morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-03-23
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Birch Spring Gap
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: broken clouds

Fontanaaaaaa. Iconic section of the trail since you hike across the tallest trail in the Eastern U.S. and at the time of its creation in the 1940's, it was the 4th tallest dam in the world. But first, I had to get a ride into "town" to pick up a resupply package for the Smoky's. A shuttle was obtained by using the "House Phone" at the marina since there is absolutely zero cell service and a beat-up van quickly came to pick us up. We arrived at the General Store/Post Office and mMmMmmmmm chocolate milk. My wonderful parents threw this package together with some food I had stashed at the house as well as a quick run to the grocery store for a few odds and ends. Thanks Mom and Dad! Although I will say that I was disappointed you didn't sneak a flask of whiskey in there...As I was exchanging my new food for old garbage on the stoop to the General Store, an older woman pulled in and started asking us about our trip so far. One thing led to another and we found out that she had thru-hiked a few years ago and is attempting the PCT this year. Pretty impressive for a woman in her late 60's to mid-70's (???) who probably weighed all of 95 pounds. After asking if I wanted a ride back to the marina, which I gratefully accepted, and a sip of whiskey, which I confusedly declined, she continued talking to other hikers and offered the same. Quickly we had a full car and we were off to the marina. Turns out that "A sip of whiskey" really meant a brand new flask of Hennessy and a hiker named Big Fudge was the lucky recipient. My group has now separated for one reason or another (dogs aren't allowed in the Smoky's, family visiting, zero day, etc.) but I know I'll see a lot of these folks again soon. Continuing across the dam, I took my time to soak in the awe of this impressive man-made structure and continued for the southern entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Everyone had been talking nervously about this section of our trek, but I was pumped. A friendly couple originally from Massachusetts was asking about the journey and was extremely encouraging (which I've found strangely comforting from complete strangers) and took my picture right outside the park boundary. I arrived at the only tenting site in the Smoky's around 5 where I found Ben. The Smoky's require thru-hikers to stay at shelters at all times although they must give up their spots in a full shelter to section hikers with nightly reservations. Dinner, reading and early bedtime after this fun-filled day.Picture - Selfie on Fontana Dam
Date: 2016-03-24
From: Birch Spring Gap

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Uhhhhh, where is everyone? Completely overslept and didn't leave camp until 11 a.m. Wasn't completely my fault, Birch Spring was a gap where the surrounding mountains make for quite a late sunrise. Additionally, the clouds were moving in and the last I heard was a forecast filled with heavy rain and potentially thunder and lightning. Have to play today by ear with a forecast like that. Committing to a plan can be dangerous and you have to be willing to accept a lower mile day if the trail becomes exposed ridge line. Got to Russell Field Shelter (8.3 mile day) and despite the high winds and extremely dark skies, the rain hadn't amounted to more than brief showers. Instead of shacking up, I decided to do another quick 3 miles to Spence Field. No more than 3 minutes into starting back up, the skies opened. Rain, hail and darkness. Great decision.Even though I was only out in this weather for about an hour. I haven't been happier to see the sign indicating the shelter was nearby. While hiking, I was nice and warm, but as soon as I stopped the cold and shivering hit me instantly. Cooked a quick dinner of mashed potatoes and sausage, changed clothes and set up my pad/bag inside the shelter. Ben was there and warned me I would probably get "talked to" by the Ridgerunner. Ridgerunners are ATC employees that help maintain trails and educate hikers on Leave-No-Trace principles. Take only pictures, leave only footprints. I was lectured on the importance of using established tent pads and camping close to streams (even though the area I used was clearly commonly camped at, I was 75 feet from the stream, and I was also downstream of where people fill up their water). Anyways, I convinced him that I was a responsible hiker and avoid impacting the environment in any negative manner and eventually the lecture was over. P.s. - Going to have to talk to Ben about playing dumb and not instantly giving names up when someone asks "Do you know whose tent that is?"
Date: 2016-03-25
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: moderate rain

