morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-05
From: Hogpen Gap

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 14.0

I don't know how much it rained last night, but I do know that whatever hit the ground turned into slick mud and the rest turned into ice sickle on trees. Woke and packed up a cold tent and bear bag full of ice. S'all Good hiked out first. Then Tin Man, Kate, and myself hiked out 30 mins later. Howling winds and the occasional sleet made this a tough day. After a mist-filled 4 mile hike we met at the 1st shelter. Immediately after stopping, my legs started feeling way too cold. Knowing I didn't have any warm dry clothes for later in the night , I decided I needed to keep moving. My only option was to trek the 14 muddy miles to Unicoi Gap to get a ride to a nearby hotel. S'all Good and myself left the shelter while Kate and Tin Man stayed back to have a meal. There was no real plan on what town, direction, or hotel I was going to and I really wasn't sure if the two staying behind were even in full agreement on a hotel. I figured our group had split and may not reunite for days. None of us had exchanged numbers. The 2nd shelter of the day was 7 miles from when the group split up. I left a message in the shelter hiker book with my cell number and a note saying that we were definitely going to town. I can only assume I will get random texts from bored hikers now for the rest of this year. S'all Good and myself got to Unicoi Gap around 7:15pm and called for a shuttle to the nearest hotel. I felt bad for sleeping off the trail so soon again but knowing I wouldn't have frost bitten appendages or hyperthermia made it all worthy. Also, we put in 14 miles on a day when very few other hikers did any decent miles. It all somehow worked out though. Kate and Tin Man found my note and gave me a call, we all went out to a somewhat trashy - somewhat awesome townie bar and enjoyed a warm hotel room for the night.
Date: 2013-04-06
From: Unicoi Gap

To: View Entry
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: clear sky

Best Western was great. Nice cooked breakfast and free shuttle back to where we left the trail last night given to us by their GM, Carol. Every time we sleep off the trail we get a late start and today was no different. Hit the trail at noon and took it slow. Hiawassee is 2 days away and we are trying to plan on getting there earlier in a day instead of later. Today involved a few long drawn out climbs and we eventually called it a night and tented up at 6 and then sat by the fire for dinner. The stars are extremely visible right now and the weather is better than the previous night. Still a lot of cold breeze kicking up every minute or two but I can take that over the sleet any night.
Date: 2013-04-08
To: View Entry
Miles today: 6.0

Got a late start out of town. Made a stop at the outfitter. Hitched back to the trail. Did a short day, only about 6 miles. Passed up some hikers (Subaru , Slow & Steady , Danger Dave) that i haven't seen since the approach trail. Ended up camping with Spice and Sly Fox, plus the rest of my usual group. Spice is a collie - pit bull mix and is adorable. I spent some of the night playing with her and the rest of the night sitting at the campfire. Sly Fox was telling me about his girlfriend who had to temporarily leave the trail for the same injury that I had been dealing with. She was having IT Band issues and her knee eventually blew out. She went to a doctor, took a few days off, and is expecting to return for more self induced hiking pain tomorrow. ----- I have been having issues with my knee. I hope it heals on its own.
Date: 2013-04-09
To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

A few days ago we finally gave Kate a trail name. A lot of names had been offered to her during the week but the only one she would even remotely accept was "Nibs". The name was given because she eats a lot and nibbles all day. With that being said, we sort of lost Knibs/Kate today. A hiker named Brother Bear asked to hike with us today and he sandbagged to chat up our lady hiker. This resulted in myself, Tin Man, and S'all Good having to wait 30 mins every few hours so Brother Bear and Nibs could catch up. These two continue this for the next day so we decided to stop waiting on them. "Hike Your Own Hike" is in full effect now, my group is now minus 1 person but we push forward. My knee pains are off and on through the day.
Date: 2013-04-10
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Albert Mountain
Miles today: 16.0

wake, break tent down, pack bag, eat, poop, walk, walk, walk, filter water, snack, walk, pee, walk, walk, lunch, filter water, pee, walk... camp - sleepSummit Albert Mountain just before sunset. There is a fire tower at the top of a very rocky 5,000" climb that provides an incredible 360 view of the mountains below. The terrain was fairly easy today. North Carolina is proving to be greatly easier than Georgia. My knee held up for the most part. I think I will eventually buy a knee brace.
Date: 2013-04-11
From: Albert Mountain

