morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-03-30
From: Winding Stairs Gap

To: Wayah Shelter 
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

Franklin to Winding Stairs Gap to Wayah Shelter. 11.0 miles Good Friday. Started the day out at the Franklin 1st Baptist Church eating pancakes and bacon. Got dropped off at the trail about 9:30 and started hiking. It was overcast and cool. I had to take my long sleeve shirt off for a few hours because the weather was so mild. I passed my 2nd hiker today. I¢m a real speed demon. Not sure how many hikers passed me but it had to be over a dozen. It¢s a common occurrence. Knee prognosis: very goodAfter many short days and 3 zero days I feel I¢m 98% normal (the knee not my sanity). It aches very little right now but it¢s what I expect after hiking up and down mountains all day I¢m planning a 10 mile day tomorrow. I met two guys from the trail club that overlooks this part of the trail today. They were out surveying their part to see if any repairs need to be done. There are 3 big trees that have blown down over the trail that need to be cut away. I made it around one over one and as I tried to climb over the last tree my foot slipped and as I¢m straddling this tree I¢m now sliding downhill. I was able to stop myself by grabbing on to a little bitty sapling. It was really funny but if I had not caught myself I would have ended up down a very steep hill. As I was hiking up my last mountain of the day I heard someone yell out my name it was ¢5 oh¢. I had not seen him for a week. Very scenic view on top of the mountain so I got a few pictures. Made it to the shelter about 5:30 and was able to secure a spot. So once again I do not have to put up my tent. Going to get cold tonight so 4 of us hikers are playing snuggle buddy. 4 bodies in a space made for 3. It keeps everyone warm.
Date: 2018-03-31
From: Wayah Shelter 

To: Wesser Bald Shelter 
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

Absolutely brutal day due to several hard and steep climbs and descents. I also did not eat dinner the night before and had a small breakfast. I did some fast hiking early morning and actually hiked with ¢Burger King¢ ¢5 oh¢ and ¢Velma¢ for several hours. Shortly after 3pm I struggled down the Mountain into Telico Gap I hadn¢t seen my hiking friends since about 11:30 but there they were just laying on the grass resting under the sun waiting for me. They had obtained some trail magic early and even got me some. I ate a hotdog brownie and an orange. It was very nice of them get something for me. We had another 2.2 miles to go so about 4pm we saddled up and climbed 1.5 miles up the next mountain and than started are downhill run to the shelter. We ran into some search and rescue people who are out looking for a missing hiker. We got some pictures to put up in the shelter.  I also saw a snake. It was small but it didn¢t like me. I walked past it and didn¢t see him at first but heard a noise. When I turned and looked it was all wound up ready to strike. The little buger needs to chill out and share the trail. It was a beautiful day today with very few clouds in the sky. I started out in a jacket and gloves but those came off fast. Once again I¢m sleeping in a shelter.
Date: 2018-04-01
From: Wesser Bald Shelter 

To: NOC
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Started off late today because I could. I had a bed reserved at the NOC and just needed to be there before 5pm. With a little over 6 miles to hike leaving at 10am was no problem. I had a little bit of a uphill hike to start the day and when I got to my highest point I took a break to loose my jacket and gloves. I also broke out a book I¢ve been reading called ¢Living Water the Gospel of John¢. Today being Easter I read about the resurrection. I started my downhill hike. It was as brutal as I thought it was. Knees do not like downhill. About a mile to go I ran into ¢5 oh¢ and ¢Velma¢. I dropped my pack and joined them on a nice sunny spot in the woods. We left about an hour later for are final slog and a hamburger. The weather was absolutely beautiful today and even though it was hard work I enjoyed the whole day.
Date: 2018-04-02
From: NOC

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: broken clouds

What a beautiful day Sun was out with partly cloudy skies and temperatures were in the 60¢s Nothing spectacular today just some hard uphill hiking. I didn¢t get out of the NOC till 11:00am. I hiked till 5:30pm and took several breaks during the day. I¢m getting stronger as a hiker and the knee is now doing very well. I¢m going to wear my knee sleeve for several more days as I work my way back down in elevation to Fontana Dam.
Date: 2018-04-03
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter 

