morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-04-14
From: Tri-Corner Knot shelter

To: Davenport Gap shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

From Fatboy:We were awake at 0600 but it was still dark and chilly so we slept until about 0700. I wish I could figure out why the sleep after the alarm is so good. We did our usual morning routine with coffee and a hot breakfast. We had a mixture of cheese and bacon grits this morning and I had a big power bar that was 650 calories by itself. It was delicious and provided the fuel I needed for our biggest mileage day yet. We did enjoy some brief conversations with other hikers before leaving the shelter but we were still moving up the trail by 0920. The contour of the hike wasn't generally too severe and we saw some beautiful vistas. The funny thing is that after a couple of days of looking at the gorgeous mountains you get a little jaded to the view. We joked about how our photos likely won't be very interesting because many of them look a lot alike. We have a lot of pictures of Ginger looking at something or standing near something but we may not be able to remember why we took that photo or where it was.We did get 14.8 miles before the sun started to go down and the shelter at Davenport Gap was full so we had to tent. That is our preference anyway as long as we aren't expecting rain. It's much quieter and more private and you don't have to contend with the mice that are at every shelter. Ginger gifted me with the opportunity for a woods style bath! I gathered some clean clothes, soap, my towel, and 2 liters of unfiltered water. I walked to a corner of three trails where I had a clear view in every direction and I stripped naked and washed my body. Being near clean after a couple of days without bathing is one of the best things I've ever experienced. The water was ice cold but I didn't care. It was glorious and one of the best gifts Ginger could ever give me. I hate being dirty. Always!We had dinner and brushed our teeth (another glorious privilege most people take for granted), hung our bear-attracting trash and food in a tree or locked it up in our bear can, and retired to our comfy tent. It was a spectacular but hard day and tomorrow we leave the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Life is very good.From Ginger:Fatboy says I gifted him. He's too generous. I just took care of the usual stuff and allowed him the decency of a bath. I think we'll enjoy more of those outdoors as the weather warms. We did a standing one in the trees on our test hike on the Lone Star Trail in Texas. The time for him was so worth it: Fatboy practically skipped over to me at the tent. And he was smiling. so great to see. It was a wonderful way to the end the day populated with sweet smells of blooming trees, mental tattoo designs (we'll HAVE to memorialize this later!!), a boost from Propel's electrolytes (sans sugar!), the sound of a grouse thrumming, and ideal weather. Nathan also lit up talking to Iron Man about his black-smithing work. We bested yesterday's miles with a new high today of 14.8. I have a feeling we'll pay for it, but life is indeed good!
Date: 2017-04-16
From: Standing Bear Farm/Hostel

To: Newport + Cosby, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

From Fatboy:Janet and Alan returned to the hostel in the morning to take us out for breakfast and take us to the cabin they are staying at in the local area. We made stops at an outlet mall to buy new underwear for Fatboy. According to the scale at Standing Bear, Fatboy has lost over 16 pounds since starting this journey and his clothes aren't fitting quite the way they should to prevent chafing. It was Easter Sunday so some stores were closed but an Under Armor outlet store was open and Fatboy got better fitting underwear. Alan showed us some interesting features of the area and we bought groceries so Janet could make dinner for us all. Fatboy and Ginger rested in the afternoon and it was very comfortable to lie in bed and read and nap. Janet made burgers, asparagus, sauteed onions, potato salad and cole slaw and everything was delicious. We even had cheese cake and ice cream for dessert. (Ginger opted instead for the fresh strawberries. Yum!) It was a very nice meal with wonderful hosts and we enjoyed sharing our stories from hiking and our lives before the AT. We went to bed at about 2200 and enjoyed another night in a warm, soft bed.
Date: 2017-04-17
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Brown Gap, USFS Road 148A
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: few clouds

