morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-03-19
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light snow

Rained all night and all day. The trail was relatively tame today, but the rain turned everything into a bog. The uphills were much harder than usual, it was like trying to walk up a slide. Similarly, the downhills were like trying to walk down a slide. Greywolf said that the mud takes away power, which it really does. Sometimes I would be sliding back about an inch with every step forward.I had lukewarm oats for breakfast, because the wind was blowing too hard to keep a flame going. I picked up some different flavours at the last resupply, and today's was blueberry. I'm mildly excited to try the others.We left the shelter at 8.10, and headed into the foggy, rainy, windy abyss. The trail in the Smokies is mostly along the ridge line, so I was getting blown around after every corner. The rain was coming in sideways for a long time. It was so cold that it would make my hands go numb, but in gloves they would get too warm. Then it rained so much that I couldn't get my gloves on anyway.For some reason, my right shoe got completely waterlogged whilst my left remained quite dry. Every step was very squishy, and it made walking up even slippery than it was already. At least it meant that the blisters on my left foot stayed dry. They didn't feel so bad today actually, I think because there was a lot more flat hiking along the ridges.I reached the shelter at 2.30pm. It was already about half full, with the Rhode Island Express, Smasher, Brightside and a couple others. All the men were already in their sleeping bags. An hour and more people later, and everyone is in their sleeping bags. It is so cold, even with the tarp over the fourth non-existent wall. It's also too wet for anyone to make use of the fireplace inside to try and warm us up.Everyone is hoping that no section hikers have decided to brave the horrific weather. In the Smokies, non-thru hikers are allowed to reserve spaces in the shelters. So they can kick out any thru hikers if the shelter is full. And absolutely no one wants to go outside and set up their tent in the rain and wind.Tomorrow we're going to hitch into Gatlinburg to resupply. We are also going to go over Clingmans Dome tomorrow. There is a 50% chance of rain. I desperately hope it stops raining. I hate hiking in the rain. But I definitely hate camping in the rain even more. I hate having to put on my wet gear to be able to do anything, and then staying wet and cold all day because no amount of body heat is going to magically dry my things. Rain is just awful.We reached 196 miles today, which means we have officially less than 2,000 miles left to hike!
Date: 2015-03-27
From: Spring Mountain shelter

To: Jerrys Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4

Rained all night long. I was very glad to not be in my tent. My sleeping bag was also very warm, I had to take off my sleeping leggings because it was so warm. Brightside's day started badly when she discovered that she had left her shoes and socks outside in the rain. She also discovered that Amy (Chicago) had accidentally walked off with her cook set. So, she's borrowing mine until we catch Chicago. The morning was a little drizzly and miserable. Not good hiking weather. In the first hour, I managed to slip on a log and slide down a ledge. I had to actually climb back up to the trail. I was lucky that I didn't slide even further down, or hurt anything more than bruise my legs. Not long after that, the very bad weather we had been predicted started rolling in. It started with small balls of snow that started pelting heavily. It was a bit like someone was pouring sand on me. At least it was better than the rain, since the snow just bounced off. At the next shelter, I stopped for lunch. My Nutella was like fudge, it was so solid from the cold.The snow fell for a couple hours, and there were sections of the trail that were completely invisible. IOverall, we had more than an inch of snow. There were a lot of white blazes though, so I rarely got lost. There was a large climb over an exposed ridge, with lots of slippery rocks and annoying rhododendron branches. It took me a long time to hike over it, but at least the snow stopped. Not long after that, I reached the shelter. Brightside, Rhode Island Express and a hiker with a dog (Banjo Jack) were already there. All of them were in their sleeping bags, at 2.30pm. We decided to stay after only 15 miles because of how freezing it was. There is a thermometer on the shelter, so we're enjoying 29F. The comparison to yesterday is really unbelievable. It's really shocking how the same area of mountains and forest can have such a wildly different temperature and climate from one day to the next. Tomorrow is expected to be another cold day, with a warmer afternoon. The snow will melt, but I really just want to be warmer. We have to do 35 over the next two days, and then just 6 on Monday to resupply in Erwin. This evening, I had my first ramen bomb, which is a trail staple. It's ramen mixed with instant mash. It adds flavour and some texture to the mash, which is not a bad thing. That was actually my second dinner, my first was when I arrived at camp - it was 2 packets of strawberry and cream oatmeal. My dinner calories are probably the lowest of the day. It mostly needs to full filling and be warm, not necessarily give me energy. Now Voltron has joined us. Both Voltron and Banjo Jack have completed the AT before. There are quite a few people out here who are doing their second thru hike. I've asked a few why they are back on the AT, and the response is usually the same- they couldn't stay away. I wonder if I will feel the same way when I leave the AT. We passed the 300 mile mark today. It's hard to believe that I've really managed to walk 300 miles in 3 weeks. Now just to keep on doing this for 5 more months.
Date: 2015-04-11
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Davis Path campsite
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

