morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-12
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: broken clouds

Woke up to clear sunny cool morning. Some nice folks from the church in town volunteered to pick us up at the motel and make us a pancake breakfast. 2 vans filled up, dropped us off at church then went back to motel to get more hikers. Church basement room filled up quickly. Sticks, Steve, Dorothy, Tin Man and others were all there. After the leader gave a welcome speech, it was time to line up for as much pancakes, bacon, OJ, coffee as we could eat. They gave us paper, pens and envelopes to write a letter to send back home which they were kind enough to mail out along with a polaroid they took of each hiker. We all signed the "Class of 2013" banner, gave our thanks then were shuttled back to the motel. What a great show of goodwill by all those volunteers at the church, wont soon forget the kindness they gave all of us. Back to the gap for long gradual ascent to Siler Bald summit, down to Wayah Gap rd then up through many fallen trees blocking the trail. I'm hiking with Rambo and Bubble Head in this section. Much ducking and crawling under horizontal trunks or going way up through the brush, around exposed roots or broken trunks, then back down to the trail. White Blazes were accompanied by yellow in this area to signify hazard zone. After crossing USFS 69 gravel road, short climb up to paved road leading to Wayah Bald Stone Tower, really pretty panoramic views from the covered deck. Elevation is just over 5300 feet, can really feel the height when you see the depth of the valleys. We take a snack break here and enjoy the view with the other hikers as the wind picks up, sun slowly descends to the west ridges, and temperatures drop with the night approaching. I hike down with Bear Bait to the full shelter. Nick sees me, says he and Hawkeye found a tent spot further up the trail. I drop pack to get water from stream way off the the left on blue blaze trail. Returning to my pack with full water bag I run into Code Walker who is going to get water. I find the tent spot and setup quickly as night dark is moving in fast. Nick makes a fire very close to my tent, as the flat space is limited. Bubble Head, Rambo, and Code Walker set up nearby. We eat and talk around the fire, night air is winter cold. Clean up, brush teeth then off to bed.
Date: 2013-04-13
From: wayah bald shelter

To: nantahala outdoor center
Miles today: 16.5

Very cold last night! Early rise, on trail at 815. After slow climbs and descents, arrive at Burningtown gap. An extremely friendly church group is there with trail magic! They give me orange juice, sausage biscuit, pound cake, pecan pie, oatmeal cookies, banana & blueberry muffin! Several families, young and old woke up early to come here to the gap and set up tables, lawn chairs and even made a fire so we can warm up in the cold morning. What a generous group, so thankful for them spending their weekend morning helping us hikers, way cool!! Hawkeye, Cat Nap and others are here also enjoying the surprise hospitality. Nice view at rocky bald. Alot more climbing. Trailwreck climbs over a large fallen tree in the trail. I go next, he waits as I climb around in case I "fall and bust my head". I clear tree successfully, he scampers off around the corner to rejoin his group. More climbing to Wesser bald watch tower. Hawkeye left paper message on rock with white arrow pointing to it saying for me to meet up with him and Thomas at NOC. Addressed to "Suburau". Watch tower view is excellent, clear blue sky. I think I can see dam water in Fontana, our next stop. Sno is up at the top, enjoying the view as his clip on mini speaker plays a Red Hot Chili Peppers tune. Code walker arrives as I pack up to leave. Long 6 mile descent of almost 3000 feet. One section is a sharp 90 degree turn to right. As you approach the corner the trail gets narrow, the right side is a steep drop off, can see far down below. The descent is way steeper and slower than i anticipated at times. Very punishing on knees & feet. Direct sunlight alot of the time, air is dry, dusty at times. Last hour of descent was a struggle, no more water. I run into Cisco Kid at the last shelter before the NOC, we talk then move on. Down further across foot bridges, can hear cars passing ahead. Finally glad to reach NOC! Hawkeye and German Thomas waiting there for me. We check in at the General Store and grab a soda. Achilles arrives, we go to bunk house where we share small room, wooden bunks stacked 2 high, one window and a door. Dinner at Rivers End with the crew, Survivor & Emily "Reach", a very fast hiker from Boston who Hawkeye & Thomas met on the trail. Cheese burger with fries and Green Man ESB beer from Asheville, NC. next we cross bridge to bond fire next to the river where live music plays on Saturday nights. We stood and talked for 1.5 hours about everything. I tried the "APPALACHIAN TRAIL" beer from Nantahala brewery, pretty good, can't get any more local than that. What a challenging and fun day and relaxing saturday night!
Date: 2013-04-14
From: nantahala outdoor center

