morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-04-16
From: Gatlinsburg, TN

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Achin checks the Park Service recorded line and the roads are open. We pack and wait for the taxi/shuttle. There are three bus loads of middle schoolers here, like a pack of locusts descending on the motel's free breakfast.Shuttle arrives on time, which we share with Bags and Hermes. We are on the Trail at 9 and pass the first shelter at around 10:30. The trail has ice on it, along with snow, but make good time despite it. Really enjoy these conditions as it reminds me of test hikes on Mt. Monadnock in the winter.Have been hearing about Charlie's Bunion from other hikers, and arrive there soon after. This has probably the most amazing views I've seen in a long time. Walk out to a rocky point and with clear skies can see "forever". Have a brief video, which does not do the beauty justice.Had my first of two falls near here, something I've been able to avoid so far. Stepped off trail to walk on edge and moisture made it weak and tumbled off trail on my side and into a small tree. No damage. Fell again about three miles later while trying to work down a large rock, well braced but feet slip on wet rock. Twist and fall down on my back, which is good. With loaded backpack providing great cushion, no real damage except for a banged left palm (not sure on what).We are walking on the ridge line much of the day. So the mountains rise up and we walk along the peak. A two or three foot wide trail, and a buffer of one to four feet on each side, then rapid drop offs. Great views but need to watch your step.Begin to think I missed the turn off to this shelter, but eventually reach it okay. Full shelter, as hikers hid in Gatlinburg during bad weather (like us) and are now here. Our last night in the Smokies should be tomorrow. Tonight it's cold here, typing this while lying in shelter and sleeping bag.Forgot to say that Uncle Dan brought a bathroom scale with him at my request to do a weight check. Have lost 20 pounds in a little less than a month.
Date: 2014-04-17
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

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

This morning my left palm hurts still but no signs of bruising. Everyone in shelter wakes up within 10 minutes of each other, and there's the rush to pack, feed, privy, and go. Achin and I are back on trail at 7:45 with plans to meet at a shelter 13 miles away. The morning is cold, like the night before, but as usual warm up after a mile or so. I'm feeling a little slow, and find my left hand can not firmly hold that trekking pole without pain. So at our lunch time break, I decide to continue with only one pole, collapse and pack the left hand one on my bag. Hiking with one pole takes getting used to, having used two poles consistently for a month. Eventually get the hang of it. Best views of the day (and there are many) are at Deer Creek Gap. Can't see a creek, but there's a broad swath of grass to spread out in the sun while this landscape view spreads before you. As one hiker said to his partner, "it's going to take you a while for you to drag me out of here."After settling in to the shelter, look at my hand and it is now well bruised. Pain is about the same. Check my backpack and the bottom half of the trekking pole is gone. Achin had asked if anyone had lost a pole at Deer Creek Gap, because two hikers had found a "broken pole". Same two hikers are at the shelter and agree it was my pole half, but it was dirty and they left it. Luckily I only need one for some time. Hanging backpacks on bear cables tonight because bears have been coming into this shelter and dragging backpacks out. Because it's been cold in camp lately, I have been eating around 5:00 and in sleeping bag at 5:30. Work on journal, read a book, review trail map, or just listen to shelter chatter while staying warm. About eight others are in here now and it's 6:50, basically doing the same thing. Tomorrow we will be done with the Great Smoky Mountains.
Date: 2014-04-18
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