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 4.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Short hike this morning to a gap/road to wait for a motel shuttle. We spend all afternoon and night in Franklin, NC. I decided against a knee brace and instead bought new shoes. Town visits are becoming quite costly for me but I think I have finally purchase all the proper gear. Storms pass through the night but no tornados touchdown near us that I know about. Tomorrow should be very interesting because we setup some slack packing with the local outfitters. They are going to drive 45 mins away to drop off our heavy gear so we can hike the next 30 miles with just a super light day pack. Our goal is to be at the NOC by 7:30pm tomorrow night.
Date: 2013-04-12
From: Franklin, NC

To: Tellico Gap
Miles today: 23.0

Goal for today was to slack pack 30 miles. We had a late start and didn't want to night hike so we cut our hike short at 23 miles. The last 7 miles south of the NOC will be saved for tomorrow. Since we were slack packing, we did not have tents, sleeping bags, or warmer clothes with us and this persuaded us to call a hostel to shuttle us to their nice cabin in the woods. To my surprise Slow & Steady is staying at the same hostel as is a couple from Independence, KY. The first couple hundred of miles of the AT have a lot of hikers and it's always neat to run into a hiker you haven't seen in a few days. I know the numbers are filtering out so I am trying to embrace and enjoy each and every hiker at this moment. The further we go north, the fewer hikers there will be and the more isolation there will be. Right now when I go to a town, the hikers overrun the stores, motels, and tiny downtown streets. I like it, I hope it lasts. Word is that half of all thru-hikers drop out in Virginia.
Date: 2013-04-13
From: Tellico Gap

To: NOC
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Slack Packed to NOC (where our packs were waiting for us). Not going to resupply on food at this stop because I still have food from Day 1 that was never ate. For the past few days Tin Man and I were talking about doing some whitewater kayaking near the NOC but once we get there I'm thinking it will be too late and we also spent money at a hostel the night before, which was an unexpected detour.Gear Review so far:20 degree Field & Stream sleeping bag --- takes up too much space and should be graded for 35-40 degree weather instead. The inside walls of the bag are cold every night and when compressed in a sack it still takes up 1/3rd of my pack space.Osprey Atmos 65 pack --- Osprey seems to be the most used pack on the trail. I'm satisfied with it so far. It fits me well under 25lbs. but not so well above that (I'm usually around 29 lbs). The hip belt straps were way too large for me so I cut them in half on the first night. The older models have a detachable daypack but mine doesn't so I had to rig one up with a cord.Denatured Alcohol Stove --- sucks. worst thing I have. Lighting this stove is dangerous and cooking on it takes forever. The other night Tin Man and I sat down to cook some instant potatoes for dinner and in the time it took me to boil water he had already boiled water, ate his food, cleaned his cookware, ate a dry desert and packed his gear up. He uses the Jet Boil Sol, which is expensive but well worth the cost. Merrell / Vibram trail runner shoes --- these are a minimalist shoe with neutral everything. It is like being barefoot. That is fine if you are used to barefoot running but I am not and these shoes destroyed me at times. Stepping in mud or water would instantly soak my sock and/or foot. Stepping on a rock or root midfoot felt like my entire foot was being fractured. I tend to over-pronate and this shoe had zero stability or support so, once again, not a perfect choice. On the plus side, the shoes are super lightweight. Only 1 blister so far as well, so not bad.(Cory at Outdoor 76 helped size me for a better pair of shoes and my knee and feet feel much better so far)Helinox Trekking Poles --- it's too early to say whether or not I like hiking with poles. Big Agnes Flycreek UL 1 --- super light, fits in my pack easily and is easy to set up. Really good 1 person tent as long as you are under 5'8". Only negatives so far are that wind can get into the tent easily and there isn't a lot of room to change clothes or clean up inside the tent.
Date: 2013-04-14
From: NOC