The rumor mill on the trail can get bad. Real bad. For the past two weeks it has been revolving around norovirus. "Make sure you use soap and not hand sanitizer because it doesn't kill noro!" "You have to use chemical water treatment and not a filter!""Tell the rangers and ridgerunners that your health is more important than abiding by the Smoky Mountain Regulations and you won't have to stay in the shelters!" "Two people have already gotten air-lifted out of the Smoky's this year because they got so dehydrated from vomiting and diarrhea."It got to the point that when people started talking about noro, I walked away. I couldn't take the paranoia and hearsay anymore. That being said, when I arrived at this shelter today, a couple doing a section hike made me nervous. The guy was complaining about how sick he felt and was constantly going to use the privy. Spitting up piles of phlegm and had the general appearance of being legitimately sick. With the subliminal conditioning of all this noro paranoia, I just decided to play it safe and tent nearby the shelter. Relatively uneventful night with the first sub-par fire of the trip. Everything was soaked from the previous day's rain and we were actually on a relatively bald ridge with few options for wood.
Date: 2016-03-26
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: few clouds

Clingmans Dome! Highest point on the AT at 6667 feet above sea level. Wasn't a super tough climb today since we have been steadily gaining elevation since entering the Smoky's. Wasn't what I expected at the top and slightly disappointed to be honest. Very touristy, with a concrete spire that is easily accessible from a nearby parking lot. Today was the first day the road was opened so it was mobbed with people by the time I got there at 10 a.m. Pretty fogged in so I didn't get a very good view and decided to snack at the top. People had widespread emotions and thoughts regarding the idea of hiking from Georgia to Maine. Some people thought it was insane, some people thought it was totally awesome and other people just didn't even understand it."Wait. So you walk the whole time? How do you get more food? You drink water from streams?!? How long does it take?"That last question is the best, for multiple reasons. Some people clearly skipped or failed U.S. geography because people don't seem to understand where Maine is. Some people thought it would take 2 weeks. 2 weeks. To walk from Georgia to Maine. Wow. Some people thought it would take 3 years. Wow again. Anyways, some people thought it was very inspiring and asked for their kids to take a picture with a "real thru-hiker" - someone who is legitimately walking 2,200 miles to Maine. A man Rick, from Indiana, was pretty jealous and enamored by the idea and slipped me a $10 bill for a "well-deserved burger" one of these days. Despite my resistance and convincing that I had saved enough to complete this trek, he insisted I keep it. I plan on keeping it in my wallet in case there is a situation where someone desperately needs it.The rest of the day ended up being pretty tough and I really had to stand my ground at Newfound Gap to resist a ride into Gatlinburg. I had purposely packed enough food to avoid needing a resupply in this town. After laying on the ground to rest my foot pain, someone walked over and asked if I would like a banana. Yup. It was great. Met a man that attempted a thru-hike last year and offered encouragement to endure despite guaranteed upcoming hardships. Got to the shelter and boy, was there ever trail magic. Mt. Dew, Coke, Pepsi, fruit, bags of chips, cookies. So awesome. Also a bunch of dad's with their son's that were extremely social and doing their best (but not a very good) job at hiding their jealousy. Great conversations with families and friends from Cincinnati and Michigan. Some of them even made extra chicken and stuffing so I didn't even need to cook. Great, great night. Photo from hike up to Clingmans. Fog was actually significantly less in the early a.m. and got thicker as the day progressed.
Date: 2016-03-27
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: overcast clouds

