess to clean up. Thank you Lord for keeping us all safe.
Date: 2017-03-31
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Betty Creek Gap
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

We left Standing Indian Shelter about 9:00, after the wind calmed down. It's another overcast morning but the AT weather forecast calls for partly sunny skies, temperatures 58...Perfect for hiking! We are still at 4,742 feet and will be at this elevation or higher all day. We climb Albert Mountain today. I almost stepped on a bright red salamander on the trail....I posted it in my photos. Later on down the trail I found someone's bread, yup there it was laying in the mud. I picked it up and wiped it on my dirty towel and had Bev attach it to my backpack! Lol. I believe it was dropped by a guy who stayed in the shelter last night, trail name, Milk Jug. I decided to carry it in case we caught up to him. Then down the trail about .05 I find two huge beautiful, delicious looking fresh tomatoes!!! Bev & I laughed so hard??. Again, assumed it must be Milk Jugs. We wipes them dry and stuffed them in on top of the bread bag. Ok, now my pack weighs probably 1lb more but ....being the Good Samaritan I am, I carried it, lol We are still in an area that burned last Fall, makes me ill looking at it. We walked 8 miles to the next shelter thinking we'd see Milk Jug but no one had seen him,...by now I was tired of carrying this bag dangling and swinging on the back of my pack.... I started thinking if we don't see him soon I was going to have a tomato & tuna sandwich! I mentioned it to Bev and she thought oh my God, yes let's do that!!! So we did. Sorry MJ but thank you, it was delicious! God forgive us.We arrived at Betty Creek Gap and there were two women there, after talking only a few minutes asking were everyone was from, they say, "Oh, you two are the Maine Sisters", everyone is talking about you! So it looks like our trail names might be, the Maine sisters, that's too funny, one of these ladies was from Winslow, Me., her sister Betty from SC. Sorry I forgot the name of the one from Maine...We'll probably see them again. We sat up our homes, I mean tents for the night and cooked Chili mac & cheese with beans....It was yummy. Off to bed we go because we have another 12.2 miles to go to get into Franklin, NC for a zero day!!!!Cant wait for a shower, it has been six days! Oh do we ever stink!! Good night family & friends, love & miss everyone!??
Date: 2017-04-01
To: Franklin, NC 
Miles today: 12.2

This will be a short entry, I'm tired. We walked 12 or more miles today, tough last 4 miles into Franklin, NC for our zero day....Resupply, eat, stay in a motel....shower, relax and rest our feet and legs! We hitched a ride into town, 10 miles from Winding Stair Gap...yup Bev stuck out her thumb, just like back in high school in the 70's! It wasn't too scary because there happened to be a retired police officer trying to catch a ride too. No one was stopping for him so Bev said, let me try! Right off a very nice lady with a pickup stopped and took all three of us right to our motel. Thanks to another wonderful person, it was so much appreciated. Our feet were killing us....just very tired. We went to a brewery after showering and putting on our clean camp clothes..(shorts & tee shirts with our Croc shoes). We had one beer and met a nice couple Laura & Sean who found out we were AT through hikers. They offered to come pick us up at the Sapphire Inn tomorrow, take us to WalMart to get our food & let us do our laundry at their house. That's so amazing!Bev & I ended up going to a Mexican Resturant for dinner, it was yummy!
Date: 2017-04-02
From: Franklin, NC 

