morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-05-04
From: Dick's Creek Gap, US 76

To: Deep Gap, USFS 71
Miles today: 15.8

Today was a better than expected day, but it took a bad turn the last two miles of the hike.  We had a day of mostly uphill -- not steep, but many miles of uphill.  The weather forecast was for rain and high winds.  Having been totally soaked and cold earlier in the week, I packed more clothing this time.  I wore wool long underwear (top and bottom), nylon hiking pants, and a rain jacket.  Inside my pack I carried a wind-resistant fleece, a fleece hat, and fleece gloves.  The day started out overcast but about 60 degrees.  After a while the winds came up, and there were occasional spatters of rain.  Up on the mountains the wind was ferocious, but we weren't cold.  We hiked fast, hoping to beat the storm, but we had no luck.  The last two miles the rain changed to a steady downpour.  We're now drenched to the skin.  I'm typing this in my tent on my reflective sleeping pad with my feet and legs wrapped in my emergency space blanket.  I hope to produce enough body heat to dry out the wool long underwear before I get into my sleeping bag.  Normally I'd change into dry clothes, but I'm saving them for after the hike tomorrow.  It's supposed to rain again, and we'll be at elevations above 5000 feet.  It's supposedly a relatively easy hike, but if it rains or snows all day it won't be easy.Eight miles into today's hike we crossed the border into North Carolina, our second state.  Two hikers, perhaps a father and son, had just finished lunch.  It was starting to rain, so Lizzie and I took our pictures and then climbed up a steep hill to take shelter under some overhanging rocks.  We saw some nice hillsides of trillium today and, near the top of a mountain, a chickadee sitting on a nest of eggs on the ground in a sort of rock cave.  I forgot to tell some of our other wildlife sightings. We've seen several different kinds of salamander -- a plain orange one, a plain black one, and an orange one with many spots.  We've also seen one wild turkey, and I saw a squirrel today, the first of the hike.  These first 85 miles have been beautiful, but there have been massive amounts of poison ivy.  Much of it is fresh and shiny with lots of irritant oil.  I've been trying to avoid it.  Yesterday Lizzie and I realized that we've been petting dogs who may be covered with it.  I've had a change of heart.  I'm going to get into my dry bedclothes and get into my sleeping bag.  I think part of the experience of thru hiking the AT is getting up and putting on wet clothes.  Warren, our leader, says that thru hiking the AT can only be done if you embrace the inherent difficulties.   Tomorrow I'll embrace the difficulties of hiking 20 miles in the cold and rain.  Any of you out there with a direct line to the weather controller, please send a request for some dry weather soon.
Date: 2017-05-05
From: Deep Gap, USFS 71

To: Rock Gap
Miles today: 20.7

Today was a hard day.  It rained all last night, so we had to pack up our tents wet.  All of our clothing and our shoes were wet from yesterday.  We started wet and ended wet, and tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same.  I hate being wet and cold -- it was my very biggest fear for the trail, and I'm really being tried by this.  Lizzie and I got a late start at 7:30 because it was so much more complicated packing up wet -- trying to pack the wet clothes in such a way that they don't get everything else wet.  I had a hard time getting to sleep last night because I couldn't get warm.  I first put my wet wool long underwear inside my sleeping bag to try to get it dry, but it was so cold that it kept me from getting warm.  I ended up putting it in my sleeping bag stuff sack outside the plastic bag.  I use the sack with my clothes for the next day inside as a pillow, and the heat from my head did help dry the pieces in part.  They were still damp, but they warmed up when I put them on.  Putting on wet pants was really unpleasant.  But my fleece was mostly dry when I put it on.  My rain jacket had gotten thoroughly soaked, so I had no outer layer to protect me from the wind or rain.  I found a plastic poncho about the weight of a trash can liner and wore it.  It was a struggle all day to stay warm, even though the temperature was likely not very cold.  At first when I walked a slight breeze dried out my pants, but then it started raining.  That kept up till noon.  Even after it stopped raining enough water dripped from the trees to make it seem like it was still raining.  It cleared up momentarily around 12:30, and we got a nice view of the surrounding mountains.  I tried to take a picture, but my hands were too cold for the phone to respond.  About 15 miles of the trail we hiked today was rhododendron forests that burned recently in a wildfire.  It was rather ghostly.  We saw another chickadee nesting on the ground, perhaps because its habitat had been destroyed.  For the last 5 miles it rained again.  So we're hunkered down in our tents trying to get warm.  Those of you who are following along, send words of encouragement.  This is hard.
Date: 2017-05-06
From: Rock Gap

