morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-02-20
From: Hot Springs, Laughing Heart

To: Little LauraÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs shelter 
Miles today: 19.6

Left Laughing Heart hostel about 9, got thru town and back in the woods about 10am. The plan was to just do about 11 miles to the first shelter but when Snoopy and I got there at about 1:45pm, we were both feeling good and it seemed too early to stop. I was kinda on the fence but then it stopped raining so we decided to push an additional 8.6 miles to the next shelter. Got here right before sunset. Nice view from this shelter. The plan for tomorrow is that we¢ll do a relatively short 14 miles.Well, today is the 3 week mark. Someone asked about where we¢ve been sleeping so let¢s see if I can recap: 1st night, 1/31- shelter with one other hiker2-  hammock camped3- Misty Mountain cabin we shared w/ another hiker 4- shelter w 1 other hiker5- shelter by ourselves 6th night , Sun. 2/5-Around the bend hostel, there were just two other hikers staying there7&8- shelters by ourselves 9- shelter w 1 other hiker10- thurs, 2/9- cabin-ish room at NOC, similar to a hostel 11- tent camped (stealth, which just means it wasn¢t at a established campsite)12- Fontana Dam shelter with 1 other hiker and his dog ( they call the FD shelter the Hilton b/c it has phone charging ports, a free shower, and an awesome view of the lake)13, Superbowl Sunday- house. zero day (no miles/ no progress on AT) We went to Asheville and crashed at Abe¢s! Nights 14-17, hiking thru the Smokies. Had to stay at shelters. No Snoopy ( he was with Abe) I was meeting another hiker at pre-agreed upon shelters the entire time and a second NB hiker joined us the last two nights18th night , Fri 2/17- Standing Bear Hostel, there were 3 or 4 other hikers that stayed there that night 19- Got Snoops back, stayed at a shelter with two other hikers and 1 other dog20 th night, Sun 2/19- Laughing Heart hostel in Hot Springs, there were about 7 other hikers (only 2 thru hikers, the rest are section hikers) there last nightTonight, our 21st night on this adventure, it¢s just Snoopy and I in a shelter. And it will be either shelters (or camping) for the next 3-4 nights before we hit the next hostel! So, final count of the first 3 weeks is: House-1 timeCabin (shared)- 1 timeHostels- 4 times Tent/hammock camping- just 2 timesShelters- 13 times The trail is definitely not too busy and even though it¢s been colder, I like that we are ahead of the March surge (sometimes called ¢ the bubble ¢).
Date: 2023-02-21
From: Little LauraÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs shelter 

To: Creek stealth camp
Miles today: 17.7

Tuesday 2/21Started at Little Laura¢s shelter, 294.5 end stealth camp by a creek, 312.2 so 17.7miles total today Saw zero ppl today. We did have a dog bark at us and follow us after we crossed a dirt road, but he/she soon got bored and left us alone. Started out Misty but the sun came out in the pm. Weather report says no rain tonight so I think we¢ll camp . Where I want to stop is in between shelters. Found a sweet little creek with a flat spot to pitch the tent so tonight we¢ll snooze with the sound of a gurgling brook in the background :)
Date: 2023-02-22
From: Creek stealth camp

To: Stealth camp
Miles today: 16.8

Weds 2/22Packed up and we¢re on the trail by 7:30. Big uphill climb but some wonderful views. I can used to walking in this sunshine, it hasn¢t happened enough so far ! Got to a shelter for breakfast at about 10 and a 20ish something hiker was sleeping in. Talked some to him while going about chores (food for Snoopy and I - 2nd breakfast or 1st lunch- fill water bottles, organize pack for the day, etc) Went about 1/2 mile down the trail and talked with a 4 person trail maintenance crew that were headed to check out the shelter we just left. A couple of miles later we crossed a fairly busy road ( US23) and then passed a total of 4 more hikers (a few with dogs) . Yakked with one local guy for about an hour while enjoying the sun and views of Big Bald (5500¢ elevation). It¢s crazy to pass so many folks after seeing no one yesterday! Stopped to hammock camp at about 229 so Total of 16.8 today
Date: 2023-02-23
From: Stealth camp near Whistling Gap

To: Uncle JohnnyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs 
Miles today: 13.2