To: View Entry
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

. Decided against kayaking at the NOC and instead opted for beer and burgers at the riverside resturant. Pretty tough day of hiking. Spent all day climbing in elevation. Came across our first bald with a good view near the end of the day. Sprinkles of rain at 4pm and a day full of dim clouds caused us to camp at the first decent spot we could find. By night's end 23 tents covered the gap. Gilgamesh, Cisco Kid, and Danger Dave were some of the names I knew. Many others I had hiked past at some point and some I saw during a shuttle to Wal*Mart back in Hiawassee. We're all covered up and trying to sleep before 8pm due to inconsistent rain and strong cold gusts of wind. I'm actually too cold and lazy to get out of my tent around 9pm and have resorted to urinating in my water bottle. My bowel movements have been incredibly regular out on the trail. I wake up around 7 every morning needing to take a monster dump. This is my least favorite part of the day because I'm usually too tired and way too cold. That is one luxury of being at home that I will never ever overlook again. (Knee and other leg pains have improved greatly since switching shoes)(Haven't see Kate/Nibs in 3 days, we are probably faster without her but I miss having her in our group)(Haven't seen Shenando in 4 days. He seems to be one of the most liked people on the trail but puts up really low daily mileage)(Getting burnt out on candy and trail mix)(Been wanting q-tips more than anything else for the past 10 days)
Date: 2013-04-15
To: Cody Gap
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: broken clouds

Started the day off with a short hike to Stecoha Gap and from there hitched a ride to Robbinsville, NC. Re-supplied at the Ingles store and then grabbed a "Carolina Burger" and a strawberry cheesecake milkshake at a local diner. This town is not as used to hikers as the other towns have been and we get a couple curious looks. Probably didn't help that the first thing we asked for was beer and this just happens to be a bible belt town with lots of churches and a zero alcohol policy. After stocking up we hitched a ride back to where we left the trail and begin hiking Jacob's Ladder which ends up being a crazy hot sweaty long climb. Some miles later we camp at a beautiful babbling brook in Cody Gap. This may be one of the most densely vegetated spots I have come across yet and also probably the best night of sleep I have had so far.
Date: 2013-04-17
From: Fontana Dam

To: View Entry
Miles today: 12.0

4/17 - Fontana Marina - Mollie's Shelter 12 miles.Hitched a ride from Fontana Village to Fontana Marina. Had to re-walk 1.4 that we had previously already covered the day before. Didn't have the heart to tell the driver he took us to the wrong spot. Chatted with War Cry during the ride. She eventually passes me during a water break 4 miles later and I am pretty sure that might be the last time we cross paths. A lot of the solo hikers seem to take very few breaks and also hike longer days. War Cry started hiking a week after me and has now caught/passed me. Another hiker I will never see again is a 58 year old man named Steady. He started his journey in Key West Florida; Paddled 700 miles and then hopped on some walking trails before eventually jumping on the AT and is going to pass Katahdin and end up in Halifax Canada - a total of 4,000 miles!!!After crossing the dam, we follow a paved road for a few hundred yards, drop our mandatory passes in a box and began climbing the beginning of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park (GSMNP). The first 5 hours are a nasty climb. The sun is beating down on us for the first few miles until thunder and dark clouds roll in. We miss the storm and luckily the weather cools down. The bugs are pretty bad if you stop to rest, they particularly like to fly into your eyes and ears. There is also poop all over the trail. Hikers usually bury their feces off in the distance so we know this isn't likely human dookie and since dogs are prohibited from this section our best guess is that some is from bear and some from horse. Oddly horses can be on the AT in the Smokies but not a leashes dog. (Sorry Spice!) Finally roll into the shelter area around 7pm. Quick dinner and off to my tent for a pretty solid night of sleep. I am strategically placed against the wall of the shelter to block the constant 20mph winds that roar at this peak.
Date: 2013-04-18
To: View Entry
Miles today: 12.0

4/18 - Mollie's Shelter - Derrick Knob Shelter , 12 milesToday's hike was much better because we didn't have to climb to elevation. Stopped at a shelter halfway through the day to heat up a lunch and use the privy. The wind was steady at 10mph with gusts frequent to 20mph. The wind kept the bugs away and helped cool us off. Climbed tithe top of a few balds with good views. Climbing Rocky Top was neat, tried humming the song but drew a blank mostly. Was wishing I brought a University of Kentucky flag to post at the top, but sadly didn't have any UK gear with me at all. I'm sure a Tennessee fan would have ripped it down before day's end anyways, hahaha. Shelter is full again so camping is the only option. I'm not as lucky as the night before, somebody has already tented up in the prime real estate and now I am going to have a very windy night. The park placed the shelters in horribly windy spots along the trail and then set out rules that prohibit anybody from camping or sleeping more than some feet away from each shelter. This 68 mile stretch has more rules that the other 2,100+ miles combined. Here tonight is: myself, Tin Man, S'all Good, Subaru, Slow & Steady, Grey Beard, Jebediah, Phoenix, Hawk Eye, Waterfall, Uke, and about 15 other people I have not talked to yet.
Date: 2013-04-19
To: View Entry
Miles today: 5.5