To: Brown Fork Gap
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Hard day hiking very warm. Sun out most of the day cry beautiful day. Near the end of the day had to climb 600 ft in 1/2 mile. Very hard. Met Johnny Appleseed and momma bear at the shelter. They are both heading south for now. Will probably see momma bear later as she meets up with her hiking partners and turns north to finish what she started last year. Very glad to get to the shelter. Just laid there for the 1st 30 minutes and did nothing.
Date: 2018-04-04
From: Brown Fork Gap

To: Cable Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Did great 1st 4 miles. Moving along at a blistering pace of 2mi/hr when my knee says ¢nope, you will slow down¢. Mostly downhill today is why my knee started giving me problems. Spring is starting to show itself finally. Little flowers and plants are starting to bloom and you can see the buds on the trees. Lots of hikers showed up at the shelter today. Most hikers will tent near the shelter but some of us are Shelter dogs and love the shelter life. Thus shelter has space for 6 but only 4 were in it. I met moonbeam and crises today also I met vapor and boss who are a married couple. Boss walks in front of vapor and describes every step to him (Vapor) because he is blind. What an amazing couple. Saw lots of people I met before and some new ones also.
Date: 2018-04-05
From: Cable Gap Shelter 

To: Fontana Dam AT Crossings 
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Very cold last night. Had several miles of uphills to start and by the time I got to the high point gloves and jacket came off. As I was hiking this morning I was also grieving at the passing of my mom. The song ¢Softly and Tenderly¢ came to mind. So I was hiking and singing Softly and tenderly Jesus is callingCalling for you, and for meSee on the portal, He is waiting and watchingWatching for you and for me sayingCome home, come homeYe who are weary, come homeCome home, come homeEarnestly tenderly Jesus is callingCalling oh sinner come homeCome homeLife is wonderful  Moonbeam and Crises caught up with me near the top of our last climb and for the next hour I was hiking with them. Guess what the knee said? That¢s right s ¢nope, you will slow down¢. Had to slow to a crawl again at the last 1.5 Miles.  I found my hiking music also today. Credence Clearwater revival. Great songs for fast pace. Until the knee got all out of sorts. Got to the Fontana Lodge where I¢m staying for 2 nights to rest up for the Smokies. Was able to Resupply, shower, wash clothes, and eat.
Date: 2018-04-06
From: Fontana Dam Lodge

To: Fontana Dam Lodge 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Friday April 6Zero Day Fontana Dam LodgeSlept in today. Had nice breakfast and than arranged all my meals to see what I would have to buy to get through the Smokies.I was able to get all items needed so no getting off the trail for resupply until after the Smokies. Rest of the day I just rested my knee
Date: 2018-04-07
From: Fontana Dam AT Crossings 

To: Fontana Dam Hilton
Miles today: 1.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Zero Day Fontana Dam Shelter Fontana Dam AT Crossings to Fontana Dam Shelter Moved to the Fontana Hilton from the lodge.Definitions:Slack pack: to hike without your pack. Zero Day: A day in which no trail miles were hikedNero: A Day in which only a few miles were hikedSince the shuttle picked me up at the AT Crossings and dropped me off at the Shelter I missed 1.2 miles of the trail. (Maybe I ought to count this a Nero instead of a zero day). To make up for this I slacked pack south to where I got off the trail and than reversed directions and headed north back to the shelter. It was a good test of my knee. It passed with flying colors. I hope it stays that way cause I¢ve got some higher miles I need to put in this next week. The rest of the day I just talked to hikers at the shelter. Met up with ¢5oh¢ ¢Velma¢ ¢Burger King¢ and ¢Krazy Korean¢ again but will leave them tomorrow as they are taking a zero.
Date: 2018-04-08
From: Fontana Dam Hilton

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter 
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