Thus 2/23Windy all night. Not too cold and just a little smattering of rain. About 4 am woke up to music. The song was ¢Man on the Run¢! It was a Nobo hiker and Wilson was growling. I could see the light of their headlamps bouncing along . I guess if I was hiking in the dark, blasting some tunes might make sense. Later, at the hostel I found out it was Topo! He apologized for his early morning actions and said he recognized Snoopy when he saw him under the tarp. Broke camp about 7. Mostly downhill to Erwin but not entirely! Steep ascent to high rocks lookout where we took some sunrise pictures. For the last 10 days or so the trail has been literally straddling the NC/TN state line. But today the trail takes a big curve and goes way into NC towards flattop mt before it crosses the border again and tonight I¢ll be pretty far into TN. After the long descent, we checked into Uncle Johnny¢s hostel where we are now sharing a room with Merlin and Wade. Always feels good to get a shower and do laundry. Snoopy and I both have some ¢town food¢ in our bellies and we are making plans for the next few days. I think there is at least 5 thru hiker/ long section hikers at the hostel tonight. Topo will be up and on the trail early. Two other guys are going to slack pack it tomorrow. Merlin and Wade plan to take a zero tomorrow since they have a supply box scheduled to arrive on Saturday. Snoops and I plan to enjoy the morning here and then get a late start on the trail and see how far we get. Life is good!
Date: 2023-02-24
From: Uncle JohnnyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs 

To: Cherry Gap
Miles today: 17.2

Fri 2/2417.2 miles from UJ¢s to Cherry gap shelter. Passed a guy on trail w 3 dogs and chatted w him for a bit. Humped thru Beauty spot clearing. At some point in the afternoon the temp dropped and a cold rain started falling. Not hard, but big cold drops. The trail passed over Unalaska mountain, which was a dense spruce forest. Odd. On most days the change in vegetation as we work our way up in altitude is fairly predictable. Soft trees like cotton woods in the lower gaps. The Nolchucky river in Erwin, where we crossed it is at less than 1700 ft. Big river trees plus skinny birch and aspens. Then, maybe in the 3-4000 ft range is all of the big deciduous trees, mostly oaks, but some other hard woods, too. Forests that are still bare, with lots of dead leaves on the ground, forests you can see 100 yards or more through, not much under brush. Then come areas with the hemlocks mixed in, they are the first evergreens, and lots of rhododendrons and some holly. Things get green but still leafy. Then there¢s a certain altitude where it¢s almost all pines. It starts with these small coned stubby pines , the pine cones are about the size of jelly beans, cute little pine cones all over the ground but then they transition to larger pine trees with 6 in needles on the ground and cones roughly the size and shape of bananas. I like walking thru those areas b/c when it¢s dry, it feels like we are in the pine woods of AZ. Rocky terrain under foot and all these soft pine needles. But today this relatively tall mountain ( 5100 ft) was just covered in dense spruce trees, felt like a NW forest. Then coming down the mountain the pattern repeats. Now we are at about 4200 ft in the oak and rhodys again. This is an older shelter, but nice. I¢m ready to sleep. Good night!
Date: 2023-02-25
From: Cherry Gap

To: Roan High Knob
Miles today: 17.7

Sat, 2/25It started raining over night. Topo, who I thought was ahead of me, came in late to the shelter but before it began raining. At morning light it was still raining. Not crazy but constantly. Topo left first, he said his goal was to get to a shelter about 23 miles  up trail. Our goal was one about 17 and 1/2 miles out. As we started walking the rain got more intense. Eventually it became this wind driven downpour. It was like the drops were racing against one another to be the first to splatter on something solid. It felt like when you take a handful of sand and throw it down, it was like the rain was being hurled down by a great force. Everything was soaked. Snoopy kept looking for a dense tree or a rock overhang, anything to provide cover. But we marched on. The first shelter we passed was nine miles from where we started. It was 1/4 mile off trail. I debated skipping it but we both needed a break. We trudged down the sloppy trail and there was Topo! Eating his lunch with a big grin on his face. We didn¢t have cell service and didn¢t stay long . I made sure Snoopy got a good meal and I snacked on a few things but I was cold and knew that we couldn¢t stop for long or it would be difficult to get moving again. Topo did have service so he was updating ppl when Snoopy and I left. The only other person that we saw in the additional 8.5 to the shelter we are at now was a shuttle driver that we had met a few days ago at UJ¢s. He was searching for a couple of day hikers that he thought were on the trail near us and would like a ride out of the nasty weather. We obviously hadn¢t seen them but as we passed his car near Hughes Gap Rd he offered to top off our water bottle and gave Snoopy some dog treats. He is a true trail angel and his generosity was greatly appreciated. The shelter we are at now is called Roan High Knob and happens to be the highest elevation shelter on the entire trail at almost 6200 feet. It¢s also unique in that it is an old fire service cabin with all 4 walls and a door we can shut to keep out the rain and wind. When we arrived and started unpacking, most of my gear had stayed relatively dry, so I was able to get on dry clothes and toweled off Snoopy. Just as I was getting our beds set up in strolls Topo. This is as far as he¢s going. I don¢t blame him and it nice to share a shelter with someone ya know, ya know? Anyway, We now got supper in our bellies, a warm sack to sleep in, rain drops on a tin roof to lull us to sleep. Life is good.
Date: 2023-02-26
From: Roan High Knob