Woke up and packed my tent up in the cold rain. Hiked a little under 6 miles in the rain and wind with my group plus Subaru and Hawk Eye. The Smokies seem to be nonstop wind...and the weather seems unpredictable. Once we get to the next shelter it is a rush to get out of the cold wet clothes and get into something dry and hope to warm up. The weather puts a damper on our plans. Instead of a 13 mile day we get a quick 5.5 and have a long day ahead of us being slightly stranded in one spot. The numbers of hikers in this shelter vary between 5 through 17 at any time. A highlight of the night is when an ecstatic Survivor busts through the tarp wall shouting that he has wood. Lol. We think he is joking but upon opening his pack we see a large bundle of sticks. Apparently he carried them from 14 miles back , from a drier area. I believe it, kid is pretty unique. Couple weekend hikers sleep in the shelter and the thru hikers teach them about trail life. Met Big Spoon, Pink Lady, Cat Lady, Pyro, and a ridge runner named Trey. Briefly saw Gildamesh who now has a scar on his cheek and a red eye from being attacked by a rat at the Fontana Hilton shelter. Heard a story about a fellow hiker from Australia who fell a few days ago and busted his an orbital bone causing an eye to pop out.
Date: 2013-04-20
To: Gatlinburg
Miles today: 5.5

A couple of girls left the shelter at 3am hoping to get to Clingman's Dome for sunrise. I stay buried in my sleeping bag hoping for better weather. I later hear from somebody with a thermometer that the temp was 15 degrees this morning. I finally crawl out of my bag around 10am and put on my wet pants and wet shoes. (Note:: I melted the side of one shoe last night trying to dry them in a fire. This same fire claimed 4 other shoes and 1 sock that night). The shelter was littered with clothes draped over lines but none really dried out overnight, instead they just froze and became flat stiff pieces of cloth. A quick snack later and I'm hiking fast to get my body heat back up. Half of the trail is covered in frost and light light snow while some of the trail has thawed into mud. The sun is out soon and I begin shedding layers to cool back off. Finding the right body temp while hiking is a constant battle. Stop hiking for a minute and you are cold so you have to put on clothes, start up again and you get too hot then you gotta stop to take clothes off but then you get cold again in the process. Whatever. We summit Clingman's Dome pretty early and hitch a ride down to Newfound Gap where we see a few hikers huddled around a grass island in the middle of a touristy parking lot. There is a guy in a truck handing out sodas, brownies, and deli sandwiches. Across from this is a group of ladies handing up carrots, sodas, snicker doodles, chips, and zip locked bags full of mixed packaged foods. Easily the best trail magic we have received so far. Mark, the guy handing out sandwiches, thru hiked the trail in 2005 with his son. He gives a group of us a ride to Gatlinburg, gives us a few tips, and tells us a touching story about the medical struggles that effected his hike years ago. Might take a zero day tomorrow. Resupplying food. Expecting 5 days before next town stop or food resupply. Jedediah created a song 3 nights ago called "Trail Magic" and it is far too catchy. It has been stuck in my head.
Date: 2013-04-21
From: Gatlinburg

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Zero day in Gatlinburg, TN. Jacuzzi hot tub for the muscles in the AM while the group hits a breakfast buffet. Resupply at the grocery store, switched to a cheaper room, beer and chili cheese fries for lunch at Blaine's Resturant. Chatting on the patio with Waterfall, Diesel, Cat Lady, Bo, Victor, Kellen, others. Jedediah is going to split a room with us tonight. I'm hoping to get a sweet recording of the "Trail Magic" song. No big plans tonight, just a small dinner somewhere. Need to wake up by 9am to grab 2 shuttles back to where we previously left the trail. Being in towns always feel weird. I love the hiking but I hate taking the first step out of bed.
Date: 2013-04-22
To: icewater shelter
Miles today: 11.0