To: nantahala outdoor center
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Taking a zero day at Nantahala Outdoor Center. Resting up the legs and feet. Watching the white water kayaks practice on the river. Saw Survivor at breakfast at Rivers End. German Thomas continued hiking. Achilles decided to end his section hike here due to tendon issues. We had fun time with him around, he will be missed, we will remain in contact for sure. Getting gear in order, food prepared, and looking ahead in guide book. Relaxing by riverside today. Stopped into the outfitter to checkout their gear and use their computer to get permits for entrance to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, our next destination. Did laundry behind the general store, took hot shower, hot dinner and local beers tonight. Yay!
Date: 2013-04-15
From: nantahala outdoor center

To: locust cove gap camp
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: light rain

Big 3250 foot climb from NOC to Cheoah bald viewpoint. Dorothy was up there hiking in new Vibram 5 finger shoes. Earth balance, Sticks, Tinkle, Greylock also crossed our path. Really pretty view from here, sunny and clear blue skies with white clouds to the horizon. Yesterday we met Pink Lady, Chicklet and Big Spoon at general store. Also crossed paths with Nick and Cat Lady who has Hello Kitty stickers on trekking poles. Good day today, feeling better after the zero day. Down to Locust Cove Gap camp. Two tents are there already. Spoke to the guys there, one had an AM radio and was telling me he heard about news of a terrible bombing that occurred at the Boston marathon earlier. He went on to tell us the details he knew then scanned the stations to get more info. All night I couldn't stop thinking about it. Weather looks to be mild tonight so I skip tent setup and decide to layout tarp, mat, and bag to sleep under the stars, my first cowboy camp of the journey. A Los Angeles couple arrives and sets up on other side of the trail, they are friends with Pundit, who we cross paths with alot. Tinkle arrives and sets up higher on the hill. Water source is annoyingly far, a stream with a length of green garden hose in the center forming a nice spigot. At a distance from the stream I can see lights from a lone house down below at a distance. Ate dinner, chatted with Hawkeye until it got dark. Laid on my back looking up at the stars in the night sky until I fell asleep.
Date: 2013-04-16
From: locust cove gap camp

To: Fontana dam
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: overcast clouds

11 hours 18.2 miles. Early morning start in the cool rising sun. I see a wild turkey run across the trail and into the forest. I reach the road at Stecoah Gap, a picnic table near NC143 has leftover bag of soda and water from trail magic yesterday, I chug one, put empty bottle in garbage bag then continue across road. Really beautiful zig zagging hike up to Jacobs Ladder, a very steep uphill section with nice view at top. Long hike down to Fontana dam shelter aka Fontana Hilton. As you enter the center aisle you see wooden platforms to left and right, one high one low. I set up bag on lower right platform. I hear the famous shower house is closed due to vandalism, dang. I meet Lost and Found, talkative and sociable girl, she offers me a Highlander stout beer in bottle she mailed to self from NOC, awesome! She is from TN, very knowledgeable about craft beers in TN NC area. Steve Irwin and Crying Tiger from England in shelter. Gilgamesh, big friendly guy from Vermont, snoring is not his problem but is for those around him, haha. Later that night a rat in the shelter apparently scratched up his face, nasty. Karl from PA, uses hammock. Simon from Germany, young guy with old fashion film camera and lots tattooes. Jackalope from Syracuse, tall fast hiker, works construction, wears construction boots. Bum Spoon (formerly known as Nick)makes bond fire, Survivor hands me stick to make smores. Travis n Noah take one too. Haven't made smores in years, tasty. Danger Dave hands out yellow bunny Peeps from dollar store, I put on stick and roast it, Catnap does same. Outside sugar caramelized inside soft hot, taste like cotton candy. Dorothy goes off to tend to feet. Earth Balance goes off to bed. Happy birthday Chicklet and Bear bait. They are up at the lodge cabins celebrating with their groups. I go to sleep in Fontana Hilton. Jedediah, young guy who traveled the world and hikes with a small Martin guitar was singing original song earlier "Whoa trail magic, whoa trail magic, I love you so", very catchy, all hikers around him know the melody. Stuck in my head as I go to bed.
Date: 2013-04-17
From: Fontana dam