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

We left the Smokies around 1 PM after what was for me a long painful descent. Started the hike by doing the first quarter mile before realizing I was wearing my Crocs and my hiking shoes were still at the shelter. Kind of embarrassing going back up the hill explaining why to the eight hikers descending.The trail today was Bunion's worst hiking trail - large stones, roots, stairs, descents. Now limited to one trekking pole just makes the progress slower, and simply not fun. Stopped at Davenport Gap shelter for lunch with Achin and a Bikini Line, then continue. Cross the boundary out of the park and talk to three random people standing there. Not sure why they were standing there, but chatted away with the now usual "why are you hiking the AT?"Get treated to some ups, but then return to stones and roots, and slowwwww. Stop often and Achin at one point, far ahead, goes back up trail concerned I'm taking too long. When we do meet-up, we are dumped on a road and the map talks about an "I-40 Underpass", but that's it. We cross a bridge, up a road, and eventually find it and the trail beyond, to be greeted with 35 steep steps. Up we go and after 0.8 of trail, cross creek to a gravel road and soon after Standing Bear hostel.We want a cabin, versus the bunkhouse. The owner greets me and asks, when I inquire about a cabin, if I'm being accompanied by my wife, girlfriend, sister, mother. Lacking these, I'm invited to the bunkhouse.Shower is split, you can choose indoor or outdoor. There is a resupply store, everything is on the honor system, you settle up in the morning. Lots of hikers here, plus ranging chickens (don't leave that pizza alone), and a locked beer fridge with beers for sale.Hermes, a retired Air Force doctor, is laughing as hikers use the scale here and realize how much weight they've lost. I ask him how much he's lost, and he says 18 pounds. He says if a patient came in to him with that much loss in a month he'd run a full cancer screening on them, and wouldn't believe it if it came back negative.
Date: 2014-04-19
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Brown Gap
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: light rain

We have 23 miles left to go in our run for Hot Springs where Achin's wife arrives on Monday. Today's hike was a long up hill to start, 2,600 vertical feet. At the end was a Trail Angel from Cincinnati who commutes to this peak for a week twice a year. He covers all his own expenses, including motel, transportation, food etc. and sets up a small tent with donuts, sodas, and hot chocolate. He has a stove you can use if you want to cook there. Quite the guy. Walks us to the peak to show us where we're heading, Max Patch, and from there we'll be able to see the F.A.A. tower now located 100 feet away from us.Rain continues on and off today, and I am now lying in my tent around 4 PM as it continues to do so.A word or two about my tent. Picking a tent is hard for the AT, or more accurately a sleep system. I covered some of this in an early post. This tent is a TarpTent Stratospire 1, with two main parts. The interior is the "tent" and clips on to the exterior "tarp". The tarp is designed to keep most rain and wind out, and can be expanded with two spaces called vestibules where I can place things I don't want in the tent, such as backpack, food bag, shoes, etc. and usually keep them dry. The tent has two interiors, one with me now. The current one is designed for cooler situations, with mostly solid walls and some "no seeum" mesh for air flow. The second interior, still at home for another month, is all mesh and better in warmer to hot conditions.Still happy with this tent, but an even lighter system (bivey sack or hammock with a tarp) might make sense.
Date: 2014-04-20
From: Brown Gap

To: Deer Park Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: clear sky

Before I get started on what was a great day, first want to tell Peg and Bruce I think of them every day. There are so many birds out here, flitting through the trees and calling out, I just know you two would like it immensely. Right now I hear no less than seven calls.I got up earlier than normal knowing we have a lot of ground to cover. I suggested to Achin we split up, since his wife will be in Hot Springs in two days, and I don't want to slow him down in any way. He agrees, and since I'm ready, I head off on the Trail.The first major stop is Max Patch Summit, 3.5 miles away and all up hill. This place is amazing, hundreds possibly thousands of acres of grassland on top of a mountain. With the rain coming through last night to clear the air, not a cloud in the sky, and no trees to obstruct the view, you can see everywhere in every direction. That F.A.A. tower from the other day is just a small blip. One couple apparently camped there overnight, brilliant! Imagine the sunset.I meet a young family, and they later tell me they are thru hiking and live in Maine so they're "going home the long way." All In, Mama Bear, Robin Hood, and Cartwheels (the latter, 7 years old, intends to do at least one a day to Maine), a really nice family, and I see them again at each of the following places today.I get lunch around noon, 10 miles in, and a hiker at the shelter there says there's Trail Magic "just north of Bluff Mountain." Apparently it's ham and all the fixings for Easter, so I check my map and that's roughly within range of my 16 mile day. Make it to Bluff Mountain, where there's two Great Danes checking me out, and the people confirm the Magic but it's at Garenflo Gap, technically north of Bluff Mountain but four miles away and past my 16 mile target.Well, there's a shelter at my 20 mile mark, so I push on for the Magic and arrive. About 25 people are there, and whereas I had visions of another church group sponsored event, this was put together by eight or so thrus from 2012. There is a ham and all the fixings, drinks, a raucous game of frisbee, and a pass-the-guitar jam. First hiker I see says he's been there for hours. One other is drinking home made wine and tells me its good because she can taste all the flavors. I grab a plate and a cold beer and just enjoy. Best Magic yet.Can't stay long, so thank them and make for the shelter, arriving about 7 PM, a twelve hour day and my first 20-miler. I remember an about-my-age hiker saying on one of the first days that when he did his thru he didn't hike faster, just found he could hike longer. Seems true.It's a relatively warm evening, and drying out from last nights rain. Tomorrow, a quick 3.2 mike walk to Hot Springs, North Carolina, a hiker friendly town.
Date: 2014-04-21
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: clear sky

