morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-04-06
From: Fontana Village

To: next shelter
Miles today: 14.8

Nice long hike in spite of the cold and snow all day. It was quite comfortable because we were wearing the right layers. We didn't see many folks out, probably because of the snow and cold winds. We're nice and warm at Fontana Village Resort thanks to sis Cher, mahalo!! (and the envy of other thru-hikers staying in the "Fontana Hilton" one of the nicer shelters on the AT). We're looking forward to 4 days or so in the Smoky's and then a stay in Gatlinburg for resupply.
Date: 2017-04-11
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: next shelter
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: few clouds

We've been outside of cell coverage since we entered the Smokies. We've had some great days and some difficult ones as we build up our daily miles, now about 11 to 12 miles a day. We've gone almost 100 miles since our last day off so we're taking a couple days to R&R in beautiful Gatlinburg, TN and nearby Pigeon Forge, home of the famous Dollywood attraction. We checked another box yesterday by hiking in the dark to climb Clingman's Dome (6612'- highest elevation on the AT) in time to see the sunrise. It was beautiful and emotional. The day before we climbed Rocky Top, TN and danced a jig with Atlas, Hype, Cool Blue, Jukebox and Sprinkles while listening to the song of the same name by the Osborne Bros. It's times like those that make this hike so special. Late season storms brought a bunch of snow to the higher elevations so we've been hiking through mud, slush, snow, and ice as the higher temps melt the snow. We've heard coyotes at night and seen deer and coyote tracks but still haven't seen much wildlife. The terrain is rugged with many steep up and downs and we've seen green trees for the first time, probably some type of fir, smells like Christmas which is nice.
Date: 2017-04-11
From: Gatlinburg Inn

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Boy what a good nights rest on a sweet mattress does for your soul and spirits. sapphire's inflatable bed (Neolite Air) sprang a leak three nights ago. We repaired it with duct tape but it would run flat about every hour, then we'd blow it up again - all night long You can imagine how much that sucks, especially on cold hard ground (I took it the second and half the third night btw) But now that we're in town we have a repair kit that should fix it permanently. We're about a 60 miles behind our initial schedule (5 days) but we hear you make up the miles later in Virginia through Vermont. We now routinely cover 10 to 14 miles a day in rugged terrain so I'm still confident we'll get to Mount Katahdin by the end of September. We're staying in the historic Gatlinburg Inn which was built in the 30's and reminds us of the Pioneer Inn in Lahaina. The late Kentucky Gov. Wetherby (1950's) stayed in this same room. The photo is of us at Dixie Stampede where we watched the South beat the North while we sipped sweet tea and we ate a whole chicken, corn on the cob, fritters, baked potato, etc... we thoroughly enjoyed the evening and hopefully gained back a few pounds. Yes, we have headlamps, Black Diamond Storm and Revolt.
Date: 2017-04-14
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 42.8
Weather: clear sky

Big miles for us last 2 days, 15.1 and 14.8 so our feet and knees are sore. The hiking after leaving Gatlinburg has been the nicest in the Smokies. Very scenic and descently graded so no steep-steep ascents. The weather's been mild and the temps are perfect. We'll be leaving the Smokies tomorrow and will get into Hot Springs, NC on Monday to resupply and sleep in a nice bed. Our packs have been the heaviest since we've been on the trail, approx 35 lbs/31 lbs, we're carrying more food than usual and we still have all our winter gear but I'm thinking we might mail off some of the clothes and thermal base layers when we get to Hot Springs.
Date: 2017-04-15
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Picturesque climb down from Davenport shelter and out of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. A Beautiful waterfall led us down to the I40 freeway overpass. Part of the AT runs on the onramp to the I40. Then we stopped by the Standing Bear Farm, a quaint Hostel/resupply store/retreat for lunch: cheeseburgers and soda and then we were off climbing another 45 deg ascent for the next 5 miles. It was hard mentally and physically, I must have plopped down 5 or 6 times on the way up while sapphire was just motoring on. It's like that out here with very few easy days, one of us is in a more positive mood and therefore has more energy and the other just isn't hitting on all cylinders. It helps to feed off the others energy. We'll be hiking 13 mile days for the next two days then get in to Hot Springs, NC for resupply. Happy Easter everyone. Photo is from the top of that 5 mile incline, a place called a bald, where the are no trees and 360 degree views. There is a FAA tracking station at the top; pretty cool place.
Date: 2017-04-16
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