To: Wayah Bald
Miles today: 13.8

Today was another hard day of slogging through rain and hail.  When I got up it was 34 degrees out, which made it very hard to get out of my sleeping bag. It took me a long time to get warm last night.  The tent was wet from the night before.  I started with my wool long underwear, a fleece layer, and my down jacket.  This was not enough to get me warm.  I thrashed around for hours. Then I remembered that I completely forgot to eat any dinner, so I had no calories in me.  My left hip was hurting from the cold, but my ibuprofen was in the van.  Finally I got out my space blanket and put it over the sleeping bag.  It was almost instantly warmer.When I got up it was cold, but my tent had dried out from the wind the night before.  And it was sunny.  Warren had offered to meet the group 3.9 miles into the day's hike to take us to breakfast and shopping in town (Franklin, NC). We were able to hike with no packs, and having real breakfast was a huge motivator.  We got to the road crossing at Winding Stair Gap around 9:30 or so.  Bill drove us to Shoney's for the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet.  I ate an amazing amount of food -- so much I felt sick.  I get hungry about every two hours, and I try to eat each time I'm hungry.  But it's been so cold that I've missed my morning caffeine.  I was mixing powdered milk with instant coffee each morning and drinking it cold.  But when it's really cold I find it hard to drink cold liquids.  So it was a fabulous treat to have hot coffee and real food. We all ate a lot and then bought sandwiches to go.  About an hour later I was hungry again, but I didn't stop to eat.  We were again racing to beat a rainstorm, and again I wasn't fast enough to beat it.  I spent the last three hours hiking through rain, wind, and intermittent hail.  I was completely miserable.  When I got to the top of the bald I had trouble finding where we were parked, so this added more time.  By then it was back down to 40 degrees.  We are 5292 feet in elevation, so it may also be windy.Only one of us is staying in a tent tonight: we've all just had it with cold and rain.  Arlene and Terri are sleeping in the front seats of Randy's car.  Bill is sleeping in the women's restroom at the trailhead.  I'm sleeping in the back of the van.  Lizzie is sleeping in the car of a friend who came to visit.  Only Rennie is in his tent.  When it's cold and wet it takes all my mental energy just to get the bodily functions done - keep warm, eat enough calories, drink enough fluid, etc.  I'm really not fully in my right mind because I so fear and hate being cold.  I'm hoping I can start enjoying hiking again soon - stopping to notice the sights instead of always hurrying to avoid rain.  Tomorrow it's supposed to clear and be about 55.  That sounds fabulous.  Let's hope it happens.  It was nice long enough for me to see a junco and a beautiful waterfall.
Date: 2017-05-07
From: Wayah Bald