The camp area clears early, I'm nearly the last one out at 7:40. The hike to town is uneventful, but I arrive a bit tired still from yesterday. At trailhead, drop bag and sit on it, pulling Guide to figure out where to stay. Am also looking at Laughing Heart Hostel, right here, and start talking to manager Chuck Norris (he does look a bit like Chuck). There's no single room available, so I grab my bag to head into town, and he says he'll give me a double for $5 more than the single rate. Accepted, I need only wait until the room is cleaned.Wait for Achin for about an hour and a half, figuring he'll come through, but then relent realizing I'll run into him sooner or later. Head to town, it's small, to replace my heavier cold weather pants with a lighter, zippered pants which can turn into shorts. Also get a huge breakfast at the local diner (3 eggs, slice of ham, hashed browns, biscuits with gravy); two plates worth.Return to hostel and unpack bag, then head back to town to do laundry. Walking by a restaurant, there's Achin finishing lunch. Drop laundry in washer, then spend time with Achin getting caught up. We agree I'll stop by their rented cottage in the morning for breakfast.Evening I have dinner with Sketch, a 40 something ex-military who now is taking a couple years off to hike. He was part of the crew who put together the Magic yesterday, and is in no rush on the Trail. Using a friends pickup truck loaded with yesterday's trash, we roll to town to drop Bags and his dog off at a motel, and also a random hiker who lies on top of the trash to get a ride. We eat, and his advice is to just enjoy the Trail, and if you want to quit, hole up in a town for a week or go home for two. The Trail will wait.Bags said Hermes, the ex-Air Force doctor just left the Trail.Today enjoy breakfast and dinner at Achin's cottage, and lunch in town. Replace my half-pole with a relatively cheap replacement, wanting to see how that holds up on our next 70 mile stretch. Mail things back to Deb, including heavier pants (will need in fall) and harmonica (not finding time/interest to play enough). Also tossed some things away at hostel, and probably two pounds lighter overall.Will leave tomorrow for Erwin, TN.
Date: 2014-04-23
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Achin and I agreed last night to work toward this shelter separately, seeing as we are coming from two different starting points. I'm out of the hostel and heading toward the center of town. The citizens have placed concrete "AT" symbols in the sidewalk, and wave to you as they drive by.Cross the bridge which goes over the French Broad River, about 100 feet across and rushing with rainwater. Get to other end, and step over the guardrail down some stone stairs to a waiting old black lab who greets me, then wanders off. The Trail follows the river, and I pass the campsites of hikers who stayed overnight.I also walk over sand, which adds to the growing list of surfaces I've had to use (dirt, mud, snow, ice, roots, wood stairs, stone stairs, rocks (larger), stones (smaller), rock face, shallow watery streams, tree bark).Take Trail up, and there are multiple local trails here too. Get called back by a hiker when I start up the wrong way on one. Keep coming out on higher and higher rock cliffs, one of which is Lovers Leap, just not sure which.Trail comes up to an old concrete dam,which forms a pond, kind of randomly. Run into a couple from the hostel and Alabama, whose trail names I can't remember, but they are testing her legs after an injury by slack packing back to Hot Springs. She's doing well, and am I likely to see them again?Then the puzzle. From the Guide, "AT 0.3W on dirt road. Cross Mill Ridge to gravel road (double blazed oak tree). Go 0.1W on gravel road and re-enter woods to east."What?There's a dirt road, or is it gravel road, with white blazes. Head down that. Then there is a road/trail that goes to the left, no blazes, and no visible blazes on the road I'm on. Decide to stay with the latter and eventually find more blazes and the oak tree, and a new dirt road which goes up to what appears to be a trail. It is a trail, so wander up to check it out but it's for bikes, so back down this dirt road to the other dirt road. Decide to just stay on it, find more blazes, and then the Trail. Sheesh.Achin catches up soon thereafter, and we confirm going to shelter. Get ahead of him again due to inclines, stop for light lunch, Achin wanders up and joins, and then Tigger (two, actually the third one, from Chelmsford) to say hi. Find I have cell signal so can talk to Deb for a few minutes but lose signal a few minutes later.Make shelter at 2:00 with Achin arriving 15 minutes later, we're the only ones here. Reading the trail registry in the shelter, realize best camping spots are beyond and above the shelter area, so we camp there. It's about 65 degrees, sunny, breezy, and by the time it's 6:00 there are 12+ hikers in the area.We target a shelter 15 miles away for tomorrow, with weather expected like today, but rain and possible thunder storms on Friday.
Date: 2014-04-24
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

