morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-05-07
From: Mollie's Ridge Shelter

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Slept until 7 this morning. It's hard to get up in a sleeping shelter. We had oatmeal and mocha for breakfast and Pepper had his cinnamon roll from yesterday. The horse people packed up and moved on. We left around 8:30. It was a nice walk. Everything was so pretty! I kept taking pictures. Before we knew it, the Russell Field shelter appeared and we took a break. We decided to just do a short day so that Pepper could let his foot rest and air. So it was just three more miles to Spence Field shelter! We stopped midway at a stream for water and talked to some day hikers. We were the only ones at the shelter when we arrived, but that didn't last long. There are probably 15 people here tonight. Lots of good conversation! Worked on the journal so it will be ready to upload in Gatlinburg. Had the mac and cheese for dinner. It was delicious and filling! Some people saw bears today and also boars. We didn't see any though!
Date: 2019-05-08
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Everybody was up early and the shelter was empty by 8:30! We left at 9. We had a real nice climb up to Rocky Top which is rocky on top! Not too big either, maybe 20 feet across. Next, we made our way to Thunderhead Mountain which was just across the ridge. It was real pretty up there. There was a long climb down, some of it pretty steep and then we stopped for water. All that was left was a series of hills and one pretty good tree challenge. We stopped for lunch on the side of the trail with a beautiful view! The last hill to the shelter was so steep I felt sick and had to stop and rest at the top! Then we were at the shelter which rapidly filled up with 40 to 50 people! There were 13 people in the shelter and probably 20 tents. Dinner was wonderful! It's cold and windy tonight.
Date: 2019-05-09
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: scattered clouds

The day went really well. Breakfast was delicious - oatmeal and mocha. We made a decision on our schedule. We will go shelter to shelter and go into Gatlinburg on Saturday. Will probably do the same thing when we get back. The walk today was pleasant. It went up and down. Only two big climbs - one went on for a while, the other wasn't too bad. Did a lot of ridge walking and there was lots of tall grass. The wind howled all day and the grass and trees swayed! We reached Siler Bald shelter at 2:30 and took a break there then climbed up to Siler Bald summit. It was small. We just turned and went down again. Got to Double Spring shelter about 3:35. Checked out the two springs. One flows better but the wind howls. We are sleeping on the top level of the shelter and I am using Pepper's mat. It leaks pretty bad! Spaghetti for dinner was great!
Date: 2019-05-10
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Mt Collins Shelter
Miles today: 5.6
Weather: light rain

I didn't sleep so well last night. I was awake early but not interested in doing anything. Eventually we did get packed up and on our way. We hiked up to Clingman's Dome through an old forest with lots of young trees and old blowdowns that were covered with moss! After the fires a few years back, many trees were weakened and blew down in storms. The big news of the day is that Icewater Spring shelter is closed for bear activity. Everyone was talking about it! We were planning to stay there after Gatlinburg, but our plans have changed now. We got to Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the Appalachian Trail, around noon and had lunch after going up on top. We had a little bit of a view. Next came our 200 mile photo! So exciting! After that, we just had to walk to the shelter but there were a couple of miles of downhill and that really took it out of me. Finally got here around 4 and it was a ways to the water source. But we managed and had dinner and are in bed. Tomorrow we go to Gatlinburg!
Date: 2019-05-11
From: Mt Collins Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: clear sky

We got up early. It poured rain all night, but we were dry and snug in the shelter. Pepper ended up curled around my head. He really needs his mat fixed! The food bags on the cables were above a lake, but he was able to swing ours to the side and get it down. One to 2 inches of rain was forecast, so we just set off and walked steadily through the flowing trail. We got to Newfound Gap by 12:30 and were able to catch a ride with a sightseeing bus down to Gatlinburg. It was sunny in Gatlinburg! We checked in at the Days Inn and cleaned up, then went out on the town. We got a new water bag and a rope at the NOC and then went out to eat at Shoney's buffet. The food was so good! More sightseeing afterwards. We decided to take a zero tomorrow and get back on the trail on Monday since there's rain forecast for tomorrow. Pepper got us a midnight Mother's Day treat!
Date: 2019-05-12
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a work day mostly. We cleaned gear and took the trolley out to the laundromat. After washing clothes, we did a resupply at Family Dollar and got most of what we needed. We met True Momma and Magellan and they gave us a ride back to the motel plus a bunch of food! They were very nice! We had a lot of calls with family for Mother's Day and went out to eat dinner at Mountain View grill. That was nice! Getting everything ready to set out again tomorrow.
Date: 2019-05-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