We got a fairly early start and walked into trail magic put on by previous thru-hikers Gnome, Wheels, and Goodtime. It was much appreciated and filling. We then hiked up to Max Patch Bald, elevation 4615' where many non-thru hikers were enjoying Easter morning (there's a road for them to drive up). We got a few interested looks and I kept thinking of Bill Murray in Ghostbusters telling Egon and I paraphrase "You're scaring the straights" I feared our disheveled looks were making the nice folks a tad uneasy. It was a nice day and the miles went by quickly. We'll be resupplying in Hot Springs and getting much needed bath's It's amazing how much grime you accumulate between your toes after 4 straight days of hiking.
Date: 2017-04-18
From: Springbrook Cottages, Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

We got in to Hot Springs yesterday afternoon after a 13.3 mile hike. We were having a very nice hike when sapphire spotted the first large game we've seen to date... three deer, two does and bambi. It was way cool. We had stopped to catch our breath, and as I sat I heard sapphire whispering. I couldn't make it out at first but then I began to understand her pleas for me to look back down the trail. Just as I did I saw one, then another of the deer jump out of the bush, over the trail then down the mountain a bit. We were able to watch for a few minutes before they disappeared behind the brush. Seeing the deer and the surprise trail magic at the shelter the night before made for a great time. BackCountry Trail Angel "Bloodhound" brought the folks at our shelter a 12 pack of 16 oz PBR beer. Best tasting beer I've had We all had a great time that night, complete strangers but the AT bonds us into a very tight community. You'd have to hike this to understand the experience. Bloodhound says he blogs for hiking journal and that he recently was "trolled" because he's a trail angel. Apparently there is a tiny minority of folks out there that think he and other trail angels are ruining the trail experience by giving us poor hikers food and beverages.. that somehow we're now dependent upon them for meals. etc.. hogwash I say! Prior to this magic and the one on Easter morning it had been a few weeks since our last.. kinda hard to get dependent on that. All current hikers we've met love and deeply appreciate trail magic and the folks that take time to offer it.
Date: 2017-04-19
From: Hot Springs NC

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We finally have cell service again. We never had service while we were in Hot Springs. We were able to use a computer from the local library to post however. We spent a day in town resting our aching feet, tending to our ever-present blisters and eating good town food. The town is very nice and offers hikers great room rates, great food and has an excellent outfitter. We felt much better starting our hike today. The hike out of town was beautiful and overlooked the French Broad River, which runs through the town. Our daily miles have picked up and we're proud of our progress. After tomorrow's hike we'll hit the 300 mile mark. We're in great spirits and enjoy our days and evenings on the trail. sapphire's IT band/knee issue is better and the pain minimized with the use of a brace and Ben-Gay. Our next town visit will be in Erwin, TN on Monday.
Date: 2017-04-20
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: broken clouds

Our longest hike so far and we're feeling great. We've been increasing our daily miles and our bodies are responding well. Lots of beautiful views as we continued to climb out of Hot Springs. That's the only problem with town visits, you always hike down to them and then after you've enjoyed the visit you have to climb back up the nearest mountain. We saw fresh signs of bear today; first a footprint and then scat about 3 miles from our camp tonight. They're like sharks, you know they're there but hopefully they won't bother you. More thunderstorms last night but further away then previously. We're camping tonight with Hype, Atlas, Snow Monkey and Bullseye, his wife. We met Hype and his wife Cool Blue(now Clear Blue and now pregnant-their first so she left for prenatal care)the first evening we started the AT. Atlas the next day, and Snow Monkey and Bullseye shortly after. We lost track of them when we took the two days off early in the hike to repair blisters. But now we've caught back up to them and they're all like long lost friends. It was great eating dinner and cracking jokes with them tonight. The photo is the trail about where we saw the scat. My iPhone may have modified the photo but it was a cool looking path.
Date: 2017-04-23
From: Spivey Gap