To: Mountain Harbor 
Miles today: 16.3

Sun 2/26My alarm went off at 4am! Topo wants an early start to the day b/c it isn¢t forecasted to rain, and he wants to do 25+ miles. Snoopy and I have about 16 to get to the hostel where we have a package waiting but I agreed to get up early so Topo and I can stop for lunch before he heads on and we head to a shower! We made good time in the dark and the starlit sky was just breathtaking! Sunrise found us at an old barn where a few ppl were camping. A short time later we crossed the NC/TN line for the last time! Pushing up to the top of Hump Mountain was definitely a hump but that made for a nice long easy descent to Hwy 19E. We walked about 1/3 of a mile uphill to a nice restaurant/bar called the Station where a trail angel named Lucky Charm made us lunch. Then Topo pushed on while Snoopy and I cruised another .4 miles downhill to the Mountain Harbour hostel where we are posted up for the night. I got caught up on laundry, fixed supper and have enjoyed chatting with the other guests. The re-supply pckg we got was packed full of all kinds of good stuffAND we had a letter from the Indiana Bartlett crew! Almost too much good stuff for one afternoon! It feels great to be clean, dry and in a warm bed. Thanks for reading!
Date: 2023-02-27
From: Mountain Harbor 

To: Mountaineer Shelter
Miles today: 8.9

Mon 2/27Just 8.9 easy miles today. I¢ve been telling myself to take a light day for about a week now. I didn¢t think Snoopy or I needed a zero but did want only about 1/2 day of hiking. Waking up at the hostel, getting caught up on paying some bills and ¢life chores¢ and then checking the weather where I saw thunderstorms forecasted for late afternoon, and I told myself that today was the day to take it easy on the trail. Had some yogurt and granola for breakfast, got a cup of coffee in my belly and we were hitting it by about 9:30. The trail was still pretty wet and sloppy from the previous rain but the sun was shining and the dew was drying up. Todays hike took us past 2 waterfalls and along the Elk river for about a mile. We haven¢t hiked near very many big bodies of water (the exceptions , of course , being Lake Fontana and short sections along two rivers in towns- first the French Broad in Hot Springs and then the Nolichucky in Erwin) so it was nice to enjoy the small river. It¢s about the size of the Ceder River in Renton and it was just a beautiful hike. We also went past a small cemetery and a church. I had just talked to my mom about not seeing many early spring blooms and this bunch of daffodils appear along the trail! Didn¢t see anyone on the trail all day. Got to the shelter about 3, right before the first rain showers started falling. As we were setting up our beds, a couple of NoBos popped in but they both wanted to push on to the next shelter. First there was Blizzard, who is (only)hiking the first 1000 miles of the AT as a warm up to hiking the PCT later this year(crazy), and who I had met before and then a younger guy named Ian, who I hadn¢t yet meet. He¢s one of the group of hikers that started the first week of Feb and are making big miles. Good to chat with both of them while making dinner. It¢s only 6:40 but the sun has already set so Snoops and I are in bed. Tomorrow we are planning for about an 18 mile day!
Date: 2023-02-28
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: Laural River
Miles today: 18.8