May 17th. We got a ride from the trail with family member/hikers (Out on a Limb & Food Walker) and went to Trail Days in Damacus VA. It was a very good time, camped and visited alot of venders. My air matress had a leak and we patched it twice. It still had a slow leak the Company NEMO replaced it for free. We also went to a presentation about Grandma Gatewood, the first female to through hike the Appalachian Trail. On the19th we headed back out for 6 more days with heavy packs. We continue to meet alot of great people and see some amazing sites. We are having a great time together.
Date: 2019-05-31
From: Erwin

To: Erwin
Miles today: 0.0

May 31st We arose and had coffee and oatmeal with nuts & raisins. It was very good. We had stayed in a shelter and it rained most of the night. We had a 6 mile hike to the road and arrived at 1pm and got a ride to the Super 8 motel in Erwin. We stayed 2 nights and ate alot of town food :) June 2nd we went to Uncle Johnny's hostel for one more night.
Date: 2019-06-02
From: Erwin

To: Erwin
Miles today: 0.0

This journal has been hard to keep up with. I guess you can tell by the way we haven't been keeping up with it. ?We often don't have a signal when we're out hiking and only have one when we get into town. In town, though, we have to do our laundry and do our resupply and get some rest and eat some food. And then it's time to go back out on the trail. So we'll update this when we can and catch it all up when we get back. Since Gatlinburg, we've finished hiking through the Smokies. We met Diane and Dave just past the Smokies and went to Trail Days with them. Trail Days was a lot of fun! When we got back, the four of us hiked from I-40 which is where the Smokies ended, up to Hot Springs - a distance of about 35 miles. We had a good time together! We didn't go very fast and we had lots of early nights. There was a lot of good food in Hot Springs which we took advantage of and then they set off for home and we set off for Erwin. It took us seven days to get to Erwin. We've been here for two days and are headed back out tomorrow. Our next destination is Elk City. We're almost to the top of North Carolina and soon we'll be out of Tennessee. So far we've hiked 344 miles!
Date: 2019-03-06
From: Amicalola falls state park 

To: Springer mountain
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

How does one begin to tell an engaging story...Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip...nope...These are the voyages of the starship enterprise...no...Call me Ismael...hmmm...has a certain ring to it...These are trials and tribulations of one hiker, trailnameless at this point, We'll just call him hiker number 603. My attempt at the AT, successful or not is here for your enjoyment. I hope you find it as engaging as the experience is for me.Wednesday March 6 2019Springer approach trail to stover creek shelter 11 miles 24 deg clear1015-300I was assigned 603 due to the number of folks leaving the amicalola state park this year to date.Someone at the ga dept of parks must have worked out on a stairmaster...600 plus stairs to the top of the highest falls east of the Mississippi. I started with Spencer from Alberta. He just decided to do the trail 2 weeks ago. His gear was brand new. We traded places on the stairs as we had to stop to catch our breath. I've not seen him since the top of the falls but suspect well meet again. I didn't plan on doing more than 8 miles but at basecamp the ranger said if you make it to Springer early afternoon go to the next shelter 3 miles more, it's nicer.Wildlife: 6 wild turkeys! (no not the drinking kind)Met the following cast of characters...- Andrew from Detroit.-a guy from Australia who never saw snow or ice.- an older who sleeps in a Hammock from ft Collins co.Not everyone has a trail name. As the conductor told me on the Approach trail, about 40% do and geesh you're not even on the AT yet!Heard gun fire and explosions last night. Didn't remember until Scottish guy said something the next day.I must have been tired!See pics herehttps://photos.app.goo.gl/xoA7...
Date: 2019-03-07
From: Stover creek