The day started out sunny and beautiful but an overcast layer moved in and no sun all day. Started out at 9am and walked over the dam. Then the climb began. Over 4 miles of up. I took some pictures of beautiful scenery but found out later that my camera lens was fogged over. When I got to the top of the mountain it was still covered in snow. It had rain first and the water froze on the trees. All day I heard and saw ice dropping from the trees. As you might imagine that with ice and snow it¢s cold up here. I¢ve got my down booties to sleep with to help keep me warm. They are the talk of the shelters. And many hikers are envious. They are also in awe of my 3 pillows. I do believe in my comforts. In the Smokies you have to stay in the shelter unless they are full. A lot of hikers hate this because they want to tent. I¢m okay with shelters and prefer them at this time. Once it¢s hot and the bugs are out I¢ll be in my tent.
Date: 2018-04-09
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Spence Field Shelter 
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up and it was raining. Went back to sleep. Was going to do big miles today but that plan was rained out. Instead, I got up late and only did 5.9 today.Today was dreary. Hike in a cloud all day. The trail was a horrible mess. For every 1 step you took you would slide back some. Most of the trail was mud and muck. Hard hiking conditions. So far I¢ve seen 3 shelters in the Smokies and they are all the same. The rest of the tail I¢ve been on the Shelters have been very different from one another. So far the Smokies have been cold and wet. I¢ll be glad to have a weather change. Tonights supper consisted of 4 cheese instant mashed potatoes with a packet of spam cut up in it and topped with chili cheese Fritos. Last night I was tired so all I had was an old pepperoni stick and cheese that I had been carrying around for 2 weeks
Date: 2018-04-10
From: Spence Field Shelter 

To: Derrick Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: scattered clouds

What a difference from yesterday. The sun is out and the birds are chirping  Temp is 31 and my toes and fingers are cold. Got on the trail at 9am. hiking is a sure way to cure cold fingers and toes. I was able to se some nice panoramas today. The ups and downs today were short but very intense. So intense that quite a few of us stopped here at Derrick Knob Shelter after only 6 or 9 Miles depending on what shelters they came from. There¢s about 50 people here. Tons of hikers everywhere. It was a brutal hike today
Date: 2018-04-11
From: Derrick Knob Shelter 

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Once again this was a beautiful day for hiking. Very cold in the morning (high 20¢s) but warm in the afternoon. Lots of ups and downs but higher elevation overall as we are climbing up towards Clingmans Dome which is highest point on the AT. It was a nice enough day for everyone to sit outside the shelter to talk and enjoy the sun. For dinner I had my first freeze dried meal. It was lasagna with meat. Not the best but hot and filling. I¢m having concerns if I have enough food to get me through the Smokies. Dinner is ok but breakfast and lunches are the issue. I may have to go into Gatlinburg for resupply.
Date: 2018-04-12
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter 

To: Newfound Gap / Gatlinburg 
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: clear sky

Definition:Night Hiking - any hiking when it¢s dark outside and you are using your headlamp to see the trailTrail Magic - A gift received by a hiker. It could be almost anything. Common trail magic are pieces of fruit, a candy bar, clean water, soda, coffee or hot chocolate. Some time you may arrive at a road crossing and a trail angel has set up a full blown cook out to include Hamburgers hotdogs etc. trail magic may even be a kind word or prayer when you are down. Trail Angel - a person who provides trail magicSeveral events today:My 1st night hike My 1st hitchhike Went over the 200 mile markStood at the highest point on the ATGot up at 3:30 this morning and on the trail before 4:30 using a headlamp to light the trail. It was my 1st night hike. I used the headlamp for about 2 hours before it became light enough to see the trail. Many of us wanted to be on top of the highest point on the AT (Clingmans Dome) at sunrise to take some pictures. We had over 3 miles to hike mostly on steep climbs. It was a very clear morning and the stars were very bright. Temperature was high 30¢s which was higher than we have been used to. My toes never got cold and I was able to finish all my morning task of packing up without lengthy delays to warm up my fingers. On the climb up today I felt very tired like I had no energy. It was getting colder as we climbed and at 3/4 of the way I finally took a break, rested, and ate a chocolate honey bun. I finally made it to the top before sunrise and was able to get some pictures. It was freezing on top of the observation tower with temps in the 20¢s and a 15 to20 mile per hour wind. I came off the tower quickly to try to rest out of the wind but couldn¢t find a good spot so off I went hiking down the trail. It took about 40 minutes of hiking to finally warm up my fingers. Shortly after 10am I decided that my best course of action would be to go into Gatlinburg for resupply. To catch the 12:30 shuttle I needed to hike to Newfound Gap at a speed unheard of by my bad knee.  I had 5 miles of hard hiking to do. I sped down the trail with wild abandon and made it to the parking lot at 12:20. The shuttle had left 3 minutes earlier so I was out of luck and to top it off a trail angel had just left also so I didn¢t even get trail magic. The shuttle is trail magic provided by the 1st Baptist Church of Gatlinburg. Let me say thank you to the church for helping so many hikers. After a short rest I and 2 others hikers hitched a ride in the back of a pickup. Went to Cicis pizza 1st thing and than found where everyone was staying and went to meet them. Food, hotel, and outfitter were all within one block of each other. We had to take the tram to the other side of town to resupply at the grocery store. It was after 10 before I got back to my room so I decided to zero tomorrow and rest my knee and get some other chores done.
Date: 2018-04-13
From: Gatlinburg 