To: zero
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We had a great meal at the Mexican Restaurant across the street from the Sapphire Inn & I finally slept so good!Our bathroom shower won't turn off completely so the extremely hot water it leaking a lot! Management knows about it and someone is coming to fix it. Sean & Laura came to get us to go do our laundry at their house. Bev, Laura & Sean had yummy looking Bloody Mary's but I opted not to have one because I had too many things to do that day, once I have one of those I need a nap, lol!!! We went to WalMart to pick up supplies & then we went back to our room to repack and organize our gear. Our shower still hasn't been fixed so our bathroom is like a steam room. Bev slipped on the floor and almost fell down! Water is dripping off the ceilings and running down the walls! We once again complained so we'll see if it gets fixed.Bev & I waked 2 1/2 miles to a Verizion store in our crocs/camp shoes so she could get an adapter for her new cell phone charger. We then bribed an employee to give us a ride back to the motel, ha! ha!.... Funny two people walking over 2,000 miles home and we asked for a ride! I can see that after 5 to 6 months on the AT we definitely will have walked a lot more than that. We hit the trail tomorrow!! Oh ya, Sean offered to drop us back off at Winding Stairs Gap where we got off the trail, 12 miles away. Wow again,true Earth Angels. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. won't turn off completely so the extremely hot water it leaking a lot! Management knows about it and someone is coming to fix it. Sean & Laura came and get us to go do our laundry at their house. Bev, Laura & Sean had yummy looking Bloody Mary's but I opted not to have one because I had too many things to do that day, once I have one of those I need a nap, lol!!! We went to WalMart to pick up supplies & then we went back to our room to repack and organize our gear. Our shower still hasn't been fixed so our bathroom is like a steam room. Bev slipped on the floor and almost fell down! Water is dripping off the ceilings and running down the walls! We once again complained so we'll see if it gets fixed.
Date: 2017-04-03
From: Franklin, NC 

To: Siler Bald Mtn
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: clear sky

Sean picked us up at 10:30 am and dropped us off at the trail. It had already started raining and he felt bad he dropped us off. We told him this was something we'll be doing a lot. 15 mins into our up hill hike it started pouring and then came the thunder & lightning!!! Bethany St Pierre, I thought of you! I prayed really hard to God, Adam & all my Angel's to keep us safe! We did stop once along the trail and covered up with my tarp until we thought the storm passed. Another thunderstorm started again shortly after staring out again! We had about 4 miles to get to the nearest shelter so we hiked on as fast as we could. That darn shelter was a mile off the main AT trail! The trail was like walking in a stream it was raining so hard! Once at the shelter ....which was over filled with hikers,Bev & I had to get out of our wet clothes, we we're soaked, so right there in front of other drenched hikers doing the same thing, we stripped out of our wet clothes to put on dry ones. I poured water out of my boots! I was so cold and miserable. When the rain stopped for about 15 mins we quickly helped each other put up our tents, the wind was blowing too hard to do it alone. We threw up my para cord that I hang my food bag with around the inside of the shelter and Bev, I and others used it to hang up soggy clothes, socks, etc.!!It was a long scary night, with high winds & pouring rain but we made it through it again. The next morning I took down my clothes line so I could hang everything outside in the sunshine & breeze. We left about 11:00 am, everything was dry except our boots. Like when I was a kid, I put plastic bags over my socks and put my foot inside my wet boots.One other thing, I want to thank Laura back in Franklin for the emergency blanket. I wrapped myself in that inside my sleeping bag so I was toasty warm in no time!
Date: 2017-04-04
From: Siler Bald Mtn

To: Wayah Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: moderate rain

Well my plastic bags worked for awhile but my boots are so wet my feet are soggy! Bev & I made it a short day so we could get our boots off to dry them & our socks before the sun sets tonight. Thankful neither one of us got blisters. I again apologize for misspelled words, etc but this journaling on my iPhone is hard to do.Good Night Ya'all. .... Or to those from Maine, Good night you guys... or, you all. Love & miss my family & friends. Xoxo
Date: 2017-04-05
From: Wayah Shelter

To: Cold Springs Shelter
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: snow

Last night was another restless night for me, I slept ok but not sound. Maybe because I kept sliding off my air mattress, lol.... Its tough finding a level spot to pitch our tents.When we first went to bed we heard an owl, he/she was so comforting to here...better than thunder and howling winds! This morning is looking like rain again, NO!!! I forgot to tell everyone, I have one of those fancy, Suunto watches that has a compass, time & date, altimeter/barometer....which has an alarm to alert us of severe weather. Well, guess what, this thing hasn't alerted us once yet!! The face has been steamed up for two days and it's supposed to be waterproof. Maybe it's defective. I'll have to contact REI about this. So frustrating! We didn't get far this morning before we realized it was going to be another miserable day and a few hikers we've seen today say it's going to be another bad one. We stopped at the next shelter, Cold Springs, for the rest of the day & night. It stinks to stop this early 10:30 am and only 5 miles. :-( but after getting our stuff almost dry we didn't want to put our tents up in the rain, and not to mention, my boots are still wet! We had first dibs on the shelter spot, we got there first. It only sleeps 6 and by 11:00 it was full! Papa Dude, Quitter and a guy named Jeff stayed in the shelter too. It was a long day and even longer night.... It turned really cold, it was in the twenties or maybe teens towards morning. Again, thanks to Laura for that emergency blanket. I even slept with my boots in my sleeping bag, hoping they would dry. My boots were warm this morning but still really damp. I have to say, I really hate the shelters....enough said. Ha! Ha!
Date: 2017-04-06
From: Cold Springs Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.7