Usual night- slept badly. Got up about 7am, left the camp about 8am. Brightside had to go back after about 10 minutes because she left her drying socks at the shelter. The weather was chilly to start, but the sun was out and I soon heated up. I then burnt up. We had 2 steep bumps to climb, and then the rest of the route was gentle. There was a section that went through a rhododendron forest where the sun was streaming through, but it wasn't too hot, and it felt like a nice little jaunt through the woods. I didn't feel any need to rush to get into town. I ended up meeting the others at an old school, that was built in 1875 I think. It was quite interesting to see, we were able to go inside and sit in the desks. A random guy and his brother in law came along and asked to take photos of us all day in front of the school for their newspaper. We spent a bit of time hanging around there before we did the last 3 miles into town. It was actually the first time that it really felt like springtime. The ground around the trail is suddenly alive with colour. There are lots of little purple and white plants as well as lots of little green plants. It's nice to finally see some change. Actually, to call Atkins a town is a gross exaggeration. Atkins has 2 petrol stations, a dilapidated motel, and a restaurant. We all ate at the restaurant called The Barn. I had a 1lb cheese burger with curly fries and chocolate milk. The burger was pretty good, but the chocolate milk was the best. Whilst there, Brightside got two parcels. She now has enough food for the next millennium. From there, we moved to a grassy patch in front of the petrol station to enjoy the sun for a couple hours.I surveyed both of the gas stations to try and get the best resupply. Both were very bad. They mostly sold snacks and beer, and neither has any dinners or lunches. Fortunately, I mostly needed snacks. I've pretty much tried all the candy bars that are available down here, and my favourites are still the Baby Ruths. Now I'm moving onto the other types of American candy, starting with the peanut butter filled M&Ms and Sour Patch Kids. Before leaving, I stopped in the Mexican place and ordered take out. I packed it out and had it for dinner. We had agreed to meet at a campsite 3 miles from town. I left with Laughtrack, Dopey, Secondguess and Mowgli. Brightside was still in town trying to pack her food, and the Rhode Island Express managed to get a hitch to the Dollar General. When I arrived at the campsite, the others were leaving for the next campsite 3 more miles away. There was no water source, and the pitching sites were limited. I decided to wait for Brightside, so I read, ate my Mexican dinner, and chatted with a section hiker called Thankful. Brightside took more than an hour to get to the campsite, and by the time she got there it was too late for me to go to the next site. Tomorrow we will have to do 20 miles. We will have to do 20 miles for the next 3 days. I really hope that I can get enough sleep tonight.
Date: 2015-04-13
From: Chestnut Knob shelter

