morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-04-08
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: scattered clouds

What a night at Silers Bald Shelter. Dan and Thinker took Colonel, who was ill and needed to be evacuated, to Double Spring Gap 2 miles away to meet the park ranger, who showed up alone with a big medical pack including oxygen. He had an ambulance waiting at the parking area at Clingman¢s Dome another 2 12 miles away, so they continued to walk on with Colonel and the ranger all the way. They got some Cliff Bars from the ambulance crew, then turned and walked the 5 12 miles back to Silers Bald Shelter by headlamp in a dense cloud/fog cover. They got back to the shelter at 2:30 a.m., both exhausted after putting in super high mile days. I think Dan had a total of some 26 miles on the day! So we had two real heroes in camp. It¢s great to know what fellow hikers will do to help someone in distress. Hope the Colonel is now recovering and will be back on the trail soon.Had a wonderful 54th birthday today, though I didn¢t sleep much last night. I felt strong this morning and was excited to visit Clingman¢s Dome, the highest point on the AT at 6,643 ft. Had some good views on the walk up to that height. It was interesting to mix a half-dozen stinky hikers with all the tourists who had driven up the observation tower for the day. Many took our pictures and a few asked us questions. I got phone reception from the top of the tower and got birthday text messages from my girls and a voice mail from my brother Bill. I called Rebecca and left her a short message, but then my phone battery died. It was great to catch up with ¢Southpaw at Clingman¢s Dome, he just flat out missed the sign to the shelter last night. We walked another 5 miles to Mt. Collins Shelter and decided to call it a day. We have about 20 people here tonight. I¢m sleeping in my tent to get some sleep. Barefoot, a hiker who carries a small guitar, played Happy Birthday and I was serenaded. Really missed my family tonight. No phone service here to check in. We plan to hike 5 miles to the only road that crosses the trail in the park, U.S. 441 to Gatlinburg, TN. We hope to get some lunch and a few supplies, then get back on the trail for another 4 miles to Icewater Spring Shelter. We need another 3 to 3.5 days to finish the park and get to standing Bear Hostel and much needed shower and laundry. Another milestone today; at 200.1 miles today.
Date: 2008-04-09
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 4.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Walked to Newfound Gap this morning with Willow, Southpaw, Thinker and Lotus. Lotus had Trail Angel friends waiting at the Gap where they made us ham and cheese sandwiches, gave us chips and cold soda, and pulled out a big bag of candy to share from Easter. ¢New York Minute¢ and ¢Butter Fly Moon¢ also got to the gap in time to get a wonderful treat. We then decided to hitch into Gatlinburg, TN, 10 miles away. After 10 minutes we caught a ride from two cars traveling together from Indianapolis. Three moms and their kids vacationing in the park on spring break. Thanks so much ladies! We got a room for 3 for $45 at the Grand Prix Hotel, had a walking tour of downtown Gatlinburg, which was packed with tourist and reminded me of a shore town like Virginia Beach;. Had wonderful showers and did laundry, got some supplies at the drug store and outfitters.The Happy Hiker is great and even stayed opened late for us, then had an all-you-can-eat buffet at the local Shoney¢s. Got to call Mom, Rebecca, and all my girls. Miss them all terribly. Now we have to figure out how to get the 15 miles out of town, probably stick our thumbs out again. O.K. weather until Friday, then some thunderstorms, maybe snow my Monday, after being 70 degrees today!! Time to get some sleep in a bed that I¢ll share with Southpaw, no snoring allowed! Hope to do 10.4 miles to Pecks Corner Shelter tomorrow. Another long climb back out of a gap into the Smoky Mts. Have 3 days left to finish the park. Hope the weather holds.
Date: 2008-04-10
From: Newfound Gap