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 17.2

When I woke the temperature was just above freezing, a record low temperature for this area, but sun was forecast.  Wayah Bald is supposed to have spectacular views in all directions, but all we saw was fog.  Soon, however, the fog started to burn off, and the day got warmer.We spent much of the day above 5000 feet walking along a rolling ridge, with a long descent at the end of the day.  In one place we saw a whole hillside of fiddlehead ferns. I guess this must have been the north side of the hill because we've been seeing many small new ferns elsewhere.  I also saw a another junco, a rabbit, and a small garter snake.Much of the trail we hiked today had been recently burnt in wildfires, and the devastation was massive.  Previously we've seen thickets of rhododendron burned, but this was fully mature forest with large trees.  When we got to places where we could see a view of other mountains there were whole mountains that were burned.  We also got our first view of the Smokies -- with snow atop them.  Lizzie and I hurried today because we wanted to get to Nantahala Outdoor Center in time to have a restaurant meal.  We actually smelled the food coming down the trail.  Tonight we did laundry and are trying to decide whether to day hike or backpack the Smokies.  If we day hike, there are two days that are over 30 miles a day.  I'd like to avoid that.  But if the weather is going to be cold, I don't want to be carrying a heavy pack and sleeping in the cold.  Tomorrow we have a relatively short hike (13.6 miles) that starts with a 5-mile climb out of this gap.  One thing I've noticed about the trail in Georgia and North Carolina is that the gaps are named and marked with signs, while the mountaintops are not marked.  Where I've hiked in Maine the mountain tops are marked with signs and the elevation is marked.   Thanks to all of you who sent words of encouragement. It really helps to hear from folks - especially on hard days.
Date: 2017-05-08
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Stecoah Gap, NC 143
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Our hike today was relatively short, but it was substantial.  We stayed in a four woman bunkhouse at Nantahala Outdoor Center - Arlene, Lizzie, Terri, and I - with Bill sleeping on the floor.  I got a really good night's sleep, and in the morning we had breakfast and coffee at the restaurant before starting our hike. It made a huge difference having eaten real food and drunk two cups of coffee. Lizzie has a stove with her, and we're thinking of getting up earlier so we can start the day with coffee.  (We currently get up at 5:45 and start hiking between 6:30 and 7:00.)The hike started with a 5-mile uphill, which I attacked with caffeine-fueled vigor. Lizzie and I have similar paces, so we've been hiking together.  We're working at getting a rhythm that will allow us to hike more efficiently.  That way we could spend more time seeing the sights and enjoying sensual pleasures such as soaking our feet in the cold streams we pass.  I lead the uphill portions, and Lizzie leads the flat and downhill.  She does this to a song playing in her head; I do it playing "King's' Special" by BB King  playing in my head.Once we hiked out of Nantahala Gorge we were at high elevations all day. There were fewer wildflowers and lots of rhododendron thickets.  As it was hot, we stopped in the shade of the rhododendrons many times to drink.  We've taken to drinking from springs at these high elevations without treating the water.  My hands have gotten very sunburned.  I don't like putting sunscreen on them because it gets my hands all slimy, and we don't get much opportunity to bathe. Today at one of the springs Lizzie took mud and smeared it on her knees and the backs of her hands both to cool her off and to protect herself from the sun. I put mud on the backs of my hands, and it did provide some protection.  I think my long-term solution will involve some kind of lightweight gloves.The highest point of the day, both literally and figuratively, was Cheoah Bald. It's a grassy clearing high on a mountain with views of many ranges of mountains.  Swallows were swooping overhead, and we also saw another junco.  We heard red-breasted grosbeaks but didn't see them.  We continue to hear scarlet tanagers but still haven't seen one.  We stopped at Cheoah Bald to take in the view and also to take off our socks and shoes to air out our feet.  It's amazing how ten minutes of fresh air can rejuvenate one's feet.  We also stopped to soak our feet in a cold stream.  Very nice.Tonight we're camped on a birding trail in Stecoah Gap.  It's quiet and peaceful, and I expect to sleep well in my cosy tent.   More adventures to come tomorrow.  Stay tuned.
Date: 2017-05-09
From: Stecoah Gap, NC 143

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Our routine is to get up at 5:45 and be hiking sometime between 6:30 and 7:00. Today we weren't able to get our act together to start any earlier than 7.  We started with a long uphill and then stayed high on a ridge for most of the day. We ended the day with a long descent to Fontana Dam.  Again what looked like a relatively easy day turned out to be harder than expected.  Tonight we're camped right inside the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which is in Tennessee.  The trail goes right over the dam.  This dam was a flood control project that was built by the TVA.  Lizzie, who has kayaked here, says that when the water level is really low in winter you can see the town that was flooded below.The wildflowers are starting to be fewer in number.  We're no longer seeing hillsides of trilliums and pink lady slippers.  Mountain laurel is just starting to bloom, and we're still hearing lots of birds.  I especially enjoy hearing the wood thrush.Tomorrow will be our first backpacking night.  We had an option of doing a day hike from here to Clingmans Dome, a distance of 32.4 miles, or breaking the hike down into two days and camping at one of the shelters.  This morning only two of the group were planning to backpack, but as of this evening we all planning to.  It was a really hard day for us all, and we couldn't see doubling our mileage tomorrow.  I'm waiting for my phone to charge and then am headed off to bed.
Date: 2017-05-10
From: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, southern boundary