To: Curely Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 42.4
Weather: heavy intensity rain

We haven't had reception for awhile so this will be a catch-up. We're in Erwin, Tennessee now and will be back on the trail tomorrow. We continue to do big miles for us, now over 350 and climbing. We've climbed a few mountains and danced on Big Bald. There is something magical about those balds. You climb up 5000' through thick forest and then bam! You're out in the open, the trail miandering over tall green grass, and then your on top with 360 degree views. We're generally higher than the surrounding peaks so the view is incredible. Like the Sound of Music movie. The weather has been pretty awful, especially today. Lots of thunderstorms and tons of cold rain. We hiked down to Erwin and met Gared, a young guy parked on the side of the road watching waterfalls and on his way to visit his grandpa. He offered us a ride to town and stops at the Dollar General, McD's and then to our hotel. We rode in the back of his pickup and had the McDonalds crew smiling at us, huddled close, wet and cold ordering from the bed of a pickup. We were quite the sight. Thank you Gared!! The hot showers we just took were sooo nice. You non-long distance hikers will never appreciate how nice a shower is after hiking for four or five days, two of those in the rain. The group photo is of the folks we've been loosely hiking with since the beginning. Very nice people.
Date: 2017-04-24
From: Super 8 Motel

To: Piped Spring Campsite
Miles today: 0.0

We decided to zero today after feeling exhausted last night. I didn't have an ounce of energy when we got to the hotel. I'm thinking the cold rain against my skin sapped my energy. I was wearing a rain jacket (Outdoor Research Helium II) but it was raining hard all day and water still seeps through somehow. sapphire was better, she was wearing her fleece under her jacket and I think that kept her warmer. Unfortunately I mailed my fleece up ahead thinking I could get by without it and it's weight. You live and learn. I picked it up from the Post office today, I'll be keeping it for the foreseeable future. More rain and thunderstorms forecast for this week. I gotta tell you, it sucks hiking in the rain. Everything is harder. Your 4 lb tent now weighs like 8 lbs. The mud makes your footing precarious at best and very difficult to climb or descend. You only keep one set of town clothes (in waterproof bag) so in the morning you have to put on the wet and cold a$$ clothes you hiked in the day before. It's pretty miserable. We get by telling ourselves things like "at least there's no ice" or "it could be colder" but the key to getting by is the old phrase "and this too shall pass". We know the bad parts of this journey will come and go. We just pray the bad goes sooner than later. We're still in great spirits and ready for tomorrow's challenges. Photo is of the rain swollen Nolichucky river as seen from the AT coming down into Erwin yesterday. Areal flood watch was in effect for the area through this am.
Date: 2017-04-25
From: Super 8, Erwin, TN

To: Greasy Creek Friendly
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: moderate rain

We slept in, ate breakfast and felt fully (almost anyways) rejuvenated and ready to get hiking. Lion King, a guy bitten by a skunk a couple months ago (on YouTube apparently) and now shuttling hikers around gave us a ride to the trailhead where we started hiking around 11 am. We met hiking pals Doc (ER Doc) and his wife Tinkle (Funeral Director-they assured us there's no conflict of interest) along the way and hiked the rest of the day with them sharing future plans and talking about all kinds of things. It was a very pleasant hike.
Date: 2017-04-26
From: Beauty Gap

To: next campsite
Miles today: 12.5

We got started early and hiked till 4. The morning began surreally when we walked through a dense spruce forest at the top of Unaka mountain. It felt like we were in the Pacific Northwest. Really different from anything we've seen to date. We stopped at a hostel named Greasy Creek Friendly, named that because the proprietor didn't like the word hostel. We're out in the bunk room, $15 ea, bath and laundry included. We're all watching Netflix Oh brother where art thou movie. Not one I'd have particularly picked but still entertaining. The rest of the folks here are hikers too. Some we know, some we'll get to know. Tonight is $10 pizza nite so we're looking forward to dinner soon. I've already had a Yoo-hoo, Welch's Grape Juice and potato chips for appetizers. sapphire is looking forward to B&J's ice cream for dessert.
Date: 2017-04-27
From: Greasy Creek Friendly