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Well my night of rest in a bed at the Grand Prix Hotel didn¢t work out. Southpaw snored too loudly. I kept waking him up, but at 1:15 a.m. I gave up and put my sleeping pad out on the concrete terrace and closed the door. Not a very comfortable night. Earlier we hit the outfitter, The Happy Hiker, to get fuel and power type bars, then walked downtown to Shoney¢s for the all-you-can-eat buffet. I had a huge salad and some potato soup, and tried not to go overboard on the main meal.The next morning we hit the local pancake house for breakfast, then hit highway 441 to hitch a ride the 15 miles up to Newfound Gap. We separated to better our chances, and I was first to catch a ride with Chris from Ohio, who was in the area to do some fly fishing. He pointed out several good spots to me as we climbed the hill. He also said he saw my colleagues earlier, but Southpaw was holding his sign saying, ¢Hiker to Town¢ instead of ¢Hiker to Trail,¢ so he didn¢t stop for them! Thanks again for the ride, Chris! I waited for close to an hour and a half for Willow, who came next, and finally Southpaw who finally got a ride from a park ranger. I asked him to put him in handcuffs for a minute so I could take a picture to send to his wife, but he declined. We finally started north at 11:40 a.m., very late for us. We stopped at Icewater Spring Shelter for a snack, then had a nice break admiring the views from Charlies Bunion at 5,905 ft. What a dropoff!!! The walk across the Sawteeth was interesting¢5000 ft. dropoff on either side; the sun was shinning and the views were spectacular. We got to Peck¢s Corner Shelter by 6:00 p.m., and Willow and I set up our tents so we could get some sleep away from the snorers in the shelter; I barely listened to 2 songs on the mp3 player before turning it off and for once, going right to sleep.
Date: 2008-04-11
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We got an early start for our 13 mile day. Jim, a ridge runner, told us that the weather forecast was for 80% rain and thunderstorms, then snow the next few days. It was cloudy and blowing when we started, so we all donned our rain gear, but after a few hours it started to lift and we actually had some decent views. Saw a new flower in bloom today, a trouthead lily, yellow flower with spotted green leaves. Got up to 6,000 ft. ahead over Mt. Sequoyah and Mr. Chapman. We stopped at Tri Corner Know Shelter and for once had a real lunch stop. I got out my stove and made us all coffee, and we relaxed for a good 45 minutes. This is the first time in a month the weather allowed us such a luxury, most often we eat as we walk and drink from our water bladders, not much fun to stop in the rain and get colder. Now that the days are getting longer, we hope to do lunch more often. Some of the ridge walking at over 5,000 ft., such as Guyot Spur, gave me pause, but I think I¢m finally adjusting to such heights on exposed areas. We got to Cosby Knob Shelter by 5:00 p.m. Jim, the ridge runner, Long Way Tru, Pickwick, Steadfast, and an overnight hiker, Shirley ,were already in. Jim told us his park service radio is broadcasting a tornado warning for the area with extreme thunderstorms for the area. It will be good to be in a newly remolded shelter for tonight and not have to pack out a wet tent in the morning. We have one day left in the park, and might push on to the Standing Bear Hostel on the outskirts of the park.
Date: 2008-04-12
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

After all the threats for severe weather, we had a nice day overall today to finish the Smokies. We had some thunder and hail during breakfast, and started at in full rain gear through the morning clouds, but after an hour it started to lift and we actually had some nice views for the long walk out. As we dropped from 5,000 ft. down to 1975 ft. at Davenport Gap, we started to see new wildflowers, such as Trout Tulip and Indian Paintbrush. The last 2 miles were very park-like, with a couple of water falls and lots of little wild flowers. The Smokies on a whole were awesome. Though I didn¢t see much of the 60 species of mammals or any of the 25 different salamanders, and no bears, the park is a remarkable place. Standing Bear Hostel is quite unique. Curtis Owen, the owner, has set up a very rustic place with all kinds of shelters from a bunk house, a cabin, a dining area with kitchen, a side hut with old fashioned was tub and clothes wringer, another hut with 2 showers, a privy, and yet another hut with a computer and Internet access. He even has a supply and food shed that works on an honor system. You write down all you take on an envelope, put the money in, and drop it off as you leave. Willow and I just finished a frozen pizza, and Southpaw is going to attempt to eat one on his own. Using the was tub and clothes wringer was different. I want to get to bed early and get a few hour in before any snorers begin their chorus. The weather forecast for the next 2 days is cold with a 50% chance of snow, highs in the 40¢s and lows in the low 30¢s. We¢ll have to watch the weather carefully and see how far we want to go on the way to Hot Springs
Date: 2008-04-13
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Ground Hog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: light rain