From Fatboy:We were awake early and enjoyed the coffee that Alan had set to brew the night before. Packing wasn't as hard as some times in the past and we were ready to get back to the trail. Alan and Janet drove us back to the place we had left the trail and they hiked with us to the peak of Snowbird Mountain. This was a very difficult 4.5 mile climb, but Janet was the first to the peak in spite of two total knee replacements. She is tough! Fatboy was hurting from the climb and the recovery from time away from the trail. It's hard to get back to feeling comfortable with a full pack again but we all made it to the top for a happy trails goodbye. Trail magic doesn't begin to cover the gifts given us from Alan and Janet. They are some of the warmest, most open people we've ever known. We look forward to seeing them again when the opportunity presents.We hiked just short of 10 miles today with intermittent rain showers and some of the hardest elevation changes yet. We finally decided to tent near a forest service road and Fatboy was exhausted. Dinner was taken care of and we retired to our warm, dry tent. It was a hard but good day.
Date: 2017-04-20
From: Mountain Magnolia Inn, Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

From Fatboy:The breakfast at our hotel was delicious and the local charm of this home delighted Ginger. We stayed in an 1800s mansion that had been restored and was now the finest lodging in town. It's VERY nice. Ginger left me resting in bed and walked to do our laundry and explore the town. I spent a long time in the Jacuzzi bath and soaked some pain away and napped. This is a wonderful way to spend your day. We hung all of our wet gear to dry and enjoyed our time with our friends. I eventually wanted to explore the town too so Ginger and I went out to see what was about. This town is really small. As in one cop small. There's quite a bit of hiker related activity and a small local art venue in a coffee shop. I thought Ginger was going to apply for a job because she was smiling so much. It's a really nice little town. We went to the outfitter and I bought smaller shorts. It's the first time I've worn a size 36 waist in 30 years and they weren't tight! It felt good to not always be pulling my pants up. We returned to our rooms and sorted out our gear and food supply. It's always a challenge to decide when you're leaving town, where your next resupply will be, and how much food to carry. We're getting better at this and even found ways to reduce each of our pack weights by several pounds. Every gram that you don't carry counts. We went to the diner for dinner and had a great evening with our good friends, returned to our rooms and went to bed with clean bodies and full spirits. Life is good.From Ginger:This is the kind of place I want to come back to when we have more time, and are able to carry things out with us. It's a neat place for gifts and crafts. I imagine ArtiSun Gallery as the kind of venue where Nathan's wood-working would sell. Any time I can talk up what he's done, I do. While our laundry churned at the Wash Tub, I checked out the gallery. Super neat place. Met an interesting couple, Michael and Beth from Sarasota, Fla. They're enjoying a long weekend here, and hope to hike the trail together. We had a good chat, and they gifted me with the mango smoothie I'd bought for lunch. If I recall correctly, Michael remembered Hot Springs as a cool destination worthy of a future visit when he hiked previously. The kind woman behind the counter was a past thru-hiker as well, and she hooked Nathan up later with a ginger drink that I know will make him smile over camp dinners. Oh, the trail and its fascinating people, on and off it.
Date: 2017-04-22
From: Near Pump Gap trail crossing

To: Spring Mountain shelter
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: scattered clouds

From Fatboy:It rained quite a lot during the night but the day started with only clouds and wind. Ginger did the cooking duty for breakfast and served Fatboy coffee and oatmeal IN BED! Talk about being pampered. We broke camp and started hiking around 0915. That's our time and we're sticking to it. There were very few people on the trail and the reduced stress and fun focus of our hike made the journey a pleasure. We did pass a "boxed spring" that we were both curious about what that meant. It looked to me like a dam had been built below a spring and a pond formed. It was interesting but the water had a strong sulfur smell. We drank it but it wouldn't be our first choice for a water source. We walked through intermittent strong rain showers but the trail wasn't too muddy in many places. We stopped at Spring Mountain Shelter and used the bear cables to dry our rain fly and tent. I've never seen anyone else hang things from the cables to dry. It worked great but I was very careful to not tangle anything for fear of tearing our tent to shreds. I think this will only be an option on low wind days. We set up our tent on a small rise just past the shelter. We had a dilemma for the first time with this site: we couldn't decide which end was uphill! It was nice to have a level site for a change. We had dinner and talked to the trail maintainer. He's one of those unsung volunteers who work very hard to keep the trail passable and do the maintenance on the shelters and the privies. He even told us he would pack out our trash! These volunteers are the real trail magic for us all. It started to rain soon after dinner so we hung our food on the cables and retired to our warm, dry tent. It was another beautiful day.From Ginger:Thanks to Sweaty Cheddar, the volunteer trail maintainer, for his work on the privy, especially. Both Fatboy and I tried to improve the situation, but after talking with Cheddar, we didn't have the necessary equipment. I didn't get anywhere with the available shovel. Turns out I needed a "fecal fork." We're learning way more about wilderness waste-processing (read: moldering privies) than we expected! Who drives an hour and a half every month or two to mix poop and duff and leaves? People who care about the woods and our impact on it. I hope I can be that generous as a trail alum.
Date: 2017-04-24
From: Hemlock Hollow Inn + Hostel