To: Roan Mountain Town
Miles today: 17.5

We hiked in mist most the day as we climbed 6200' Roan Mountain and either one huge Bald or a few strung together but in any case we were up on balds seems like most the day. A long day it was as we hiked for over 9 hours and 17.5 miles, our longest day yet. Our goal was to sleep at AT's iconic shelter, the barn. It's an actual barn that is used now as a shelter. There must have been 30 hikers there.
Date: 2017-04-28
From: The Barn

To: next shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: clear sky

We left the barn at about 8 am and it took what seemed like forever to hike down the 9 miles to E19 where sapphire's sister was excited to pick sapphire up (and me too I think) and bring us to her lovely home. We'll get back on the trail tomorrow after we eat some Texas Roadhouse for dinner tonight.
Date: 2017-05-01
From: Black Bear Resorts 

To: Watauga Lake
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: light rain

We stayed at the Black Bear Resort last night after hiking 16 miles. New shoes didn't work out so hiked the last 12 miles in my Crocs. Sapphire's sister brought up our old shoes, bless her heart! We're Slack packing 9 miles today with Doc and Tinkle to just before Watuga lake, then 15 miles tomorrow. We'll soon be in Virginia and 500 miles, it's going quickly now. The photo shows one of the myriad uses of fine J Rib siding.
Date: 2017-05-02
From: Boots off Hostel 

To: Damascus 
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Long day today, 10.5 hours of hiking and 20.5 miles made our feet quite sore. We're now ensconced at the Mountain City Americourt Hotel, where we enjoyed a shower, then pizza and beer- primary town food while on the AT. Last night we spent the night at Boots Off Hostel and the wind was incredible. To say we were a tad concerned about a tree falling on us would be an understatement. The night before we stayed at the Black Bear Resort where a tree did come down (not on their property but close) had already put us on edge. Jim the owner of Boots Off was great. Nice place to stay. Less than 20 miles to Virginia and we'll be done with three states. We're at mile 447.5 now and closing in on 500!
Date: 2017-05-03
From: Americourt Motel Mountain City 

To: Damascus, Virginia 
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

We're almost done with Tennessee and North Carolina! We've hiked 460.8 miles so far. Three states down and more to follow. We'll enter Damascus tomorrow at mile 470. We're looking forward to a couple days rest at sapphire's sisters house and then back on the trail Sunday. We're also looking forward to seeing the ponies of Grayson Highlands soon. We plan to take them a couple apples. Hiking has been real nice with the weather cooperating. All's well and we're in great spirits. We hope your enjoying the trip Tom. The photo shows us entering VA on the morning of the 4th.
Date: 2017-05-04
From: Virginia Creeper Lodge 

To: Sapphire's sisters 
Miles today: 8.2

We're taking two much needed days off to rest our feet and watch sapphire's nephews wife graduate from East Tennessee State. Hopefully we'll find time to get good shoes too.  I was posting in the wrong journal apparently so we should be good going forward. Photo is the Damascus Brewery where we enjoyed some of their best stout.
Date: 2017-05-11
From: Damascus, VA

To: Relax Inn, Atkins, VA
Miles today: 63.3
Weather: broken clouds

No cell service since we started our climb out of Damascus. We enjoyed and very much appreciated the R&R at sapphire's sisters house but we needed to get hiking. We're in Marion/Atkins, VA now, and staying the night at the Comfort Inn. We showered off 5 days of grime and are now at the laundromat. Trail angels Mark and Susan sent us a much appreciated and wonderful care package, thank you! The hiking and weather have been tough, especially coming down from Mt Rogers (tallest mountain in VA) but we did see the Grayson Highland ponies and they were great. They were quite tame and came through camp as the sun was going down. They are used to hikers who often bring them apples or carrots. We passed the 500 mile milestone and played the Proclaimers song that day in honor of our accomplishment :) We'll play it again at 1000 miles. I forgot to mention that Jason at Mahoney's in Johnson City, TN was very helpful in exchanging the Merrells we picked up on the earlier visit for Salomon XA Pros that are the best shoes we've worn to date. Alls well and our spirits are up.
Date: 2017-05-12
From: Comfort Inn, Atkins, VA