To: Helveys Mill Shelter
Miles today: 25.9
Weather: clear sky

Last night was extremely windy. Not surprising given the shelter is on top of an open hill at 4,400 feet. I'm impressed that everyone outside managed to get any sleep. Then again, it seems like most people are getting more sleep than me generally. Though I was told that everyone got very wet from all the condensation last night. I woke up about 5am and ended up hiking from 7am. I knew I had to get started early for the long mileage. I ended up getting into camp at 5.30pm, so that was excellent. The trail today was a lot of ridge climbing to start, with a lot of rock jumping. There were a couple sections where it was about a mile or so of nearly flat trail, which made things much nicer. However, the sun was boiling hot again from about 11-4pm. It was stunningly hot. I was putting sunscreen on every two hours or less, and then I was sweating it off. I had to wipe the sweat off my arms and face before I could even put the sunscreen on. I wore my bandana under my hat and looked absurd again. My ears aren't burnt today though! I stopped at the mid way shelter for lunch. The shelter was okay, but the privy was notable for having no walls at all. I enjoyed listening to a whole lot of lectures and podcasts today. I can't wait to get internet access so I can get some new ones. They really help the miles go by faster than music. Just a few miles from the shelter, the trail went along a road. It was a bit confusing, and I learned later that the others had all gone down the wrong trail. I was the only one who noticed a random white blaze down the road. There were also 2 surprising rubbish bins right by the trail. It was good to get rid of some of my rubbish before tomorrow. I got to the shelter and Frodo, Second Guess and two other guys were there. Not long after me, the rest of the people from last night followed. There are more than 15 of us here, so we officially have our own bubble. Fortunately, I got a space inside the shelter since I didn't stop to go swimming like most of the others did. Apparently it's supposed to rain tonight, so I'll be glad to not be in my tent.The shelter here also has a very open privy. It has only 2 walls. Not all privies are created equal. Tomorrow, we have to walk 16 miles to get to the resupply shop. Still not sure how far we will go after that, but I want to get in as early as possible. The following night (Wednesday), we will reach Woods Hole hostel, which is famous on the trail. I'm booked in to stay in a room there, which I'm really looking forward to. The combination of sweat, sunscreen, salt and dirt has really made me quite disgusting and I am in desperate need of a shower and laundry.
Date: 2015-04-18
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: clear sky

Tried to get an early night, but slept badly anyway because one of the hikers snored extremely loudly. I ended up leaving camp about 7.15am. The weather today was very hot, and I quickly changed out of my coat and lathered on sunscreen. The trail today was in a bad condition, there were many times when I had to climb over, under, or around fallen branches. A few times it was actually difficult to climb over or get under the trees, and it was actually painful on some occasions. The trail also had some very painful rocks to hike over, for miles. As I noted yesterday, the trail went up and down all day. Big ups and big downs. The final down in particular was very painful on my toes. Today was so hot that I actually ran out of water for the first time. For the last hour of hiking, I had no water and no water sources. At least there was some cloud cover by that point, so I didn't get too dehydrated. The water at the shelter was also very close by, so I was able to rehydrate soon. The shelter was also surprisingly busy. A troop of Boy Scouts were staying there, but fortunately none of them were using the shelter. They even gave us extra crackers. At the first shelter, I was reunited with Laughtrack and the others, who had camped elsewhere last night. Brightside is still AWOL. During the day, I also walked into Rocketman and Princess. They are slackpacking the entire trail. They hiked the trail last year (I think) and this year they are planning to write a book about their slackpacking experiences. I have seen them every day for a while, and met them back in Atkins. I fully expect to see them again tomorrow. Tonight at dinner, the Rhode Island Express, Laughtrack and Dopey are talking about blue/aqua blazing the Shenandoahs. This means that instead of hiking that section of the AT, they would hire canoes and take the waterways for about a week and a half. This would mean that they miss about 160 miles of the trail. A thru hiker is defined as someone who hikes 2,000 miles of the AT in any direction. Even if they skip 160 miles of the trail, by the time they reach Katahdin, they will still have hiked more than 2,000 miles of the AT. Canoeing also means that they can carry a lot more food in coolers, and generally have a very relaxed time. It is also possible to canoe the section and then go back to hike the AT that they missed. Their arguments are very appealing. Unfortunately, with my visa I don't have the time to spare to canoe and then also hike the Shenandoahs. I think I will probably have to stick with hiking. It's a couple hundred miles before I need to make a decision though. Tomorrow we are hoping to be able to catch Fresh Ground, because otherwise we will miss him for this section. In a couple days we will reach Daleville, where I think I will have to take a zero day. My feet are extremely painful at the moment, and there is nothing I can do about them. I need to rest them, and maybe Brightside will catch up then.
Date: 2015-04-20
From: Craig Creek Road