To: Hemlock Hollow Inn + Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

From Fatboy:Some hostels are better than others. It's a complicated business and the hiker community can be difficult to manage. There's a huge diverse population ranging from really young people to some who are pretty well along in age. There's a lot of dope-smoking in some groups and for a few the AT is just one long rolling party. There's a lot of competitive banter between some hikers who feel the need to announce their high mileage pace and also some one upmanship with bad weather endured. Anyone who believes they know what all hikers are like must have been around a different group than I've met. I believe anyone who runs a successful hostel business must have a love of the trail and some sense of the magic that happens every day for a lot of hikers. This isn't a way to make a lot of money easily.We spent the day doing a lot of routine things like drying out all of our gear and washing clothes. Ginger wasn't feeling well so after she shuttled into town to access some funds, she rested. Fatboy washed clothes the old fashioned way. The hostel had some problems with their well, so there wasn't water to use the washing machine. I did find two wash tubs and asked the owner for a bucket. The owner gave me some laundry soap and I dipped water out of the creek, washed our clothes by hand, rinsed them in creek water, and hung them to dry on a paracord clothesline I rigged in front of our cabin. We read books and planned our next day with the idea of a short slackpack as an easy option to rest our bodies.From Ginger:So enjoyed our morning conversation with Chicken and Rooster. I admire their commitment: They are completing the AT in sections and are eight years in. It was interesting to learn about their approach. We'll likely incorporate some of their wisdom and/or recommendations in their completed segments.I'm getting sick again. Not sure if I'm lacking the nutrients I usually get at home, or if it's exposure in the common areas to others who might be sick, or a combination of those and other things. Day started well, ended rough. Hoping sleep helps.
Date: 2017-04-26
From: Hemlock Hollow Inn + Hostel

To: Greeneville, North Carolina
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

From Fatboy:Ginger is fully sick.  Her head is full of congestion, she's feverish, her ears are plugged up and she feels really bad.  I don't feel so good myself.  We made the joint decision to go to Greeneville, N.C, for some better food, easier access to transportation, and all of the comforts of a modern hotel.  The situation with my father is still tenuous so we made arrangements to be able to rent a car and travel to Ohio if his condition deteriorated. The hostel owner agreed to shuttle us so we were off trail for a truly decadent zero to recuperate and evaluate our adventure.  Our difficulty with slack-packing yesterday was an unfortunate experience for us and didn't make being sick any more pleasant.We spent the rest of the day exploring the area near our hotel, eating, recharging electronics, and cleaning our bodies and spirits.  I really appreciated resting my feet and knees because I pushed too hard last evening while trying to find Jones Meadow.  I was very sore and had a lot of difficulty walking even very short distances without a pack.  I thoroughly enjoyed a long hot shower as I always do.
Date: 2017-04-27
From: Greeneville, North Carolina