Good night¢s sleep at the cabin at Standing Bear Hostel. Shared it with Longwaytru, Willow, and Steadfast. No mice, a real bed, a creek running under the cabin, and a propane fireplace that gave us some heat. A hard place to leave when the weather forecast is for snow and low 30¢s for the next 2 days.The climb up Snowbird Mt. to 4,263 ft. started right from the hostel and went up over many switchbacks for about 4 miles. We had snow showers and flurries on the way up, but the bald on top was beautiful and we had views back into the Smokies, and also phone coverage. I had a chance to call Rebecca and caught her at her mom¢s. I miss her so much it is really getting to me. The trail today overall was very pleasant to walk on, not very rocky and much easier on the feet.I set up my tent at the shelter tonight, can¢t sleep with Southpaw and a new hiker, ¢The G¢town Colonel,¢ who snored so loudly they drove a hiker out of the bunkhouse last night. He slept on the back porch. Don¢t know if we¢ll wake up to snow on the tents or not. Hope to sleep warm tonight.
Date: 2008-04-14
From: Ground Hog Creek Shelter

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light snow

Just a dusting of snow on the tents this morning, but it really started to snow in ernest as we left Ground Hog Creek shelter today. The climb over Max Patch Bald in the fresh snow was beautiful. Southpaw and Willow looked like artic explorers as they climbed to the top and I viewed them through my camera. Had lunch at the Roaring Fork Shelter, including hot coffee, then pushed to Walnut Mountain Shelter in a real snow storm, giving us limited visibility   We were very pleased to see the small shelter appear out of the fog, and that the wind was blowing against the side of the shelter, not driving the snow inside. Little did we know it would become the "night of the bears!" We saw a note from hiker Butterfly Moon that she had visited by a very large black bear that kept trying to get to her hanging food bag, but that her dog, Luna, a white german shepard, had helped keep it at bay. "G'town Colonel joined us a short time later, and after dinner we found what we thought would ba a very good tree to hang all four of our bags, over 12 feet high and over 10 ft. over away from the tree trunk. We had climbed into our bags early because of the cold, and about 8:30 heard a cracking sound coming from behind the shelter. The bear was apparently up in the tree and trying to break the branch with our bags. I started yelling and flashing my headlamp out the back of the shelter through a small hole, and everyboady joined in making noise. The cracking branches stopped, and we thought our food bags were history, but when I peeked around the corner the branch had come down and all four bags were hanging a three feet above the ground. We gathered them up and chose an even higher tree in front of the shelter to hang the bags. With the help of Willow's fuel bottle for weight, I was able to sling it high on the first try and tie all four bags off. Less than an hour later a large black bear appeared at the base of the tree. Southpaw and I had stayed awake and started to shout, turn on our headlamps, clang our hiking poles, and even throw a few rocks. The bear slowly left, but half an hour later another smaller bear appeared, probably a cub of the earlier sow, and made a dash up the tree. Again Southpaw and I were awake and we repeated our routine of hollering, clanking, turning on headlamps, and throwing more rocks. At one point in the night we all got up together to take a group bathroom break, and reload on a pile of stones from the fire ring. An hour later I could hear the bear crunching the snow just on my side of the shelter, and sure enough as we flicked on our lights the big sow was at the base of the tree again starting to climb. We repeated our routine and she dropped down and loooked back at us. A large stone I sent right by her below got her to retreat down the hill. This little battle repeated itself 4 or 5 more times until 4:30 a.m. in the morning, no sleep for Southpaw and I this night.
Date: 2008-04-15
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