To: Catawba Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Started off the morning the usual Fresh Ground way, with pancakes, skillet, and mocha. I woke up early, at 6am. The car had kept me dry and cosy, and was much better than my tent. I left Fresh Ground's cafe at about 8.15, but I got stuck shortly after. The creek nearby had burst completely. It was the type of situation where you couldn't go over it, couldn't go under it, couldn't go around it. 15 minutes later, I took my shoes and socks off, and went through it. The water was extremely cold and came up to my knees in places. After that, I dried my feet off with my towel and put everything back on again. Then, it was time to start that 1700ish foot climb. As I climbed, the fog started to lift and the sun appeared, giving me a beautiful view of the mountains and valleys. At the top, I visited the Audie Murphy memorial- dedicated to the most decorated soldier of WWII. From there, the trail followed the same kind of route all day. Big ups and big downs, with lots of ridgeline climbing. The highlight was probably the Dragons Tooth. It was a section of sheer jagged rock. It was so steep that it had rebars in sections to climb up. It was quite dangerous, and some places I had to step along rock that was just a few inches wide. In the weather we had yesterday, it would have been deadly. Before I did that though, I saw some wildlife! I saw a brown snake. At first I thought it was a stick, and yelled when it moved. It was moving away and faced away from me though, so I took a few steps back and continued on my way. Later on, I spotted 3 turkeys taking off and flying. It was quite funny, as they had to do a running jump and flew down into the valley. They looked like they would hang gliding. Turkeys are not aerodynamic animals. The trail also went though some fields, where again I got stared down by some cows. I never noticed before how sinister cows are. I finally reached the shelter about 6.30pm. It had been a very long day, with some seriously difficult hiking. When I arrived, I met a family at the shelter with their two children. They are hiking a very small section of the trail, and their children are very, very excited to be out here and have lots of new people to talk to and entertain. I also noticed that I have a couple new blisters on my feet. This walking with wet feet business is really not helping with my blisters at all. Tomorrow, we are planning to get up at 5am to try to get a beautiful sunrise view from McAfee Knob. It's one of the most famous and photographed spots on the AT, so I hope we have a clear day. After that, it's time to head back into town- 17.8 miles to Daleville!
Date: 2015-04-21
From: Catawba Mountain Shelter