To: birch spring gap
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: broken clouds

3.5 hours. Laundry and mailed out food box ahead to Gatlinburg. Briefly saw Dorothy, taking a zero day as her feet are badly injured. Both Bear Bait and Chicklet celebrated birthdays yesterday. Hawk and I hiked across dam, superb views on both sides, left is river valley below and colorful hills, right is lake formed by the dam and Great Smokey Mountains. Hear the thunder rumbling up ahead. In the 80's and sunny. Long uphill climb, Hawkeye and I hike 30 minutes then rest 3 minutes several times to keep from overheating. Rest and drink at boulders shaped like a thrown. Up ahead we collect water as it falls from the steep rock wall above. Pundit arrives as we are leaving and also grabs some water. More uphill, Cat Lady comes out of nowhere catches us on a ridge. We chat & I snap a photo using her disposable camera. her pack is small and she moves fast, we let her pass on the narrow path. Cool Indiana tattoo on arm and MEOW written one letter beneath each knuckle. As she passes can see on calves has dinosaur and i think yogi bear on the other. Up to Schuckstack fire tower. It is old and rickety, I only go half way up, scenery still gorgeous. Down to birch gap spring camp situated downhill off to the left of the trail. A stream runs through the center of the V shaped ground and bear cables hang near the tent spots. We set tents. Pink Lady, Big Soon and Chicklet show up so we move tents to make room. Later After dinner, I walk around to opposite side of hill to go pee. I find a good spot then looked across ravine and saw a bear! I grabbed the phone from my pocket and hit camera button. I watch bear for 20 seconds as it searches the ground then walks over and down hill out of sight. it was about 100 yards away. I heard leaves shuffle above me, turn around and saw Big Spoon above me at the top of my hill, I didn't know she was up there, she saw bear also. I checked my camera footage and saw it was still set on photo and not video, damn! I took a blurry picture of trees, wanted video of first bear sighting instead, oh well maybe later. Hawk and I go further along path to see if we can find it but no luck.
Date: 2013-04-18
From: birch spring gap

To: Derrick knob shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: overcast clouds

11 hours. Alot of uphill today. Saw tin man, smiles, cat walker twice. Walked through misty cloud in the morning. 3 large deer on trail ran a away as Hawkeye and I approached. Lots of little service berry flowers line the trail. Skies clear up around lunch time. Meet ridge runner Carl who checks our permits, warned of approaching rain. Climb up rocky top mountain reveals exquisite views of path just taken afar. Super windy here as we take photos. Across to thunder mountain then up and down to Derrick knob shelter. Uke and Jedediah are there singing & playing guitar & ukelele. Smiles, slow & steady, big spoon, pink lady, Chicklet, show up. Shelter full so we tent in front of it. Sun goes down, gets super windy, and cold. Tent is getting bent into all sorts of shapes from wind. Can't sleep all night, paranoid of bears, falling trees, tent damage from wind,etc. Finally I put on my headphones on around 430am and listen to some Jack Johnson and fall asleep.WATER: people ask where hikers get water from. Here on trail there are natural springs that flow out of mountains. Some locations have constant flow and are reliable. Other times there are fast moving streams. These locations are marked in some guide maps. We plan and budget water collection and usage around frequency and availability of water sources. If sources are abundant, i choose to carry less so that pack is lighter. Most people will pump water through filters or use purification drops and tablets. I usually go through at least 3 liters per day so far.
Date: 2013-04-19
From: Derrick knob shelter

To: Silas bald shelter
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: light rain