To: Gooch gap
Miles today: 12.9

Thursday March 7 2019Stover creek to gooch gap shelters12.9 mi 930=400Woke up to freezing feet. I couldn't figure out why everything else warm but my feet. I put on the down booties but didn't help much. Come to find out in the a.m. bottom 6 inches of bag was unzipped from last trip! Felt like I had frostbite on my toes. Took a good mile of walking to feel them then...Got hot in the sun. Took leggings off finally and just wore kilt.Big helicopter flew overhead. Reminded me of scene from dotd. It is ga. after all. Book says camp Merritt does army exercises around here. Machine gun and mortar noises during the night. So much for the pristine wilderness experience.Climbed up sassafras mtn. It was a long climb. The trail so far has been pretty nice. Not many rocks here. Several stream crossings but they are manageable with stepping stones or foot bridges. Some icy spots still. As the temp rises the mud gets slick. Several near wipe outs by me and others.Starting to see others at camp that started ahead of me.
Date: 2019-03-08
From: Gooch gap

To: Woods hole shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Friday March 8Gooch gap to Woods hole12 mi 3k ftGentle on off rain turned into a downpour. So cold stopped at next shelter. Afraid I was going hypothermic so I stopped and ate at a shelter off the beaten path, .5 mile! My hands were hiker swollen so much I couldn't get my warm mittens on. After a warm meal everything was much better.Patrick, Gunnar, and Johanna came about 1.5 hour later. Good to have the company.https://photos.app.goo.gl/8Apt...
Date: 2019-03-09
From: Woods hole

To: Neels gap
Miles today: 4.0

Sat march 9Woods hole to neel gap4 mi. 860 up 1300' down9:30-11:45Ga. rocks are as slippery as va. rocks.Today I realized any if the fears I carried with me at the start, namely critters and injuries, have taken a back seat to leaving something critical behind or dropping something without realizing it. I've seen many things on the ground that I'm sure folks miss but no one seems to claim them. If only I had space in my bag!Fog but no rain. Crossed over blood Mt. Highest point on AT in GA, 6th highest in the state. I was first to Neels. We had agreed on sharing a cabin so i took the lead in tracking one down. A bit pricey but everyone seemd fine with it. Shuttled all to the cabin at different times. Back on the trail in the a.m.https://photos.app.goo.gl/tHNi...
Date: 2019-03-10
From: Nels gap

To: Low gap
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

After a luxurious night in a cabin at misty mtn in, highly recommended, and a provided ride to the trailhead I started the day in the kilt and short sleeve shirt. Must have hit 70 deg today.All the bad weather seems to be just south of us. We were close to Blairsville Ga. A few rain drops but finally the sun shone through. Met several folks from NYC, Jason, Paul, and Hillary. Also met two girls, one from VT another from PA near Philly. Must be the northeast crew. Several awesome views as the clouds and fog hung low in the valleys.The big treat was coming into Tesnatee gap there was a bit of trail magic. Some local good samaritans led by Bob set up a great food spread with Caribbean stew, bread, brown rice, snacks of all kinds and fruit! It certainly powered the rest of my day to do the next climb and 5 miles to low gap. Where it seemed everyone was headed. Also met several day hikers with dogs along the way, one of which had a retriever named max.https://photos.app.goo.gl/H4XX...https://photos.app.goo.gl/KaaN...
Date: 2019-03-11
From: Low gap

To: Tray mtn shelter
Miles today: 15.4

9:30-4:30 15.4 mi lots of elevQ of the day:What are pepitas? And why are they in my trail mix!After crowded camp set out to cover 3 mountain. Blue , rocky mt, tray.Longest distance so far.Trail alot like snp smooth dirt then some rocky bitsSaw first wild flower of tripUncoi gap started to rain. Got to try out my hiker box special blue poncho rain gear. Worked fine. By evening sun and was back but temps lowering.Passed through a campsite known as the cheese (cake) factory. Since they weren't serving any I did not stay.Nice campsite nearly on top of the mountain . Lots of other campers again. And someone with a viszla named mayhem.https://photos.app.goo.gl/TE7f...
Date: 2019-03-12
From: Tray mtn shelter