In the morning we found that the bears had a small victory, Willow's bag had been sliced in half and all her food was gone. Big and smaller tracks were all around the shelter in the snow. I put the camera in macro mode and got some great pictures, and I also took some pictures of the claw marks on the side of the tree from the climbing attempts. We had a short breakfast, shared food with Willow, then started out in the 3 inches of snow. Willow, G'Town, and I hoped to hike the 13 miles to Hot Springs while Southpaw planned on staying at Deer Park Mountain Shelter 10 miles away. The trees were beautiful with snow coated on the, and the hiking was a bit slick but pretty pleasant overall. Bluff Mt. at 4,260 ft. got me warmed up and at Garento Gap we saw a plastic crate that was labeled for hiker trail magic, but all the sodas, waters, and candy bars were gone except fot he empty containers. We stopped for a snack at Deer Park Shelter, then Willow and I started the last 3.2 miles to town. We hoped to stay at the famous Sunnybank Inn, but Elmer Hall, the owner, told us he was full. We were very sad when he closed the back door after seeing and smelling all the great food that was going to be had for dinner that night. We were lucky to get a room at the Alpine Court Motel, and were very happy with a great dinner at the Smokey Mountain Diner. Tomorrow will be a much needed "zero" day in town.
Date: 2008-04-16
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

As usual, a very busy day in town. Hot Springs is awesome: the AT runs down the center of the 3/10 of a mile main street ¢ and AT special diamonds are embedded in the sidewalk. I was at the post office when it opened at 8:30 to get my box with the return of my Osprey backpack, Luna Solo Tent, Reactor liner, and food drop. Then I went and had a huge skillet breakfast at the Smokey Mt. Dinner ¢ G-town Colonel was there and picked up my tab for providing him with bear protection services the night before. He said that was his first and hopefully last bear encounter and that it had freaked him out a bit. Next it was starting the laundry, visiting the Dollar Store for some supplies, visiting the Bluff Mt. Outfitters for some fuel, energy bars, a new pair of socks and liners, and a little Internet time. The it was back to the post office to mail back my Mountainsmith Expanse pack, Big Agnes SL2 tent, and North Face sleeping bag that I was using as an outer bag over my Exped Wall Creeper. Next was a haircut and beard trim at Salon-Salon Hair Design, owned by Debby Parks ¢ she welcomes hikers and does a great job ¢ I recommend her place highly ¢ thanks Debby for helping me look more respectable, not an easy feat. Had a late lunch and a local brew at the Paddler¢s Pub, then reviewed how to set up my Luna Solo tent on the lawn of the hotel. Next I called all my daughters and wife, cleaned some equipment in the shower, then started the process of packing it all up again to be ready to hit the trail tomorrow. It will be difficult to leave this town in the morning ¢ it is a very peaceful place and super hiker friendly. According to the local news, the area set a record low of 26 degrees last night. I was glad to be inside in a real bed. Tomorrow it¢s back up into the mountains again and on the way to Erwin, TN, some 70 miles away.
Date: 2008-04-17
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 11.0

Very hard to leave the lovely little town of Hot Springs ¢ population 643. Had breakfast at the Smokey Mt. Restaurant, hit the post office as it opened at 8:30 am, and Willow and I were on our way. Southpaw is taking another day in town ¢ I hope he catches up to us soon. As we climbed out of town, we had great views back on Hot Springs and the French Broad River. We were disappointed that many of the springs had no water today as we climbed ¢ it warmed up and was close to 70 degrees. And as usual when leaving a town, our packs were extra heavy with food for the week. G-Town Colonel and Site Seerer are staying in the Spring Mt. Shelter tonight, and Willow, Rainfly, myself, and a southbound couple that started last month from their home in Virginia, Wizard and Bluebell, are tenting up on the hillside tonight. We hope to find more water available as we hike tomorrow. Beautiful moon out tonight. I¢m leaving my door open so I can watch it pass among the trees throughout the night.
Date: 2008-04-18
From: Spring Mt. Shelter