2.25 hours. Wake up to rain. Packed up tents fast and went inside shelter, which has clear plastic roof which is great for light. Has fireplace too, which Big Spoon does great job of starting & maintaining. Waiting for rain to stop or lighten up. Uke sings a tune. Tinman, Smiles, pink lady, Chicklet, slow & steady, Jedediah, diesel, dingo, cat walker & more all wait. Pink, spoon, Chicklet hear a slight lull and exit through tarp door & uphill into woods. Tinman, smiles, me, hawk wait 30 minutes more then go. Rains on and off for next hour then starts to pour hard . Ground is muddy and extra slippery. We 4 press on. Rain has now entered both my boots, socks soaked. Hawk turns to me and says: "well this ain't much fun." I agree. Water flows down on uphill trail like waterfall. Finally shelter appears at top of hill. Shreck, Shweezil, Cat Lady, Gilgamesh (with bandage on face from Fontana rat scratch), pink lady, big spoon, Chicklet, are already here. Ropes fill air above, wet clothes hang everywhere. Everyone tries to get dry, warm, and keep busy to pass time. Papa Smurf plays cards, Big spoon dries clothes by fireplace while carving a spoon from wood, Smiles/Tinman gather wood to dry out, Pink lady read/write / listen to music, Hawk naps. Survivor walks in drenched wearing his iconic green knit sweater. Says he has firewood, opens pack to reveal large bundle he's been hauling for days for right occasion. Perfect timing as we are low. He changes into one piece red long johns complete with butt flap. All laugh at the sight, Survivor plays along, gracious enough to pose for photos. We pass the time chit-chating inside while rains outside. By late afternoon, rain stops but we decide not to move on anyway. After being cramped in shelter all day, me and others decide to pitch tents while there is not much rain or wind. Nuke shows up after hiking all night straight thru from Fontana. He sets tent next to me and the park ranger. After Mountain House Chilli Mac and Cheese dinner, clean up, brush teeth, hang food bag. Early to bed as me and some others decide to wake up and leave super early in attempt to get to Clingman's Dome, hopefully for clear skies and a sun rise. Temperature drops alot, wind picks way up as I am in tent ready to sleep.
Date: 2013-04-21
From: Newfound gap

To: tri corner shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

4.21 newfound gap _ tri corner shelter15.6 miles _ 7 hours 40 minutesOn the shuttle from Gatlinburg to Newfound Gap is Protip, Nuke, Survivor, Packman, Talon, Just, German Thomas (now known as Road Runner), Hawkeye and a few others. Nice sunny cool weather. on a mossy cut tree stump next to the trail, someone made the circular AT symbol with small stones, pretty cool, I snapped a photo of it and now use as my Trail Journal profile picture. Steady climb up to Charlies Bunion, spectacular sunny views from rock protrusion. Road Runner had a humorous encounter with hiker Cady on the way out from bunion, lost in translation pretty much describes it. Many high up view points along the trail. Slate rock slide area crossing on way tri corner shelter. Strider is there, hiking injured, busted foot, from shelter to next, a fighter, great attitude. Water source is a small cold spring near the shelter that crosses the footpath than drops down into valley. Cold windy night, tarp covers the entrance. Shelter has one bunk shelf about a foot off of the ground with a second shelf at chest level. I was on the lower shelf which had a low ceiling. listened to podcast to get to sleep. Boy named Sue-baru. Gatlinburg: being my first time there was fun to explore & walk down main drag. Alot different than i expected. Shel Silverstein wrote a poem called Boy named Sue, later performed as a song famously by Johnny Cash. Gatlinburg is mentioned in the lyrics, made to sound like an old west saloon town - find the live performance on greatest hits album or online, listen to the lyrics, kind of a funny story, Johnny was the perfect artist for this song. I guess i was expecting a cowboy town from long ago, instead of the touristy souvenir shop laden destination it is today. Had good experiences and a fun time there so no complaints. Oh well, you can still stop & have yourself a brew, mid-July or whenever, wink.
Date: 2013-04-22
From: tri corner shelter