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

Today was our first day backpacking, and it was hard.  I got a late start at 7:00. My pack isn't very heavy by thru hiker standards, but it was heavier and bulkier than I'm used to.  The hike was also ambitious - 15.2 miles of nearly all uphill.  It was hot, and we were slow.  It took us close to 12 hours to hike the 15.2 miles. At lunchtime Lizzie and I found a shady spot under a tree right off the trail and had a picnic.  Arlene came along, and it was very pleasant.  I've been having trouble eating enough, and everything left in my food bin is unappealing.  Today I took some flour tortillas and a small package of sliced hard salami.  I'm not a fan of that kind of meat, but it doesn't have to be refrigerated until opened.  We tried to eat the whole pack at lunch and came close.  I managed to eat three hearty sandwiches and found them delicious.  I want to avoid losing any weight, but I'm often either too tired to eat or too disgusted by the options.  Tonight we're sleeping in a large shelter in the loft.  Our food is hung on cables high in a tree to avoid bear incursions, and our packs are hung on hooks high in the shelter.  We'll get an early start tomorrow because we have another hard day - 17.2 miles of all uphill again.The mental and physical effort today didn't allow me much time to look around, but I noticed some gray beardtongue.  Many of the higher parts of the trail were lined with fresh unfaded bluets.  Although the physical part of this hike is difficult and exhausting, the mental part is even harder.  The mornings usually speed by, and suddenly we'll check and discover we've already gone 5 or 6 miles.  But starting around 3 things start to drag.  The miles seem long, and time moves very slowly.  This is the hardest part of the day.  Another hard aspect of doing the hike supported is that we have to arrive at the designated ending site in time to set up our tents, pack our packs for the next day, and eat before going to bed.  This doesn't leave any free time to just relax and think.  Keeping this journal uses all of my free time and energy.  I don't begrudge the time, however, because it's my way of preserving the memories of what I see and do on the hike.  The time seems to be flying by.
Date: 2017-05-11
From: Spence Shelter

To: Clingman's Dome
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night was our first time staying in a shelter, and it was quite nice.  The shelter had room for quite a few people, with an upper loft.  Since we got there late we got the loft accommodations.  The shelters are reputed to be overrun with mice, but this one wasn't.  I heard a pair of barred owls calling before I went to sleep, so maybe they're keeping the mice population under control.Lizzie and I planned to leave at 6:30, so we got up at our usual time.  I got started at 6:40, and Lizzie caught up with me within the first mile.  The terrain was challenging: long uphill, much of it steep.  For the first five miles we leapfrogged with Bill and Arlene.  Then we got a bit ahead.  When we stopped for lunch at the first shelter we heard that Arlene had fallen and hit her head. The wound bled a lot, and a hiker had stopped to provide some first aid and bandage it up.  The next hiker who arrived said she was back up on her feet and in good spirits, so we continued on our way.The day's hike was very difficult and seemingly unending. For the last few miles Lizzie had to nip at my heels like a sheepdog to keep me going.  I felt like getting down on my hands and knees and crawling the last several miles. I've never been so physically and mentally exhausted.  The hike was essentially 17.2 miles of uphill.  I'm thankful I survived.
Date: 2017-05-13
From: Newfound Gap, US 441