To: Hiawasee
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

930-230 11.3 mi. 2300' up 4000' downGot my trail name today...Highlander.I'm thinking they think I look like Jamie.Or more likely the car.Or perhaps it's my Scottish heritage...Anyway, no idea why, ;) but a guy named doc gave it to me so I figured that was good enough for me.Met 2 volunteers with us forest service. They were very nice and informative. They pointed me to a vista where i got to take s picture very similar to one my sistrr in law Ginger painted for us in the daks. The trail in these parts is very well maintained and I told the volunteers so. I want to give a big shout-out to the Georgia Appalachian trail club for doing such fine work. Thank you it's much appreciated!I've been noticing shining specs when the sunlight lights up the ground in the rocks and dirt here. Mica I suspect. I'm thinking Georgia could mean shiny land.https://photos.app.goo.gl/4k1j...Spent the night at the luxurious budget inn for $25/person. And a free 10 mile shuttle from and to the trail. A quick stop on Walgreens for essentials, then dinner at huddle hut and another stop for snacks at ingles grocery. I had been offered a twinkle by an old guy named grasshopper on the trail but I passed it up. It made me think of chocolate zingers. So Walgreens included that and cheese in light of the factory site. I are almost a whole big bag of pita chips as well and washed it all down with a protein drink. Hiker hunger has kicked in.Note, Ga doesn't allow single bottles of beer for retail sale. Bummer.Unfortunately a lot of this didn't equate to trail dinners. Fortunately I w as rescued in the a.m. by Bill, the keeper of the Virginia creeper trail (google it, but as he said don't leave off the word trail or you'll get something you went looking for). He runs the mountain house outlet at the motel and had exactly what I needed, veggie meals that cook in a bag. A hikers delight! He really saved the days ahead.
Date: 2019-03-13
From: Dicks creek gap

To: deep gap nc usfs campsites
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

930-51515.8 mi.Whst does sassafras look like? And why are so many features named after it?Learned of Matthew, who I met at my first camp, who had to bail after taking a spill on a knee on this mtn.Longest day yet. Since I took the early shuttle and the weather was great, cool, breezy, overcast I pushed on until I got to a quiet spot. Met Alice and Mike from Chicago at the nc border. And i passed a guy trying barefoot hiking. Also passed el presidente, a former marine who worked on air force one ferrying Carter, Reagan, and Bush.So I say goodbye for now to Ga, my first state down, 78.1 + 8 for the approach trail, makes 86 miles in 7.5 days. I made bly gap, nc at 130. Rangers said 7-8 days is averaging for AT finishers for GA.I was so hungry I had forever young mac and cheese 800 cal plus a pack of salmon, with choc for dessert. A well earned meal.https://photos.app.goo.gl/Wn2j...
Date: 2019-03-14
From: Deep gap

To: Betty creek trail
Miles today: 12.2

1000-415The wind blew hard last night but I was cuddly warm in my bag. Though the creaking trees did make me wonder if there were any window makers above me.Only 2 others in the camp area. I took my time packing up as there was a drippy rain and it was hard to get a move on. The day started with a 2.4 mi climb to the top of standing Indian mtn 5435'.I wondered if that's still pc.A out a mile in I stopped near the sc shelter to readjust and an older man came off the shelter trail. He said his name was pops and asked about some guys he was waiting for. I hadn't seen anyone so he took off north to find them. As I was tired already I stood in amazement as this old guy in a full pack was so fast. I couldn't catch him if I wanted to. So long pops I thought.I only saw one other hiker today and he passed me as well.It was a very pretty hike, in the rain, with many rhododendrons and a lichen forest! I expected the lucky charms guy to make an appearance. Camped in a rhododendron thicket in a light rain. It seemed fitting for the day. Broke into my 600 Cal B!g Sur bar 200 Cal/serving. 1 bar is 3 servings. Bill did not exaggerate, it is excellent!https://photos.app.goo.gl/9RZN...
Date: 2019-03-15
From: Betty creek