We were up and on the trail by 8:30, it was so cold packing up but I'm grateful we didn't have wet frozen tents to pack away this morning. I had such a back ache all night I couldn't sleep! Maybe it was my boots poking me in the back ... or maybe I wasn't used to a flat surface.. Or, maybe it's because we laid around all day yesterday...I'm just glad to be back on the trail again!! Once on the trail I called NOC at 9:00 am when they opened to reserve a room for two nights, we hear it's going to be really cold until Saturday. We did get a room, yay!!! It was a tricky walk into NOC, lots of mud on top of rotten wet slippery leaves and then slippery rocks on Weser Bald. Our 11.7 miles did go by rather quickly but my knees were hurting me for the first time. I was so happy when I heard traffic and a train blowing its horn! Then to see the awesome site where NOC is located, it's breathtaking! It's on Hwy 19W in Bryson City, NC. You can kayak, zip line, hike of course & much more.Our room is way up on a hill heading north on the AT trail, wow though, what a view of the little village and Mountains. We've cranked the heat to 75!! The washer and dryer is being used so we've decided to go eat real food! We went to the outfitter store because Bev needed a new pair of boots, hers have been hurting her feet. Bev's debit card wouldn't work again! She called the bank and come to find out the person who stole her credit card information two weeks ago was trying to find out why her old card wasn't working. I guess since it was phone fraud Bev has to go into a bank, show her ID and other forms of identification before they issue her a third card!! Bev lucky found another true earth Angel to drive her back to Franklin, NC TD Bank tomorrow morning,16 miles one way! I bet the person who did this to her never gets caught but I do believe in karma....I hope it catches up with YOU!!! We are both in bed at 8:15 pm.
Date: 2017-04-07
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Zero
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: fog

Bev's alarm scared the crap out of me this morning at 8:00 am, "Girls Gotta Have Fun",alarm song, OMG! She's off to Franklin with Polly and her son & daughter to get Bev's credit/debit card straightened out. Thanks Polly for taking good care of her.I'm just chilling, drinking coffee, doing some stretching to make sure my knee is ok. I'm hungry but will wait for Bev to get back to go resupply & eat lunch.We had a wonderful day here. We have seen several people we started with at Springer Mtn., GA. , one person is Everest, it was great to see him! Most are 20 to 30 years younger....Not to toot our own horns but we're doing ok for two ole ladies! Bev got new boots & we've eaten real well while here. They have the best burgers!!! Thanks Tom for fixing our feet issues and helping Bev select new boots and mail her old ones home.To the help at the restaurant, everyone was so friendly & polite. I didn't get everyone's names but thanks, Bradley & Dillion for making us laugh. We are packing up again to hit the trail early. It's going to be a tough 3-4 days to get into Fontana Dam where we both have boxes waiting from home with resupplies before we go into the Smokies Mountains. Pray for good weather please. Hugs & love to Dan & Jason. Thanks for supporting me and cheering me on.
Date: 2017-04-08
From: Nanthala Outdoor Center

To: Locust Cove Gap
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: broken clouds

I just realized the mileage on my posts are off, probably because I missed posting one day. NOC is at mile 137.0.We had a great breakfast before leaving town and was on the trail by 9:15 am. What a beautiful day, sunny but cool. We walked through snow in the higher elevations. Glad I didn't have to stay up here last night! We met some volunteers on the trail, doing maintenance, cutting falling trees across the trail. I can't believe they hike up here, it's a tough climb. They pointed to the Smokies off to our right, wow... we can't believe we are almost there! The site of them is spectacular!We only saw a few hikers today.We made it to Locust Cove Gap about 3:45 pm. We thought we may be there alone but eventually more hikers set ups tents, so there is about 10 tents.
Date: 2017-04-09
From: Locust Cove Gap