My Achilles is torn in half. Not really, but that's what it felt like today. Pushed it a little too hard yesterday and paying for it today. Doing a short day really hurts mentally, since I was sitting in a shelter at 1pm with plenty of daylight to continue hiking. Definitely smarter to play it safe and not strain it any further. Easy 7.2 mile day filled with stretching and eating. 1 bar of cell service while sitting on the privy! Wooo!Super froggy day, so I don't feel too bad. Hopefully this short day will allow some time for the fog to dissipate and I'll be able to take advantage of the views tomorrow.
Date: 2016-03-28
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Because innocent ole Bill Cosby turned out to be a freak...This morning was chilly and foggy, but this picture helps explain the origin behind the name of The Great Smoky Mountain National Park; the bluish/grey mist that often masks the peaks and valleys. Originally, the Cherokee tribe called them shaconage which translates to ¢place of the blue smoke.¢ While this blocked a few views that have been described to me as "never-ending", if I had started a few weeks later, the blooming foliage of springtime would have blocked many regardless.Feet are much better, but my Achilles gave me quite the scare yesterday...still a little tender today, seems to be slightly better.With all this time hiking alone, your mind starts to wander and often starts revolving around worst-case scenarios when the pain is excruciating. I just need a straw...to suck it up!
Date: 2016-03-29
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Made it through the Smokies in one shot! Woop woop! Most importantly, I avoided having to resupply in the crazy tourist town of Gatlinburg, TN which I heard was a complete nightmare. Just prior to leaving the Park, I was highly interrogated by a Ridgerunner. After she realized everything was in order, which really only meant that I had my permit, she continued hiking seemingly disappointed to not find a legitimate reason to lecture me. I also complimented her earrings, which were in the shape of an 'AT' and was blatantly ignored. Oh well. Maury wasn't my type anyway...Relatively low on food and feeling accomplished, a short day and a night at Standing Bear Hostel seemed well deserved. I was greeted by a large man named "Lumpy" and I couldn't quite tell if he was a redneck or hippie. Either way, a seasoned thru-hiker, with plenty of funny one-liners and quirky advice for us "Tenderfeet". After settling in and eating an expired, yet delicious frozen pizza as well as a rib sandwich, a few of us were hanging by the unlit firepit. Not quite sure how the conversation evolved, but someone mentioned the quote by Albert Einstein, "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." Lumpy overheard this as he was resupplying a customer with beers and said "Hell yeah! That's more my speed! Like the time in Charlotte I ripped a stop sign out of the ground and taught some boys some respect!"Very interesting night at a more than interesting place. Overall great time and resupplied with enough food to get me to Hot Springs which is about 33 miles away."And remember kids, always take candy from strangers!" -Lumpy
Date: 2016-03-30
From: Standing Bear

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

TRAIL MAGIC. Today was great. Until bedtime. But I'll get to that in a bit. Max Patch was one of the coolest spots I have ever seen in my life. First twenty mile day. And some great trail magic. Beers and fruit on the top of Max Patch gave me the buzzed energy to push another 7 miles which would make the trek to Hot Springs much more doable tomorrow. Also - pancakes and soda right before the last big climb for the day. I honestly don't know if I would have made it to the top without that sticky, sugary, maple goodness. Camping at the top of Walnut Mountain was probably the worst decision I have made this trip thus far. Sustained winds of 30-40mph with gusts of 60+. Oof. I just didn't have the energy to push on any further, and neither did the other poor saps I ended up camping with. After hearing a woman curse at the wind for about 10 minutes, I begrudgingly got out of my cozy sleeping bag and helped her set up her tent. After getting back in mine, I knew I wasn't going to sleep at all. I basically laid there waiting for the first sign of light and got out of my partially collapsed tent to see the ruins of the campsite. Multiple tents were completely collapsed and broken tree limbs were strewn across the ground. I escaped unscathed but my tent has two small holes in the bug netting. The rain fly is still unharmed thankfully!Rough night, but I'm going to be much more selective about setting up camp. Feel like we all got pretty lucky.
Date: 2016-03-31
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 13.1