Tuesday, 2/28Hit the trail about 7 and the sunshine didn¢t stop all day! The trail walking surface has been in good shape but the number of blow downs that we need to climb over/under/around has been increasing. Sometimes you find a way around one big chest level tree just to find another one 30 feet later down the trail. Hard to get a good hiking rhythm going. Some are knee knockers and others are clothes liners.  Alright , I¢ll stop my whining:) Only saw one guy with a dog all morning. The trail passes a couple of more cool waterfalls including Laural Falls which is a popular day hike destination. The trail actually winds right along the river for a ways. Lots of ppl hiking in/out from two different parking areas near the town of Hampton, TN. Probably passed 20+ ppl in the last two hours of hiking. Decided to camp near the river and save a big up/down for tomorrow morning. After setting up the tent, Snoopy and I walked the mile or so into town and bought a few things at a little grocery store. Ate soup heated up on the campfire and are now in bed. Tomorrow is also supposed to be nice so I think we¢ll do a big day that should set us up nicely for getting into VA on Friday!
Date: 2023-03-01
From: Laural River

To: Iron mountain 
Miles today: 21.7

Wednesday, 3/1/23Broke camp after a peaceful night by the Laural River. Hiked the 1/2 mile or so back to the AT and then up and over Pond Mountain. Had some great views of Wataga Lake as the sun was popping up from the East. Passed by the road to Boots Off Hostel about 9am but instead of heading up for a cup of coffee we decided to press on. While walking by the lake we met a guy who was thru hiking last year but blew out his knee so he is picking up where he left off but gonna take ¢er real slow to begin with. His son just started at Springer a few days ago and will eventually catch up and they plan on finishing together. I can¢t remember the guys name but his kid is Rusty.  I see in the journals and shelter walls that Pi±ata is about 1/2 day ahead of Snoopy and I. I was also texting Topo and he is in Damascus already, so about 2days ahead of us. We are now stopped for the night at Iron Mountain Shelter. As we were settling down, up the trail strolls Ranger (Ian). Nice to talk to him over dinner and as we¢re getting into bed. Snoopy is in good shape. The trail has been in good condition and except for the higher than average number of blowdowns , no complaints. I gotta watch the water sources a little closer, we got thirsty mid day today and we were still a few miles from the nest spring. Overall, tho, an awesome and blessed day.
Date: 2023-03-02
From: Iron mountain 

To: Broken Fiddle
Miles today: 26.4

Thurs, 3/226.4 mile day, our highest yet. Wasn¢t supposed to be this long of a day. The goal was to get to Abingdon Gap Shelter, about 16 miles. Ranger was up before Snoopy and I . He hit the trail about 7, we got got everything packed up and shoved off about 8. The trail was a muddy mess from all of the rain last night but it had stopped raining just before we started hiking. Kinda just the light mist/smoke/fog that this area is famous for. We made decent progress. Saw two ¢Platinum Blazers¢, that I¢ll call Tazer and Blazer b/c I can¢t remember their trail names. I first met them in Hot Springs then saw them again at Mountain Harbour. They are a pair of nice older gentleman, who have been slackpacking for the last few weeks. On crappy wx days they just do a couple of miles. They use shuttle drivers to get where they want to be dropped off and picked up and have a warm shower, meal and bed every night. If it sounds like I¢m jealous that¢s because I am! They are called platinum blazers bc they don¢t care how much they spend on shuttles and lodging in order to hike the trail their way. And they are working their way North but day hike most sections Southbound. Anyway I finally ran into them on the trail! I few miles later we came across a family of 4 doing a LASH, (long bootie section hikes) Damascus to Erwin. They were all spread out so it was cool talking to each of them in turn as we passed by. Here at the hostel it is Timber and his little dog kinda running the show and only one other hiker, a German guy named Heilderburg .I had heard about him but we finally caught him. Didn¢t have a chance to look around town much bc of the late-ish arrival. Did grab some chips and ice cream at a gas station! Once again, a shower, clean clothes , hot food, a cup of tea. Life is just grand. Found a cool book to read too about a gal hiking the Wonderland trail.
Date: 2023-03-04
From: Lost Mnt 