The Guide says, "Firescald bypass to west reconnects with AT 1.5 north." Of course, that being mile 12, don't read it before leaving camp.Trail is mostly downhill, and being just dirt, travel well and complete first four miles, with ample breaks, in less than two hours. Achin shows up and we snack a bit, then start on the big climb for the day of 2,400 feet in six miles. Eat lunch at the first shelter. With less than seven miles to go, with most down or flat after a one mile incline, figuring target shelter is possible by 3 PM. Readings about the bypass again, and now also notice "AT between bypass points is rocky and strenuous." What?Start seeing rocks, then another bypass for "Bad Weather", but take rocky trail which is the AT.The next mile plus is a slow, rocky trail, which ends up along a rocky ridge line with stunning views in all directions. Turns out this is "Big Firescald". Enjoy for a while, then continue on for a series of rocky drop offs, rock stairs, a little rock climbing down and up, and rocky trail. Both like it immensely for being the most technically difficult part of the Trail so far, but not like it for the surprise factor.Get to shelter at 4:10, others are here, but I'm first to look for campsite. Nothing is totally flat, but make do. Instant potatoes with lemon tuna for dinner. Light rain expected, hopefully not until tomorrow after breakfast.Spend night, this being uneven ground, slowly sliding to one side of the tent. Put Crocs under air mattress to stop this, which doesn't entirely work. Wake up, scootch mattress and sleeping bag to other side, repeat, repeat.
Date: 2014-04-25
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: light rain

The rain came before dawn, a sprinkle, and the sky on rising was partly sunny. We pack up and leave together at 7:10. I pass Achin on the first big incline and don't see him again until the first shelter. My wife suggested getting more protein in my diet, and it seems to be bolstering performance. Have added whey powder to oatmeal for breakfast the last two days, and including summer sausage and cheese with lunch. When you're using 4-6,000 calories a day, you can eat as much as you want. Carrying it is another matter as my actual daily intake is closer to 2-3,000 calories a day (which is why hikers eat so much in town, or at a Trail Magic).We are making our way to the first shelter, just shy of six miles away. Rain starts in earnest at 8:30 and continues on and off day, sometimes vigorously and with brisk wind. The rain is part of the Trail, and we've been lucky so far to not have multiple days in a row, or getting stuck in a lightening storm, but it will happen. Regardless, it can be draining.Not as many northbound hikers on the trail compared to the Smokies, and probably see as many southbound hikers today, but they are "just" doing sections.Stop at the shelter and have a light lunch. Achin joins, and Good and Plenty (whom we have been running into every few days for a month) shows up slack packing 18 miles (!!!). She asks about the rocky section we did yesterday, which we explain, and she will likely avoid it.The Trail had multiple tombstones today. Two were for Confederate soldiers, one apparently killed at Gettysburg (July 1, 1863), plus a thru hiker who had his ashes spread at mile 302. One other marker is unclear what the association is, plus two tombstones protected by a wire fence (looked old, but didn't attempt to read them).Get to our shelter at 3:40 and am soaked. Set up tent but it's one of those days where things just don't stay put, stakes pop out, poles fall down. Crawl inside, put on spare dry clothes, and slide under sleeping bag to try and get warm. Stay there until Achin shows up and says, from outside my closed up tent, "did you eat yet?"Yesterday we talked about doing a 20.7 mile day tomorrow, but both of us are a little beat up. There's a Trail Magic all-day at the next gap, 2.4 miles away, and a shelter less than eight miles from that. There's burgers! Hot dogs! All day! We decide to have a leisurely morning, dry everything out, then do the Magic.
Date: 2014-04-26
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Whistling Gap, campsite
Miles today: 13.6