Shuttle back to Clingman's Dome, hit the trail at 11am and hike 8 easy miles to Newfound Gap where a past thru hiker is passing out trail magic. A couple beers, a soda, a bunch of cookies, two granola bars, and a pack of cheese crackers later I take a nap in the crowded parking lot. A slight belly ache and then we hike a gentle incline for 3 miles until we get to the shelter. Boil some water, pitch the tent, unpack my stuff, go back and check my stove. Dinner tonight is instant potatoes with red pepper, black pepper, and some cheez-its crunched in. Quite a few new faces today since my group fell behind for taking an extra day in Gatlinburg. It's cold again tonight but we are dry and there is hardly any wind ripping around. Darkness falls and everybody gets into sleep mode. I can hear Uke telling a story inside the shelter as he gently plucks at his ukulele. It's very soothing.
Date: 2013-04-24
To: Standing Bear Hostile
Miles today: 19.0

Almost out of the Smokies!!!! Only 0.9 miles away. Got rained on today. Beat my group to the meetup place by an hour. Felt great that I put in some quick miles until I hear that they spotted a bear on the trail. Been wanting to see a bear all week. My tent is wet so I have to sleep in the shelter tonight. These are not pretty places and I'm trying to convince the group to push on to Standing Bear Hostel. ----------------Update:Pushed forward another few miles to Standing Bear Hostile. This place is very interesting. Sleeping on a patio tonight since we rolled in so late, but hey I got pizza and beer in my belly. Side note: S'all Good and myself currently have a 5 day streak going of having at least 1 beer per day.
Date: 2013-04-25
From: Standing Bear Hostile

To: Brown Road Gap
Miles today: 9.6

4/25 - 9.6 milesFrom Standing Bear Hostile to Brown Road Gap. Slept in late at the hostile and missed breakfast. I fake cried about it and a hiker named Headbut cooked me a 3-egg & cheese omelette. Finished that and then ate a prepackaged cinnamon roll and washed it all down with root beer. My appetite has been ridiculous the past few days on the trail. By the time we hike our first 3 miles today, I've already consumed 1,700 calories. Then I end up almost doubling that count before I finally go to sleep. During my first week on the trail I had zero appetite and was worried it would cause issues. Now I'm concerned that I will never feel full and will have to carry around a 15lb food bag everyday. We took it easy on ourselves today and stopped 3 hours before dark at the Brown Road Gap. There has been a lot of hiker buzz about this mile marker because strong rumor has it that past thru-hikers and ATC volunteers are going to set up some sweet trail magic for Friday & Saturday. Word spreads quick on the trail, almost like gossip in a small town full of caddy people. We get to the gap and see about a dozen other tents (Slow & Steady is here as well). Shortly after we tent up, build a fire, and eat a truck stops a tenth of a mile away. It is some ATC volunteers setting up tents and grilles for tomorrow morning....YES! Can't wait for breakfast. Update: next morning realized they weren't just ATC volunteers... they were also huge fans of the University of Tennessee Volunteers football team :/   go UK Wildcats
Date: 2013-04-26
From: Brown Road Gap

To: View Entry
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

Woke up to delicious trail magic. We had eggs for breakfast along with some fruits, veggies, and a bunch of double-stuffed Oreo cookies. S'all Good decided to head out but Tin Man and myself stayed back to wait for the lunch to start up. The group doing the cooking does this every year and is fine with 30 hikers hanging out get multiple meals. Few hours go by and we sip a few sodas, watch as more hikers stroll in, listen to some music (both radio and some live music as well) and then lunch is served. Burgers, beans, chocolate chip cheesecake, stax chips, brownie muffins, and more cookies of course. Tin Man and I finally start hiking a little after 1pm. Nearly 3 hours after S'all Good had already left. Pretty easy day of hiking, we have a little climb getting out of the road gap as per usual and then a beautiful summit of Max Patch bald a few miles later. We weren't expecting to find our partners tent site since he started hiking so far ahead but due to some uneasy news at our first two camping choices (one had a note about illness, one spot had coyotes howling) we decide to push forward into the dusk a little further and surprising stumble upon S'all Good and a few other tents, one being Slow n' Steady. Hot Springs tomorrow afternoon to celebrate Tin Man's birthday.