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

I slept ok but woke up a couple of times because I was cold. Other hikers said they were cold too. I could of put my down jacket on but was too lazy to put it on....besides, I was using it as my pillow.Today was a really tough climb, we went up "Jacobs Ladder", a section on this mountain that goes straight up pretty much! Bev & I did it though....we just kept saying, we've got this! It was sunny and warm, maybe 75My new super feet insoles gave me blisters!!! Oh, I hate that! My boots never gave me blisters with the original insoles but they were worn out so I replaced them with these highly recommended hiking insoles. I'm sure after they are broken in they'll be ok, I hope so because we're going into the Smokies and there's no place to go in town, 60 miles of wilderness.We got to the tent site at 4:00. We had a great Mountain House meal and was in our bed/tent by 7:30.Good night, on to Fontana Dam tomorrow!
Date: 2017-04-10
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Village/Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: broken clouds

I had an OK night, was awake at 2:40 am and never did go back to sleep. It was a clear cool night, the moon was really beautiful & bright.I woke Bev at 6:45 & was on our way by 8:00. The walk into Fontana was a nice, sunny & warm. They only animal we saw was a chipmunk.... Heard lots of birds signing away to us. We arrived at Fontana Crossings at 11:00 am and caught a shuttle right away into the Lodge to pick up our supply box we shipped/bounced from NOC in NC, 60 miles back.We have a huge lunch at the Lodge & rested our feet before we had to finished our hike to Fontana Dam Shelter. The shelter and tents sites are pretty much filled but we found two spots. The short house was a complete mess and there wasn't any hot water left but I'll take the cold.. Just to get some dirt
Date: 2017-04-11
From: Fontana Village/Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night wasn't the best night, it was noisy from a party going on close by. When I did fall asleep, it's was for only a few hours. The moon was so bright I guess my time clock figured it was morning.We packed up and was ready to go when I realized the solar charging station wasn't working so now I'm going into the Smokies with no phone charger. I'm not having the best of days today, not enough charge for my phone for 6 days in the Smokies, no toilet paper in bathrooms this morning and now my blisters are killing me....and we walked up & up & up for hours! This by far has been the most grueling day so far, hot & miserable to say the least! Bev & I walked for too many miles without water once today too. Water sources are not reliable we've learned.We arrived at Mollies Ridge Shelter at 3:30. We both dread sleeping in the shelters but it's mandatory in the Smokies unless they are full when we arrive. Notorious is going around in the shelters I've heard. Keeping hands clean is difficult out here, hand sanitizer isn't killing the notorious either. We just need to not touch things that isn't ours.
Date: 2017-04-12
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derricks Knob
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: fog

Well,being in the shelter was everything I've heard & I dreaded last night....LOTS of snoring going on, even my ear plugs didn't help! Then getting up to pee in the night was such a chore....Trying to get out of your sleeping bag without knocking someone next to you out! I'm asking, why am I here??Today I have an upset stomach, do I have notorious or Contaminated water? I hope neither! I did spend a lot of time running in the woods but I'm feeling better after a couple hours. Did I explain that when you go poop in the woods you need to dig a hole first, do your duties and bury it all with a trowel, stick or rock? Yup, not fun either.I forgot to mention, I had a mouse next to me a couple of times last night and had to shoe it away. No, it wasn't a restful night. My feet are feeling better, thanks for the foot help Trudy & Dr.! One gave me moleskin, the other KT tape, thank you so much! It's sunny & 75 our, great views, absolutely breathtaking!We got to the shelter about 5:00 & decided to set up our tents, we will pay the fine if we get caught, we both need to sleep!
Date: 2017-04-13
From: Derricks Knob

To: Mount Collins Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

I slept well last night, that's amazing for me! Today was an amazing day, tough but truly beautiful... the weather,sights, & company! I saw three wild turkeys this morning, Tom was giving me some advice to stay away from his girls, lol.We made it to Clingmans Dome and the sights were amazing in every direction! I have one complaint, no food or refreshments available here!!!The shelter tonight is .05 off the trail, truly way way in the woods!I was starving tonight, I'm finally burning more calories than I'm consuming, I'll have to start eating more but that means adding more pack weight. Bev & I go off the trail tomorrow to get more supplies in Gatlinburg and take s Nero day. ...that's one night in town to shower, resupply & EAT!!!