To: Old Orchard
Miles today: 24.2

So yesterday¢s rain left the trail wet, muddy, all of the streams and creeks were flooded so it was a fairly sloppy trail day BUT the sun was out, the sky was blue and it was an awesome day for a long hike. As we were coming down the mountain at Elk Garden we talked to some campers that were packing up their damp gear and it turns out a couple of ¢em were thru hikers from a few yrs back. A bug thank you to Auntie, 12 pack, Bob and the others for the trail magic. Fresh fruit (grapes!), it was awesome! It was also a popular day for the trail , especially at Mt. Rogers (VA¢s highest peak) and the Grayson Highlands area (where a bunch of wild- ish ponies roam). We probably passed 100 or more weekend campers or day hikers. We were able to pound out some good miles since the last 5-6 was all downhill! No one else is sleeping in the shelter with us but there are campers nearby. We also passed the 500 mile mark!
Date: 2023-03-05
From: Old Orchard

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 23.2

Sun 3/5We got up and ate breakfast with C&A , the college couple that camped nearby. It was probably only about 35 degrees out so it was difficult to get out of the sleeping bag & get moving! But a nice cup of tea provided by Cooper certainly helped. Hitting the trail means warmth by movement and a big uphill push to chestnut flats on Iron Mountain certainly helps get the blood pumping (and me sucking wind for more oxygen!) Stopped up there for 2nd breakfast and to pound more water. The trail is in much better condition than yesterday. The ground has finally dried out and my socks/shoes didn¢t get wet all day. Met zero hikers but passed by two separate trail maintenance crews. We thanked them for their service to making/keeping the trail safe and enjoyable to hike. Snoopy got a thorn in his back left paw. He lay down and let me look him over till I found and removed it. He¢s no worse for wear but this old dog needs a bath! I¢ll try to do that next time we stop at a hostel. We were originally planning on doing about 17-18 miles and then camping but one of the maintenance guys told us that the next shelter is close enough to a road and a town that you can get food delivered right to the shelter so we pushed on! Got here about 6pm and sure enough, just a 1/10 of a mile away is a forest service visitor center with a phone (I have no cell service here). We called a couple places and found some gf options so we ate a burger , fries and salad (Snoopy got the bun and left overs) that were delivered right to us! As we are laying here in the shelter (just us, no other hikers) I can hear both of our tummies rumbling and digesting all of the good-but-not-for-you food! Pretty sweet deal. Oh, this happened too: on occasion my trekking pole will get stuck , like on a rock or root or something while we are in stride , and sometimes I can pull it out, no big deal, other times we have to back up so I can withdraw it at the same angle it went down at¢¦ anyway today that happened at the same time that Snoopy lunged at a bird or something on the trail and it kinda twisted my back awkwardly. One hand being on a stuck pole and the other being yanked by a dog that has a much stronger ¢pull¢ than his size would let you believe. Nothing crazy but I¢m sore in a different way than I have been yet (with all of the aches and pains my old body has felt over the last 5 weeks I didn¢t even know a ¢new¢ soreness was possible!) I¢ll watch it and hopefully it¢s nothing a good sleep on a blow up pad in a cold shelter won¢t fix! Good night to all!
Date: 2023-03-06
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Campsite near Davis path
Miles today: 16.1

Mon, 3/6/23Woke up this morning to sun on our faces as we got our bearings. Oh yeah, the shelter by the road, town food delivered! Walked back over to the visitor center to see if they had an exterior plug in for my battery pack, no luck. But did run into Rerun & Irish, sobos who talked trail conditions, etc. Took our time packing up since I wanted to check out the inside of the visitor center and it didn¢t open till 9. Still had some time to kill so we walked a little 1/2 mile loop trail around some fishing ponds. Had a nice conversation with the Forest Service gal manning the center. She printed off the wx report. We only had about a 17 mile day planned today, need to slow down these 20+ mile days¢¦ don¢t want to get burned out! At the 2nd ridge we came to, just a mile or two from the shelter, we finally got good cell service so I hung out for a bit to talk to Abe and Angie. Abe¢s working on plans for when he¢ll join us on the trail. Finally, after 11 am started to hike for real! It was another nice day. Before too long we passed No Rush, the self proclaimed last of the ¢22-¢23 sobos. We traded stories for an hour or so , it really was a lazy morning! Got to a neat old one room school house, that is open for folks to look around. A nearby Settlement museum was closed. A few more miles and we crossed a railroad and then I-81, the trail kinda walks thru a trucker pull off/gas station. Got some more sunflower seeds, a bag of popcorn and a few other snacks before we were back in the woods. Hit the 1/4 mile done sign and soon after strung up the hammock to camp tonight. Another day down and loving (most) every minute of it! Good night.