To: Relax Inn, Atkins VA
Miles today: 0.0

Somehow everything I just wrote was lost.. arggh!So for a second time:sapphire experienced severe stomach pains yesterday that kept us off the trail today. She's better now thank goodness and thank goodness for the timing. Dangerous thunderstorms came through the area today (and are still here). We even received emergency notices on our phones warning folks off campsites. We're hoping they move off before we get to hiking tomorrow. The photo shows an example of the South Virginian terrain we've been hiking through, miles of angular rocks and boulders; add mud, rain, lightning, cold, and flooding and you get a better picture of the conditions we're experiencing. Makes us appreciate the dry days so much more. Being in town allowed me to meet lifetime Marion resident and town taxi driver Willis. He's taken me to the PO, drug store and tonight to pick up dinner at McD's. He told me a heartwarming story of his troubled past straightened out by a local deputy and his deep appreciation for the now deceased man and his widow. It reminded me that this trek is about the journey, and getting to know a bit about  the people living in the areas we hike through.
Date: 2017-05-13
From: Comfort Inn, Atkins, VA

To: Knot Maul shelter 
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We were the envy of all the hikers we passed today because we arranged to slack pack - have our backpacks delivered to the motel we're staying at tonight so we didn't have to carry them, yeah! We met back up with many hikers we hadn't seen for awhile, Atlas, Ansel, warthog, snow monkey, bullseye, jukebox, isis, Ironman, and Jeffrey. It is nice hiking and staying at shelters with folks you're comfortable with. The rain last night caused the streams to rise making crossings problematic. sapphire fell once when I asked her to wait so I could have time to take an action shot of her crossing. Unfortunately she was in mid step and lost her concentration. For some reason she blamed me for her fall. My speech on personal responsibility fell on deaf ears. Happy Mothers Day! We may not have coverage until our next stop in Pearisburg, almost 100 miles from here.
Date: 2017-05-15
From: Dire Maul shelter 

To: 18 mile from here
Miles today: 30.3
Weather: clear sky

Whew!! This was one difficult day. One of the toughest so far. Made especially hard because we got very little sleep the night before. The two guys near us in the shelter would not stop snoring. Not only snoring but snorting, coughing, choking and all sorts of other vile noises. Sapphire tried waking them by shining her light in their eyes but that was only a temporary solution; I slammed my shoes down loud a few times with mixed results. Bottom line is we've vowed not to sleep in shelters anymore. Warthog told us we should have thrown a crushed granola bar on them so the mice and rats would have kept them up all night.. humm. Photo of the St. Luke hostel where we got an excellent nights sleep in a huge comfortable bed in the circa 1900 farmhouse. What a difference a day makes.
Date: 2017-05-16
From: St Luke's Hostel 

To: 15 miles ahead 
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: few clouds

We passed the quarter way mark the other day. My son asked if we felt a sense of accomplishment or dread knowing how far we've hiked and that we have 3 times farther ahead of us. Honestly it's all positive. We knew how long this hike was so passing the 1/4 way mark feels good. It's one milestone of many, next is reaching Harper's Ferry or 1000 miles, whichever comes first. We're seeing more forest animals lately.. snakes, Bear scat, deer, hawks, chipmunks, dead skunk and moles, even, if I can believe the hiker who identified it, a red breasted Grossbeak.
Date: 2017-05-17
From: Big Walker Motel

To: Wapiti Shelter 
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: clear sky

Easy day today to recover from a few tiring days. The weather has been beautiful but on the hotter side. We took our first "field" bathes and while the water was cold it felt fantastic. We filled a waterproof dry bag with stream water and rinsed off. No going to bed sweaty and dirty for us tonight.
Date: 2017-05-18
From: Jenny Knob Shelter 

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: clear sky

Fun day with a stop at trail favorite Trent's Grocery for delicious corn dogs, BLT, chips and ice cream, then we were off to Dismal Falls for a refreshing dip in the cold fresh water. We're looking forward to visiting Pearisburg for resupply and a good nights sleep.