To: Econolodge
Miles today: 0.0

From Fatboy:We had breakfast in our hotel.  Biscuits and gravy may not be the healthiest options but they certainly are a treat to me after eating hiker meals for a while.  We decided to walk to Wal-Mart about 2 miles away to see about some better-fitting clothes for Fatboy.  Greenville isn't engineered for pedestrians near our hotel.  We try to stay off of highways and limited access roads but sometimes we have no choice except to walk near them in the grassy right of ways.  Profanity was shouted at us by young men from passing cars twice today.  That's always disturbing to us.  We weren't dirty or carrying packs or dressed in a manner that would make us appear homeless.  No matter what we looked like, is that a reason to treat another human being in such a horrible way?  We were simply walking.  Some towns are a lot friendlier than others; this one doesn't seem to be close enough to the AT to be tolerant of us.  That's a shame.We completed our shopping for new shirts, lunch, and some basic hiker resupply food items, and returned to our hotel.  Ginger used the business center to update our journal and Fatboy soaked in a hot tub and took a shower.  Resting and restoring our health delays our progress on the trail but we're making the best of it.The best part of the day was finding out that my father went home from the hospital.  I was able to talk to him on my cell phone (SPRINT does work sometimes) and he's happy to be home.  I'm grateful for the people who work at the Affinity hospital in Massillon, Ohio, for taking such good care of my dad.  He's irreplaceable and knowing he's home safely is my trail magic for today.
Date: 2017-04-28
From: Econolodge - Greeneville

To: Econolodge - Greeneville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

From Fatboy:Being clean and well-fed is a treat.  Ginger is feeling better but still not 100%.  My feet and knees are improving and we've decided to move on soon.  Our ride has been arranged back to Jones Meadow.  I purchased the Guthook app and corresponding map for our next section of the AT so we won't have any more confusion about our location while hiking.  I hope we don't have any more issues like our last slack-packing episode.
Date: 2017-04-29
From: Econolodge - Greeneville

To: Econolodge - Greeneville
Miles today: 0.0

From Fatboy:We both slept very well.  We had brunch in a bar/restaurant across the road that was a location for a biker poker run today.  There were some pretty bikes in the parking lot.  I miss riding my Harley!  Ginger went into organizer mode and inventoried all of our food and made a list of our needs.  I did the right thing and stayed out of her way.  We're gearing up to leave in the morning so I am taking advantage of every moment I can spend lying in bed resting my feet.
Date: 2017-04-30
From: Jones Meadow

To: Flint Mountain shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

From Fatboy:Our ride collected us in front of the hotel at 0900.  We were back to the trail a little after 1000 and blue blazed from Jones Meadow to the AT.  It felt good to be making progress North again.  There's a short section of ridge just north of Jones Meadow with an alternate trail designated for use in bad weather.  It was a beautiful but windy day so we decided to find out what it means when the sign says "bouldering."  It was a beautiful hike along a ridge with some steep passages over very large rocks with some very high winds.  The scenery was stunning and worth the effort but the winds were a force to contend with.  Ginger, especially, was affected by the winds and had to scurry quickly through some areas.  Fatboy is Fatboy; having more mass made the passages easier because the wind didn't push me around as much.  We finished our day at a shelter but decided to tent.  We crossed the milestone of 300 miles today.  That seems like a damn long way to walk to me.  Dinner was some delicious dried goo with noodles.  It keeps us going but it sure isn't gourmet.  We were zipped in by a little after 2000 having made 11.4 miles on our "easy day" back on trail.
Date: 2017-05-01
From: Flint Mountain shelter

To: Hogback Ridge shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: overcast clouds