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: broken clouds

What an interesting day on the AT. We dropped the 4 miles and 1,000 ft. down into Allen Gap in about 2 hours, and knew we had a long 4 and a half mile climb up the other side to go until the next shelter. But a sign at the gap invited us to go east for 350 yds. To the ¢Welcome to North Carolina¢ sign and up a concrete driveway to the home of Hercules and F.A.L. (Free At Last), thru-hikers from 1999, for some trail magic. Their home is a beautiful log cabin, and once inside we were offered a three course brunch starting with a freshly made Belgium waffle, followed by a bowl of homemade beef stew or vegetarian chili, and followed by one of three desserts: apple crisp and ice cream, brownie and ice cream, or a banana split. An assortment of drinks were also offered ¢ I had sweet tea, some coffee, and had to go with the banana split, which was meticulously made and topped with a cherry. Rainfly, G-Town Colonel, Beartrap, Willow and I all hit the trail magic at about the same time, and enjoyed a good hour visit with two very generous trail angels. We were given a dose of religion at the end, and offered a choice from a large selection of books on the topic.The next 4 to 5 miloes were difficult with a full belly and a very warm afternoon (80 degrees), and we arrived at Little laurel Shelter to find Butterfly Moon, New York Minute, and Firesocks resting after a short morning climb from Allen Gap. They were still full from the trail magic and planned to do a little night hiking later. The weather is supposed to change this evening, with an 80% chance of thunderstorms tomorrow for our ridgewalk. Clothesline, Site, and Longwaytru have just joined us for the evening. Hopefully no more visits from bears tonight!
Date: 2008-04-19
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Flint Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 12.7

Another interesting day weather wise on the AT. The day started cloudy, gradually got clearer, and quickly got nasty again as Willow, G-Town Colonel, and I started rock climbing around Blackstack Cliffs. The weather cleared for our lunch break at Jerry Cabin Shelter, then the skies really opened up during our last hour hike to Flint Mt. Shelter. The rain hit so fast that I got caught without my raingear on, but I made the mistake of thinking I was close to the shelter and should just tough it out. I was soaked through by the time I got to the shelter, and quickly stripped out of my wet clothes and was glad to get into my dry top and bottoms. No views today from Blackstaff Cliffs or from Big Butt Mt. (love that name!). At the shelter tonight so far are the three of us and Clothesline, Rainfly, and LongWayTru. I don¢t enjoy hiking so much when I can¢t even take out my camera because of the rain. I have about 3 and a half days left to get to Erwin, TN. I¢m really going to need a shower and laundry by then! The weather is calling for less rain tomorrow and I hope to have some views. The wildflowers are really starting to come out ¢ hundreds of Spring Beauties are making a thick carpet on the sides of the trail in spots. We also passed by the Shelton Graves ¢ two men who lived in Madison County, NC, but enlisted in the Union army during the Civil War and were ambushed and killed by Confederate troops while returning to a family gathering. Sounds like the novel ¢Cold Mountain.¢
Date: 2008-04-20
From: Flint Mt. Shelter

To: Street Gap
Miles today: 13.8

Not much sleep for me at Flint Mt. Shelter last night. Besides the constant loud snoring, I felt ill for the first time on this trip and made many trips to the privy by moonlight. Even with the lack of sleep, I felt pretty good overall today and put in some decent mileage. We climbed over some of our first stiles today, little ladders that get you over barbed wire fences, at Devil¢s Fork Gap. The climb up to Big Flat and Lick Rock (another great name!) was long, and we had no real views due to the cloud cover. We took a break at Hogback Ridge Shelter, but decided to push on and find a camping spot that would get us closer to town. We pulled in late to an area call Street Gap on the map that had some water and several campsites on the ridge above, so Willow, Longwaytru, and I called it a day and set up our tents for the night.
Date: 2008-04-21
From: Street Gap

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Another long day of backpacking. We got started early to begin the several mile climb up to the top of Big Bald at 5,516 ft, but there was no sun in sight and we hiked in a cold cloud bank the whole way. When we got to the top the wind was relentless and it was a total whiteout, so again no views from what people have told us is one of the best views in the area. At least we had some trail magic up top ¢ there was a plastic tub on the trail that had hot coffee and cupcakes ¢ what a treat on such a cold, miserable day. This treat was great and warmed us up a bit. I was wearing my skull cap, gloves, and Puff ball vest just to try to keep warm today.   We stopped in for lunch and water at Bald Mt. Shelter, then pushed on another 5 and a half miles to a nice campsite area prior to the road at Spivey Gap. Brown Bag and White Lightening have joined us for tonight ¢ they both left Springer on March 20th. Both very nice guys. Saw some new wildflowers today, such as May Apple and squaw corn. I think when the sun finally comes out for a few days in a row that the forest floor is ready to explode in flowers. Eleven miles to Erwin tomorrow, and no really big climbs as we will make the slow decent to the Nolichucky River.