To: Daleville
Miles today: 17.8

Woke up much earlier than expected, at 4am. I stayed in bed for a little while, and then Laughtrack came and found me at 5am when I was just about to go and find her. An hour later, we were sat at the top of McAfee Knob with Dopey, Frodo, Treeninja and Chef. I ate instant oats and drank tea as we watched the sunrise from behind distant mountains and light up the whole valley. It was a truly spectacular sight and definitely worth the early start and night hike. The sun was shining brightly all day from then, and it was another lovely hiking day. From there, we still had more than 16 miles to do before we would be able to sleep. The first half of the day was ups and downs, following the ridgeline again. It was a bit exhausting going over the peaks and dips repeatedly. The trail went along a cliff edge for about half a mile, and then finally went into the forest and down to a shelter. I ate an early lunch at 9.30am. The extra calories really helped to push me up the mountains. Another hard climb and more rocky ridgelines. I saw a couple lizards running across the rocks. Frodo said that he spotted a bear, so my lizards look very tame in comparison. Today I pushed myself with the help of ibuprofen and loads of calories, but now I'm suffering for it and my feet are quite painful. My blisters are extremely tender and hurt to even gently touch. But, I got into Daleville about 1pm which was much earlier than I expected. The majority of the hikers are staying at the Howard Johnson Inn. I've gotten a room with Laughtrack and Dopey. We had an interesting time when we tried to get into our room, however, as the door key didn't work. This turned out to be a very good thing, as Laughtrack and I noticed through the window that the room was infested with hundreds of stink bugs. It was like a scene from a horror movie as we slowly noticed all the dead bugs on the windowsill, then the live ones on the curtain, then the hundreds more inside. I ran after Dopey, who was going to fix the key, and told her that we had to get a new room. Fortunately it was all sorted, and our new room only had 3 bugs that Laughtrack quickly captured and flushed. After, I was able to briefly call my family before we went off to join other hikers for a lunch/dinner at The Three Li'l Pigs. I had a lovely meal and hikers get a free banana pudding dessert. After that, I went to the outfitters and bought a new Sawyer mini filter and then went to Kroger to resupply. Tomorrow I have to go back to the outfitters for new insoles and blister plasters before I leave. Not sure what the plan is for tomorrow, but we might be taking a zero or at least a nero. I hope that my feet recovery a little bit. In the meantime, I am going to get a well deserved rest. I also managed to finally get messages from Brightside and her mum. She stayed at Woodshole for a few days and just set off on Monday. She's trying to make it to Daleville to get new shoes and have her feet checked out. I really hope that she can catch up with us soon, but not if its a detriment to her feet.
Date: 2015-04-22
From: Daleville

To: Daleville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Last night I woke up, suddenly realising that I had left my earphones in the pocket of my trousers, which had just been laundered. They did not survive the journey. I woke again about 8am, when both Dopey and Laughtrack were already awake. The motel does a free breakfast until 9am, so we got dressed and went down to that. The breakfast was not really the "continental" described, but it was still pretty decent. It had cereal, fruit, mini baked goods, and even a waffle maker. At breakfast, I joined the large group of hikers that were already eating there. The majority of the motel is filled with hikers, and we practically demolished the breakfast buffet. During breakfast, we decided that we would stay in town for another night and that today would be an official zero day. After breakfast, we had a surprise visit from Fresh Ground who bought us some chocolate and then drove Chef and I to Walmart. (I had to buy new earphones in order to survive hiking and shelters.) We stopped at Sonic on the way back, and Fresh Ground got us giant milkshakes which were perfect for the sunny weather.When I got back, I headed off to the outfitters again. I spent a bit of time trying to get the right insole. It turns out that insoles have a surprising amount of variety. I eventually settled on some green Superfeet, which are a popular choice. From there, I spent a bit of time drinking tea at the coffee shop and using their wifi to download as many podcasts as possible. Later, when I was back in the room, I took a nice long bath, and soaked my feet. Afterwards, I noticed that my left little toenail is barely hanging on. I'm fairly certain that it is going to fall off soon, but I am unwilling to do anything to speed up the process. I really dread the day when I find it has fallen off. For dinner, I joined the others to go to "Frozen Treats" which is where you can choose and serve your own ice cream and a variety of toppings. It was unusual because the ice cream is then priced by the weight of the whole thing. We all loaded up on various sugary toppings, and Laughtrack in particular had a lot of energy afterwards. Then the others went to Kroger whilst I went to Bojangles, which is a fast food place. So today I had ice cream for dinner and then chicken and chips for dessert. Now I am extremely full as a result. Once again, I do not know what the plan is for tomorrow. Dopey said that she could hike 20-25 miles, but I said that I would need to leave extremely early in order to do that. I have no desire to go from zero miles today to twenty miles tomorrow. Especially when I will be carrying a very heavy pack. And of course, we are heading out of town so that means another big, slow, endless climb back up.