From Fatboy:Mayday!  Another good commie holiday.  I was awake at 0630 but Ginger was snoring away and I didn't have the heart to wake her.  When I woke up again it was beginning to rain and the wind was howling.  We hurriedly moved our stuff into the shelter and took our tent down as quickly as possible.  Then it really started to rain.  We were able to dry the tent and rainfly by hanging them under the eaves in the front of the shelter and waited for the rain to stop.  The sky still looked like rain but we left the shelter at 1040.  This was the beginning of one of those days where you put rain gear on; take rain gear off; on; off, etc.  All day long.  The terrain wasn't too rough but it was tiring to alternate between being wet and cold and being sweaty and hot.  The hardest part of these days is the mental effect.  Distances always seem longer and the hiking is slower because of the hazards of slips and falls.  It wears you down.  We finally made Hogback Ridge Shelter and it finished as a beautiful and sunny day.  We hung our wet gear to dry in the sun and completed the standard chores.  Ginger went to get water while I made coffee.  We had decided to stay in the shelter so we didn't have to set up our tent.  This is a mixed blessing because of dealing with mice and sharing the shelter with other hikers.  We had another dinner of amazing goo and we're ready for bed by 2030.From Ginger:Rain, rain, rain today on May Day! Nathan educated me about mayapple plants and they are mentioned in AWOL's guide, so I was looking for them from the start. They look like small umbrellas. Or palm trees. Anyway, now they've blossomed! Mayapple blossoms on May Day. We also saw COUNTLESS tiny salamanders, whose limbs were so minuscule they looked like itty-bitty snakes wriggling through the streams of water on our path. Also saw two brilliant orange -- Harley orange -- salamanders, apple trees and meadows of blackberry bushes. The rain takes its toll mentally, and I made the mistake of asking where we were prematurely. Better not to know that you're still four miles out from where you hoped was just two. Our final stretch into Hogback climbed 514 feet in 1.2 miles. Writing it doesn't look as tough as it felt. I thought for sure it would have been more extreme. I was so glad to reach the shelter. Had really interesting conversations with two section-hiker Coasties and thru-hikers Bambi and Spike. Spike has spent considerable time in the Middle East, and expressed the same admiration of the mountains and potential hiking terrain I've heard previously about Afghanistan. We all agreed that the no-door privy will be especially enjoyable with the sunrise view. It's just two couples in the shelter tonight and quiet!
Date: 2017-05-03
From: Bald Mountain shelter

To: Spivey Gap then ride to Cantarroso Farm and Apiary
Miles today: 5.7

From Fatboy:We were up earlier than usual after not sleeping much for me.  A down side to sleeping in shelters is: They are colder than tents and you're sleeping in a commune.  If someone coughs, snores, or has one of those atrocious sleep systems that sound like horrible thunder or stampeding elephants every time they move or roll over it wakes me up.  EVERY time until I'm so exhausted that I simply pass out.  Someone had one of those sleeping bags and pads.  I don't care how light, warm, highly rated by the hiking gods, or perfect in every other way those are.  I will never sleep on one and I don't understand how they do.We had only about six miles to hike and the weather was perfect.  Cool, clear, and dry.  The trail was exceptionally well maintained through this section and we stopped often to admire plants, critters, and scenery.  We arrived at our pickup point 1 1/2 hours early and we're able to call for our ride.  Sometimes even SPRINT works!  One of the highlights of my day was sitting at the roadside watching the butterflies drink water from a tire track.  I showed Ginger how to get the butterflies to crawl on her hand and bask in the sun.  It was beautiful to see her joy in such a simple thing.  We had reservations at Cantarroso Farms for a private cabin and were very happy to discover how nice and quiet the accommodations are.  The owners are hiker friendly and knowledgeable and have dogs, an apiary, and free range chickens.  It was a lot of fun to watch Ginger get her dog time and interact with the chickens.  We went to a great little Italian restaurant and both tried to appease our hiker hunger.  The Wal-Mart was right next door so we did some shopping too.  It was one of the best days on the trail so far.From Ginger:INDEED!
Date: 2017-05-04
From: Cantarroso Farm, Erwin, TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

From Fatboy:Our cabin had a coffee maker, toaster oven, microwave, and electric skillet.  It was terrific to be able to actually cook eggs with bell pepper and have toast and coffee for breakfast.  I like oatmeal and grits but I'm tired of one-pot meals with the consistency of goo.  This was a welcome change.  We did almost nothing today.  I read books and napped with Ginger and enjoyed not hurting with each step.  We talked about our strategy for avoiding some bad weather by slack-packing for the next couple of days and arranged to stay at this cabin until Sunday.  We went back to the Italian restaurant and I didn't overeat as much this time.  Maybe I'll sleep better without having such a distended abdomen?  One more trip to Wal-Mart was required and we came back to our cabin for an early night.  Another wonderful day on the AT (almost).