So we get up closer to 7, and try to stay leisurely before heading out at 9:30. We arrive at the gap, and there's magic. The husband of Jersey Girl is giving out apples, bananas, boiled eggs, and soda, which actually works out great. Thank him for his generosity, assume the bigger Magic starts later, and return to the Trail. Achin and I stop for lunch about three miles later at a small meadow.We start heading up a big climb, 1,700 feet, which is made up of sharp inclines interspersed with relatively flat sections. I see local men harvesting ramps (in a Federal forest?), but try not to pay too much attention.The payoff of this climb is Big Bald, another huge grassy meadow with 360 degrees of views. It's a nice sunny day, clear in every direction, and with a gentle breeze it's easy to sit leaning against my backpack and try to take it in. Some other thrus are kicking around a hacky sack while the rest just sit and enjoy the magnificent space.Continue on and make it to our first target, Bald Mountain Shelter (325.1) at 3:30. There are others here, thrus and sections, but they are all moving on. Snack and drink water while figuring out what to do. Little angered by someone who put a huge bag of trash on the bear cables then left. Not only will this attract animals, but most likely volunteer trail maintainers will have to haul it out. I'll grab small things with my trash, but that's too much.Achin and I had set a secondary target of this campground, and wanting to reduce tomorrow's mileage while I had the time, decide to set out. Don't make great time as the days hills are taking a toll, but arrive at 6:10 meeting it's two inhabitants, a father-son section team from Kentucky.Tomorrow working to get to a hostel for two nights, with one zero day to resupply and rest up before our next push toward Virginia.
Date: 2014-04-27
From: Whistling Gap, campsite

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Really good night sleeping, and on Trail at 7. Achin is back trail somewhere, and I want to get to the hostel early enough to get space for us both.Hike is pretty uneventful to interim shelter, No Business Knob Shelter. Someone has written on shelter wall, "No privy, no water, No Business". Check map and there is no water here or anywhere up to hostel. One liter will have to do for the nearly seven sunny, hot miles.Luckily trail pretty straight forward, and at a few locations get an overview of Erwin, plus impressive views (and roar from) the Nolichucky River. Exit trail, turn left walk 100 yards and at hostel. Am able to get a two person cabin, but only for night, so drop off pack, get a shower and settle in on the open-air hiker porch. It has a really relaxing hammock chair. Very active hostel, lots of hikers (mostly in their 20's) are here. Shuttle will leave at 5 for dinner and a stop at WalMart. Achin arrives about 20 minutes before this leaves, and stays at hostel.Two shuttle vans head out full of hikers. We roll up to a Mexican restaurant which is ready, with one very long table set up. Complete menu and full bar, can't quite figure out how many ounces of margaritas are consumed. From there we can walk over to Walmart.Get back to hostel and Achin says he's ready to stop hiking and head home. Realizing we need to go faster to finish, but it's not fun at this point. Says he'll sleep on it.Lots of hikers, but only one washer and dryer, which I can only get to at 3:30 AM.In morning Achin admits to feeling conflicted, but decides he wants to leave. We take shuttle for breakfast, I move to the bunkhouse and Achin finds a room at a motel. We take lunch shuttle, which will drop him off, and we say goodbye.A great partnership. It will be hard to start the trail tomorrow. Chance encounter on day one and we, both novices, learned how to hike the AT.Bad storms are rolling across the country, with rain and worse expected the next two days. Big thunder storms here for an hour this afternoon. Regardless, unless weather is really bad, heading out in the morning.