Woof. By far the most I've looked forward to reaching "town". There was plenty of rapid eye movement last night, but not in the form of sleep. Honestly, the longest stretch of sleep I had last night was probably a whole 20 minutes. The night was spent hoping a tree or tree limb didn't fall on top of me which made for a pretty un-restful rest. Multiple times throughout the night I debated breaking down camp, throwing everything into my pack and just starting to hike again. I ultimately ended up waiting until the first sign of daylight to hopefully avoid leaving stuff behind in the chaos and sustained winds. With all of that free time, I was able to finish Brave New World, and pawn off those extra ounces to a girl named Oats.Despite feeling like a zombie and coming close to sleep-hiking, I made decent time into town and saw a crowd of newly familiar faces at the diner. Without hesitation, I joined them (TopKnot, Flicker, Simpleman, Booksmarts, UV, Rachel, Rusty Bridges) and ordered a 32 oz chocolate milk and fried chicken sandwich with tater tots. Wow. So good. No AT&T service (already starting to see a trend with this) so I walked with Rachel when she went to pick up a package at the Mountain Magnolia Inn. I don't typically feel out of place, mostly because I don't typically care what people think, but walking into this extremely upscale hotel just didn't seem right. I'm sure plenty of hikers stay here, but I wasn't going to be one of them. Nearly everything was booked and our options were extremely limited to we ended up splitting a room that had two separate beds.I'm starting to really come around on the whole shower thing. Not that I took them for granted, I just never used to look forward to showering. Maybe it was because I had been conditioned that showering meant getting ready for something else, i.e. school, work, etc. Things that I may not have been thrilled to go do. But now I can legitimately watch my filth wash down the drain, explore a new town, and go binge on more food and drinks.Hot Springs is a pretty simple town basically sustained by the influx of hikers 6 months out of the year. A few bars, gear outfitter, andddddd yup, that's about it.Pictured - My buddy Tea-Time shopping for food with a headlamp during the power outage
Date: 2016-04-01
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Saw my hotel roommate stumble to the bathroom early this morning using her phone as a flashlight. In my limbo sleep/awake state, I thought it was a little odd but whatever. A few hours later, when I actually woke up, I realized that our room lost power. So we were basically camping again. Well not really, at least I can go get some real food at a restaurant and wander around town. Didn't take long to realize the whole town was out of power. Okay, so now I really might as well be on the trail. It's funny that I never truly miss or crave electricity while backpacking, but in the town setting, nobody, including myself, knew what to do without it. A few places were open for resupply and food purchases but in the event of power outage, credit cards are merely useless pieces of plastic. ATMs also need power too huh? Burgers, dogs and beer could be eaten on the honor system with casual agreements to repay after the power was back.Anyways, my dad is making the 12 hour drive down here today and arrive around 4 or 5. He's going to want a cold beer. Or two. Or six.
Date: 2016-04-02
From: Hot Springs

To: Asheville, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Yesterday the power came back around 3pm and life resumed. First things, first. 12 pack from the "Hillbilly Market". Check. Dad arrived and as expected was craving beer and food. Went to one of the two options that would satisfy this need in Hot Springs and Aaron (Tea-Time) got the "AT Burger". 3 large patties, unknown amount of cheese and a pile of onion rings somehow confined under two thick patties of texas toast. Polished it off no problem and the kid can't weigh more than 135 pounds soaking wet. Speaking of weight, during the power outage and hours of walking around aimlessly, I found a scale in the outfitters. 26 pounds. I laughed at the scale at Standing Bear a few days ago when it said I had lost 18. But the shopkeeper verified the accuracy behind this one. 26 pounds. Damn I was fat...Today we went to Mack's Patch (which over time has turned into Max Patch), since it was one of my favorite spots on the trail so far. Bananas and an 18 pack of PBR as some trail magic hit the spot for some NoBo thru-hikers, but it was way too cold and windy for us to hang out at the summit for more than an hour. Saw a few familiar faces that were just a few days behind and then we headed to Ashville. Pretty cool little town that has an absurd brewery-to-population ratio. Had some good beers, some good food and called it a day. Felt good to just relax and give my feet an extra day off. Well deserved, feet. Keep up the good work!
Date: 2016-04-03
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Other-side-of-the-road NC 208, TN 70
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: light rain