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

We started our hike in rain just before 7 this morning.  There was a long uphill, but it was gradual.  We spent much of the day going up and down along a narrow ridge.  In places there were substantial drop offs that would have been scary had there been any visibility.  But there was not. It rained until 2 PM but remained completely foggy until nearly 5 o'clock.  We were at elevations ranging from 5045 to 6216, and the vegetation was unlike much of what I'm familiar with.  There was a small trillium with olive-colored leaves, a small alpine-looking flowering bush, and an aromatic minty-smelling plant that Bill really liked. It was too cold and wet to stop and take pictures.I hiked the end of the hike with an interesting young man, trail-named Mr. White.  The conversation helped pass the time of another long, wet hike.  Now I'm tucked into my sleeping bag trying to get warm.  The Smokies have been a lot of work for not much reward: lots of hard hiking but few opportunities for the spectacular views the Smokies are known for.  I'm ready to be dry and warm and hike somewhere that I can see something.  Tomorrow we'll finish the Smokies.
Date: 2017-05-14
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Green Corner Rd.
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: light rain

People started stirring in the shelter about 5:30 or so.  The shelter was very crowded because of yesterday's rain and cold, and I was packed into the bottom level amongst a lot of women.  I had put my food into Terri's bear bag, and she was getting up so I figured I might as well.  The temperature was in the mid-40s, so it was hard forcing myself to get out of my warm sleeping bag.  I gobbled down two Pop Tarts and was out on the trail by 6:40.  I plodded along by myself, not having had any caffeine.  Gradually it became apparent that it was going to be a clear sunny day.  I would finally get some views from the top of the ridge I was hiking along.  About three hours in I finally got a view from the top of a ridge and felt the sun on my face.  Ecstasy!  As time passed some of the younger people who had stayed at the shelter overtook me.  Then Terri, Lizzie, and Bill caught up.  I didn't see quite the variety of plants as I'd seen yesterday, but it was a pleasant enough day.  There was a high rock outcropping at one point, and Lizzie and I stayed a few minutes to watch some hawks soaring below us.  There were some uphills but also some extended descents, which were very hard on my hurt right ankle.  We hiked 15 + miles to a road crossing at the northern boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, then continued on another several miles to the road where Standing Bear Hostel is.  Originally we had planned to stay there, but because we did all our town chores in Gatlinburg earlier this week we camped near the trail instead.  My tent is set up next to a stream that's making a lovely noise.  I'm headed there now to go to bed.  After all, it is nearly 9 'clock.
Date: 2017-05-18
From: Log Cabin Drive

To: Devil Fork Gap, NC
Miles today: 19.8

Today started out a lovely warm clear day.  According to Warren's calculations we had a 19.2 mile hike, but according to the current information in AWOL and Guthook it was actually 19.8.  Accordingly, we got up early, and Terri and I left at 6:15. The hike started with a 5-mile uphill which ended in a fabulous view at Big Firescald Knob.  On the way we saw a small cinnamon-colored toad and lots of lovely white flowers.  There was a patch of wild lily of the valley, which I've never seen before.  It took some rock scrambling to get up there and more to get down.  While we were admiring the views Lizzie arrived.  We all ate lunch at this high spot.  Then Lizzie went scrambling down the rocks like a mountain goat.    It took Terri and me a long time to get up to the knob, and we were concerned that we might get in quite late if we didn't pick up the pace.  So in the afternoon we avoided stops and kept a steady pace.  She's still being very careful with her right knee.  My dodgy right ankle appears to be cured now.  When we had about 5.5 miles left I took off using the glissade method of making the descent. I arrived at our road crossing at 6 PM - 15 minutes short of 12 hours.  That's quite a good time for me, between 1.5 and 1.75 miles per hour.  Terri arrived about 15 minutes later and Lizzie shortly thereafter.  We're still waiting for Arlene and Bill at 8:15 PM.Not long after I got to the road crossing a torrential downpour started.  There's space for two people to sleep in the van, and the rest of us have set up our tents.  Mine got thoroughly soaked because I had not put it together freestanding before and had problems.  It's now stopped raining but has gotten colder.  I'm in my wool long underwear but will not use my sleeping bag tonight: it's made of treated down and could be really damaged by getting wet.  I have a new space blanket that I'll use instead.  Tomorrow we only have to hike 8.5 miles and then will go to Damascus for Trail Days.  I'm looking forward to sleeping indoors.  I wrote this entry hunkered down in the van in my dry clothes waiting for a break in the rain to set up for the night.  Although I dread it, I think the time has come.