To: Rock gap
Miles today: 8.4

1000-230Safe and dry inside my nylon home, tucked inside the rhododendrons, at 4300', lightning crackled a good part of the night, thunder rumbled, and the sky wept so much I doubt there's much moisture left in the clouds. Good thing nature called right before it all started.Off to a cold rainy start, everything's wet which makes it heavier and I already have enough weight! Trudged along through the thickets and the fog.Hiked to the top of Albert mountain 5250'. First mtn on trip with a fire tower (tagged as 100 mi on AT) and an info board. I could see what I should have seen if it were clear. The climb up to the summit was a lot like an adk peak. Not 10 minutes from the summit the sun began to poke through the clouds and the wind blew the last vestiges of rain away.Came to rock gap and decided to call it a day to dry out everything. Ran into patrick headed to town. I'll take a Nero tomorrow ( near zero miles) to get into town tomorrow night.A few other hikers arrived. A hiker feed was set up by some folks, including Dixie, who has hiked all 3 ld trails, AT, PCT, CDT, and blogged about them. Apparently she's famous on YouTube. Met chopsticks back at camp who thru hiked in 2017 and was out giving trail magic.https://photos.app.goo.gl/quUh...Note, inet connections are spotty in the woods so these posts are usually a few days behind when I can get good service. My hats off to my friend Pat,aka locomotive, for daring burst of distance, who completed this journey in 1999 before cell phones were so common. I'm sure he experienced a more disconnected experience. Nice job pat!
Date: 2019-03-16
From: Rock gap

To: winding stair gap
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: broken clouds

3.8 mi 1.5 hrChopsticks gave a ride to Franklin nc to myself and applestacker who used to work at krogers in ohio for 38 years. Doing what i can only imagine but he knew all about apples. Chopsticks told us his thru hike in 2017 set him back $10k. I think he zeroed alot!Got a room at the bidget inn here. Its a step above the last one. Run by a very nice indian family.A quick resupply, then cleaning, lunch, and a trip to tryout the local brewpubs.I saw an indian mound in the middle of town and reading the local paper, there's lots of American Indian activity here as it's not very far from Cherokee land.Ran into Christian, now drover, and pops! in town.https://photos.app.goo.gl/uhNs...The perfect brewpub name...https://photos.app.goo.gl/voZw...I overheard someone say the reason the trail start was moved from oglethorpe to Springer, further north, was to avoid a pig farm. The founders wanted a better experience for trail users. Guess they didn't count on the military!Also it was said they heard they want to move the start of the trail now to Alabama, the true start of the Appalachians. It could put a flag on everyone's current AT completion. I'm not too concerned with that. But in my opinion I'm all for it. I actually think it would be great if the trail went from the Gulf to Canada. Kinda like the PCT.
Date: 2019-03-17
From: winding stair gap

To: Wayan bald shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

930-330Happy st Patty's day! After a luxurious night at the budget inn, a step above the last one I took the free shuttle to a pancake breakfast at the Baptist church in Franklin nc. Last year they serviced over 1000 hikers in the one month daily pancake breakfast. It was quite the treat. I had breakfast with drover, pops, applestacker, and met stacy and Ryan. The last two live in leesburg about 2 blocks from me. What are the chances.Headed out early for a short hike today but a big 1500' climb right off the bat. Rode in the van with all the old trail guys to he trailhead. Decided to keep moving as the back was better, the sky was deep blue, and the air had a cool bite. Had a beautiful view over mucho montairos(?). Was able to spot mt Albert firetower in the distance (take that glasses!)Had a lovely conversation about life, our adventure, and all things humanity with pop over dinner. Lucky to have the opportunity.Hans, tented with from Albuquerque Some photo descriptions:Mountain dew, Weldon, Augusta; lunch crowd on the trailApplestacker at lunchtime, for mrs. ApplestackerPointing at fire towers in the distanceDoes anyone know the song, artist, or album today's title comes from? Post it on the page or email me. First to get it right earns wins the opportunity to buy me a beer when you see me :)As for my back, one little aleve... ok maybe 2 or 3. Seem to doing much better today and pushed on 3 more miles than planned. Does anyone remember doans pills? I remember the ads from TV way back when. What a good ad campaign that must have been for me to remember. Do they still make them? Who was doan? Thinking about it now the name sounds like something a snake oil salesman would hawk!photos!https://photos.app.goo.gl/Uk6o...