To: Gatlinburg 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Zero day in Gatlinburg Gatlinburg is like a big county fair with a permanent location. You can get funnel cakes, fried anything, foot long corn dogs on a stick. You have all kinds of Ripleys museums, there are go cart races and rides for the kids. Dolly world is here also. I was able to find more KT tape for my knee and I also got more duck tape and Leuko tape. I made some minor adjustments and repairs to my backpack and ate like a pig today. I bought a new pair of pants as my old ones were to big and I got tired of sewing busted out seams. They were about 8 years old anyway. It was a very productive day.
Date: 2018-04-14
From: Newfound Gap / Gatlinburg 

To: Pecks Corner Shelter 
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

/ Newfound Gap to Pecks Corner Shelter10.5 milesAwoke at 6 this morning to get a shower pack my backpack and grab some breakfast.  MacNasty shared my room yesterday and we are on the same hiking schedule. He is a much faster hiker but we seem to end up at a lot of the same shelters. The restaurant opened at 7 and we were there ready for the morning feast. After breakfast we checked out of the hotel and walked across the street to the outfitters to grab the shuttle that the 1st Baptist Church provides. It was 8 and we had about a 30 minute wait. 5 minutes after we got there a panel van from the church showed up and said they were heading up to the mountain to act as trail angels. We grabbed a ride with him and was able to get on the trail earlier than we thought. Plus we got some trail magic on the way. The morning weather in Gatlinburg was fantastic. Mild temps and clear sky¢s. As we drove into the mountains the temps were dropping and there was clouds. I started out at 9am and had a very good day the sun came out about 1pm but there was a cold wind blowing all day. A lot of scenic views and I hike along a couple of knife edges. A very neat day of hiking. My knee did very good as I hiked over 10 miles with little discomfort, and I did it fast. what I mean is ¢John fast¢, not hiker fast. I estimated my arrival at the shelter to be at 5pm but actually got there at 3pm. When the knee gets better and I loose another 30lbs I¢ll be doing fantastic. Looking forward to bad weather and 13.5 miles tomorrow
Date: 2018-04-15
From: Pecks Corner Shelter 

To: Pecks Corner Shelter 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

Zero Day Pecks Corner ShelterHigh winds and torrential rains most of the night and all day. With temps dropping and snow fcst tomorrow we decided not to hike today. To much rain to much wind. We wanted to stay dry and if it does rain tomorrow the fcst doesn¢t have it as hard a rain. A few hikers did brave the elements but they and their gear completely soaked when they arrived here. 5 of us stayed at this shelter and will leave tomorrow. Very boring day today. No internet reception no txt or phone service. Took two naps and read a book on my phone. By 4pm we had 21 people in this shelter which is designed to take approximately 12 people. Temps should be in the low to mid 20¢s tonight. With this many people hopefully the temp will be higher in the shelter I¢ll be out of the Smokies on Tuesday
Date: 2018-04-16
From: Pecks Corner Shelter 

To: Cosby Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I was right, it was warmer in the shelter with all the people. It was 33* inside and 30* outside. We ended up with a total of 22 people crammed together for warmth. Sometime during the night the rain turned to snow and we awoke to a winter wonderland. What a gaggle it was with many of us trying to get out early. About 1/3 decided to stay, 1/3 decided to leave later in the morning and the last third getting an early start to make 13 miles up the trail. I was the first out of the shelter (a first) and I got to blaze the trail for the first hour before being overtaken by faster hikers. It snowed most of the day and because of the low clouds there was very little scenery to see but as you can see by the picture here it was very beautiful along the trail. I made it to the shelter I was aiming for and was very tired and wet. I believe that the 12.9 miles is my personal best. All I wanted was to get into my dry clothes and get in my sleeping bag.
Date: 2018-04-17
From: Cosby Knob Shelter 