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

4.22 tri-corner shelter to Davenport shelter14.8 miles - 8 hoursCold morning, hot breakfast of grits, pop tart and herbal tea. Downhill day through evergreens and moss covered fallen trees. Many views of mountains below. We pass remnants of a plane crash, looked in the guide book and it lists "plane wreckage" as a marker. Strange. Down into rhododendrons, then fern gully. Down to Davenport shelter, this one has no bear cables but has a chain link fence covering the open front. You sleep with food inside, fence door is latched shut to keep bears out. Packman, who hiked 700 miles of AT last year working on a documentary film crew, arrives later, the shelter is full so he puts foodbag inside but sleeps outside of closed door shelter cowboy style, cool guy, very brave. Dingo, diesel, cat walker are among those inside. Great company around camp fire, great end to day. I learned that all shelters in the park used to have a chain link fence like this one many years ago. Was told that tourists would actually purposely leave bait outside for bears so that they could get a close encounter and photos of bears from within the safety of the shelter. Huge No-no. Fences were removed except for this one. Time: I usually record the time we leave a shelter to the time we arrive at the shelter, camp or leave the trail to go into town etc. included in the time is any rest or lunch breaks, water breaks, photo taking, view point opportunities, rain stoppages etc. so while distance/time gives average speed for the day, we actually move between 2 - 3 miles / hour. I have been waking up before 7am & sleeping around 10:15pm typically. I like this pace as it allows to really see, hear, talk with others, and experience surroundings without flying by and missing things or getting overly winded like running a race. I do feel the trail legs, much better optimized for hiking than at the start. More muscles in the legs, cardio is better tuned too.
Date: 2013-04-23
From: Davenport gap shelter

To: brown gap camp
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: broken clouds

4.23 Davenport shelter - brown gap camp13.4 miles - 9 hoursDown from Davenport shelter to northern terminal of Great Smokey Mountains national park. Sunny cool morning. We run into a ranger just before exiting. He tells we are approaching a wild flower area just up ahead. Now out of the park and into TN i believe. Through lush wildflower area along and across cascading stream. Bridge over Pigeon river then some loggers in a truck point us to go under I40 freeway. 2500 for climb along dead pine trees, some brown, some burnt. Hawkeye leading the way up, moving very fast, pulled way ahead of me. Lunch at summit of Snowbird mountain, stunning views! Down to brown gap camp between 2 gravel roads, water source slow and trickling, listened to coyotes howl back & forth while going to bed.
Date: 2013-04-24
From: brown gap shelter

To: deer park mountain shelter
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: clear sky

4.24N brown gap camp - deer park shelter20.1 miles - 11 hours 10 minutesUp Max Patch Bald, all the way up is grass, feels strange since we are used to being surrounded by trees and brush, trail spirals to the right then around the back side before reaching the top, stunning 360 degree views, my favorite so far. We could see Snowbird Mountain summit we were at the other day for lunch, looks so far away. As we were walking up we noticed a pair of guys coming up the other side from parking lot with a cooler, trail magic! we meet Caleb & Clint from Auburn, AL. Chatted for 30 minutes at the windy summit, cool guys, great advice for coming miles. Summit is flat for small section then gradually slopes down, top is large, common for hikers to plan on camping here for the soft grass and excellent opportunity for a sunrise and sunset. I had a peanut butter bar & dr. Thunder as i walked around summit taking pics and video. glorious views of red hills to west, distant summits to the north, sun from the east & log cabin ranches on cleared balds to the south. Descent thru cattle turnstyle and into lush wildflower area along fast moving streams, many 2 log bridges help hikers across. Carpets of red and white trillium on ravines along the trail. At lemon gap there is more trail magic! Newt left cooler of sodas behind truck for hikers, thanks! While resting there we meet 2 identical twin sisters, gray hair and glasses, maybe late 70's who are volunteer trail keepers for that area. They keep it free from fallen trees on trail and garbage, not an easy task. I'd like to volunteer to do this for a section of the trail once my thru is completed, sort of payback for all those who maintained the trail i hike every day. We rarely meet them so far but we enjoy and benefit from all their hard work, we appreciate it and don't take them for granted. Later we begin climb again, halfway up i borrow TP from Hawk and duck into the woods to relieve myself. Glad he was there and had extra TP to share, lesson learned - need to carry more TP. At summit of Bluff mountain it starts to rain, we throw on our rain gear and descend gradual long slope. After 2 hours rain subsides, sun comes out. While on a ridge, a cloud hovers between us and a nearby hill, looks cool. Feels humid now, smells like tropical rainforest. Later we finally arrive@ deer park shelter. Timone, class of 2010 is there with Sawyer. I throw my pad & bag down in last shelter spot. Packman is next to me, asleep before i arrived and remains so until morning. Hawk & roadrunner quickly pitch tents before dark and more rain. Our 1st 20 mile day!!