Not going to lie, getting dropped off on the curb in Hot Springs this morning at 8 am sharp was a little depressing. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the trail and look forward to every day out here but it isn't everyday that you get to hang out with your dad 12 hours from home in a completely random city with no real agenda or responsibilities. It was great, and it flew by. For that reason, today sort of dragged by. High point of the day - getting trail magic from Melvin Roberts. Who the hell is Melvin Roberts you might ask? The tough old bastard that casually mentions that he's gotten struck by lightning 11 times as he hands you a soda. If he wasn't describing it to me in person, the quotes and descriptions are so ridiculous you couldn't help but laugh in awe. Let's see...there was, "Feels like a big syringe injecting a bunch of stuff inside ya." and "Getting cooked real good, microwave style"After a little research, it seems like most scientists agree that there is about a 1 in 9,000,000 chance of being struck by lightning twice. Nobody has bothered to calculate 11, but I'd say Melvin would win most "unlucky as hell" contests.It so happened that the weather was supposed to take a turn for the worse this afternoon, so I made sure I got the hell away from ole Melvin...
Date: 2016-04-04
From: Other-side-of-the-road NC 208, TN 70

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: clear sky

Snapped out of that weird funk I was in yesterday and was loving every bit of the trail today. Had a tough time getting out of the sleeping bag due to the cold, but once I got going, I warmed right up. Beautiful stretch on a ridgeline stretching from Whiterock Cliffs to Big Firescald Knob. Great views on this brisk morning. Can understand why there is a bad weather bypass for this section. Heavy winds and precipitation would quickly create a very hazardous situation on this narrow and highly-exposed ridge. Tea-time caught up and we had a little fire. Supposed to get below freezing again tonight, will try not to forget to bring my water filter into my sleeping bag with me tonight. If it freezes, it can rip a hole through the membrane and become useless. Which may have already happened, but I'm pretending it didn't. Most of the water sources I have seen recently have been pristine mountain-fed springs.
Date: 2016-04-05
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Yes, that really was the name of a mountain. So far the winner of ridiculous names out here but some runners up include "Chunky Gal Trail", "Devil's Tater Patch" and "Cosby's Knob". Got off to another late start this morning, I really have to start breaking that habit of sleeping in. I'm not even really sleeping, just waiting until the sun can warm up the frigid earth before I crawl out of my super cozy sleeping bag. Made good time again, once I actually got started, and was pretty exhausted after cooking dinner and setting up camp for the night. Pretty crowded spot tonight, hung around the fire for a bit and then crawled into the tent to continue reading "Journey to the Centre of the Earth". The trend of reading books for the first time that I was supposed to have read at some point in my formal education continues. Sorry teachers, I had better things to do, like watch TV and play video games...
Date: 2016-04-06
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: clear sky

Fresh, hot donuts hand delivered as I left the shelter? Check. Full breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns about 2 miles later? Yup. Beers to wash that all down just a couple miles after that? Of course. When it rains, it pours, and that happens to be a really good thing when you're talking about trail magic. I barely even thought about my food bag today. After chatting with each of these generous people for quite some time, I still managed to make it to Bald Mountain Shelter around 2. Each of these people also warned about the weather forecast for the night. A 10.1 mile day feels like nothing these days, but pushing it to the next shelter was a little too ambitious. Found a tarp down by the privy and lashed it to the large opening at the entrance of the shelter to help protect from the wind. Made me feel a little bit more productive for the day. Shelter eventually filled up and a fire was necessary for warmth and not just for aesthetics tonight. We threw a large stump, about 2 feet in diameter on a raging hot bed of coals, and it burned all night. Slept like a baby despite the wind whipping through the shelter and rattling the tarp.