To: Standing Bear Hostel 
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Got some good sleep last night. This morning I had to put on cold damp clothes again. I didn¢t remember when I washed my socks last but they sure did stink. It got down to the 20¢s last night and with everything wet from the snow yesterday it means a lot of frozen items. By items I mean my boots. Have you ever had to put your cold feet into frozen boots? It¢s not as fun as you think. Even though it got cold last night the temps started climbing and it turn out to be a very good day. It took a good 45 minutes for feet and boots to thaw. As the temps climbed the frost, ice, and snow started to melt off the trees. At first it seemed the trees were throwing ice down at me and as I kept descending it became a rain storm as the snow and ice melted before it fell. It was kind of neat watching it rain when it was sunny out. I finally left the Smokies which means I do not have to hike shelter to shelter. I can stop anytime now. Arrived at the Standing Bear Hostel at a decent time and the first thing I did was wash clothes. The catch was I had to wash my clothes the old fashion way using a scrub board. Very rustic. I¢m tired now so good night.
Date: 2018-04-18
From: Standing Bear Hostel 

To: Stealth Tent Site
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Slept in the bunkhouse last night with 4 other person which was great because the bunkhouse has room for 14. Standing Bear Hostel is very rustic and a beautiful place to stay. They had a nice laundry where i had to wash my clothes by hand using a scrub board and a nice area to sit around a fire and talk to my fellow travelers. They had a nice store where if I got anything I kept a log and just paid for it at the end of my stay. I was trying to reach max patch today but after 10 hard miles I gave up and pitched my tent. I blame it on heat and bad water management. In layman¢s term ¢it was hot and I was dehydrated ¢. It¢s amazing how it went from freezing in the snow to near 80 degrees and sunny. Note: I found out later that I was not the only one who stopped short of there goal. Several hikers stopped at the first shelter they came to after the hostel so they only did a 7.5 mile day. Did you notice that I said I stopped and pitched my tent. I can do that now because I¢m not in the Smokies. I can stop almost anywhere anytime I want now. The Smokies have so many visitors that they have very protective rules. I understand this and accept it but I also am glad to leave that area. Sleeping in my tent for the 3rd time since I started.
Date: 2018-04-19
From: Stealth Tent Site

To: Stealth Camp Site 
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: light rain

Definition:Bald - mountain summits covered primarily by thick vegetation of native grasses or shrubs occurring in areas where heavy forest growth would be expected.Did you note that 15.5 miles above? That¢s right people I hiked 15.5 miles in the mountains with a 37 lb backpack. By far, my best day.  I had no knee pain and am getting stronger as a hiker. Weather once again turned wintery with cold temps and a nice blustery wind. As I summited Max Patch Bald all I wanted to was get over and down the side. It was cold and windy. There is a campsite up there but I sure wouldn¢t want to stay up there during cold weather. On clear days it¢s a beautiful place to take pictures ofthe surrounding mountains. Today it¢s a beautiful place to run away from. The trail today was very good. It had lots of high ups and downs but not a lot of rocks to slow me down. I went as far as I thought I could go safely and found a nice place to camp. I did not do a good job of selecting a tent site tonight as I ended up on a hill. The surrounding terrain was deceiving and maybe I am a little more exhausted than I think. Good night all
Date: 2018-04-20
From: Stealth Camp Site 

To: Hot Springs NC
Miles today: 7.5
Weather: clear sky

I got up early and was on the trail by 7:30 this morning. It was a nice day and like the last 2 days I hardly saw a soul. I was in town by 11:30 and in my room at the hostel by noon. The only thing notable about the trail today was the last 3.5 miles that went continuous downhill. My feet really took a beating. I was glad to get out of my boots. I know I made good time but it seemed to take forever. This town is small (about 600 people) but they have great places to eat and a very good outfitter. The hostel I¢m staying at only had a room for one night so I¢ll have to move tomorrow  Good night all