morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-03-24
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Newfound Gap: Gatlinburg 
Miles today: 12.5

3/24Wow, did it rain last night. I mean it just poured. I wished I had left out an empty water bottle, or something, as a makeshift rain gauge. I bet we got 5" easy. I just love the sound of rain while all comfy under my sleeping bag. But this much rain was going to be an issue.   The rain amazingly stopped just as we were leaving the shelter. All that rain turned the trail into a river today. When the water was flowing toward you, you were going uphill. When it was flowing with you, you were going downhill. That was the theme of the day. Early in the day the trail hit the highest point on the AT, 6643' at Clingmans Dome, which happens to mark our 200-mile point. Today was one of those days where the views were lacking. I can't have the luck I had at Cheoah Bald every day....sigh. I hiked the whole day with Bean, who patiently waited for me on extended uphill sections. I wore my Microspikes for the first time today, as the trail was often covered with ice. I had my first bad fall while on the way down from Clingmans. I stepped on a recently cut branch and the sharp part end cut into my pants near my right calve. I was going downhill and having my swing leg stuck on branch allowed gravity to take over. The branch cut through the pants twice but somehow left my calve alone. I fell on my pack and lay there like an upended turtle til I figured out which way to roll. Note: rolling downhill is easier. The surprise I mentioned yesterday was waiting for me at Newfound Gap. Sa and Mugsy had made the drive from Illinois. We are spending the night at the Grand Prix (hiker-friendly motel) in Gatlinburg. The weather is turning sour again. This 2013 winter just won't go away. Forecasts are for up to a foot of snow at AT elevations and windchills to again drop to sub zero. I'm trying to figure out my next move. 7:40 duration3202 ascent3488 descentA couple videos were added to 3/19: Cheoah Bald
Date: 2013-03-25
From: Newfound Gap: Gatlinburg 

To: Newfound Gap: Gatlinburg 
Miles today: 0.0

Taking a planned zero in Gatlinburg today. The road to Newfound Gap is closed due to snow anyway. I hope the hikers I met yesterday, that were not coming down, are hunkered down and warm. It's nasty up there today. The pic to the left is that of the first casualty of the trip. My pants.
Date: 2013-03-26
From: Newfound Gap: Gatlinburg 

To: Newfound Gap: Gatlinburg 
Miles today: 0.0

Taking an unplanned zero in Gatlinburg. The road up the mountain is still closed due to snow. Better to be stuck here than at higher elevations until this blows by. I happened to be in the motel office when a hiker called from NFG trying to arrange a shuttle. The office had to inform him that only snowplows would be up there. I have heard that snowplow drivers will assist folks if they see em. Hope he's OK. Stomper and WildBill came to Gatlinburg last night for dinner. Billy completed a thru-hike in 2006. Here is a link to his trip: Wildbill's 2006 Appalachian Trail JournalThis stay in GBurg has allowed me to get my absentee ballot application in order. I have never missed a vote in my life and was wondering how I was going to pull it off this round. It was too early to vote early before I left. I will have our county send my absentee ballot to Hot Springs, NC. The picture above is just one example of the colorful names on the trail. I am sure there must be some story behind this, but I would have to make one up.
Date: 2013-03-27
From: Newfound Gap: Gatlinburg 

To: Newfound Gap: Gatlinburg 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Well, got to Newfound Gap/Gatlinburg on Sunday. I'm still here on Wednesday and prob will be for a coupla more days. The road is still closed. Rangers have been getting folks off the AT. I called the park and they have advised me to wait at least two days. There are areas with thigh-deep drifts right now. I'm guessing there are very few hikers up there as I type. Those that got caught in the storm have been trickling in. A group here are taking a shuttle to Hot Springs, skipping ahead about 65 miles. I'm staying put and waiting for the road/trail to reopen. I plan on giving the youngsters a day to break the trail for me and I will follow their work.The picture on this page is that of Bean. He was a NY Fireman during 911. We hiked together for several days recently.
Date: 2013-03-28
From: Newfound Gap: Gatlinburg 

To: Newfound Gap: Gatlinburg 
Miles today: 0.0

3/28The road to Newfound Gap is now open and some hikers have restarted. I talked to Snowman RiverDog yesterday. They are SOBO thru-hikers with 2000 miles under their feet. They just finished the northern section of the Smokies and said it was a long slog, with some waist-deep drifts. If these young guns had a hard time.....I'm going to drive up to NFG myself this afternoon and edit this post with what I find out. Just got back from NFG and happened to find a ridgerunner while I was up there. He thinks its doable right now. The weather was beautiful. The area around NFG had the trail packed down to ice. Without traction devices on your feet, travel would be difficult. With my Microspikes I could cruise. Now, the area I checked out was where the tourists have access. I suspect the trail further on is softer.Pretty sure I'm heading out tomorrow. I'm thinking I blew a day by not starting today.
Date: 2013-03-29
From: Newfound Gap: Gatlinburg 

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

3/29Sa and Mugsy dropped me off at NFG in the morning. After 4 zeros in Gatlinburg it was time to move on. Mugsy was confused as to why he wasn't going with me. Every other time in his life, when he saw me with a backpack and poles, he was going to be at my side. Sa had to pull him back. It was sad. I do plan on having Mugsy with me for a section in Virginia. The trail between NFG and Charlie's Bunion was a dream. With Microspikes the hard-packed snow and ice made travel easy, in fact maybe easier than normal. Once passed the Bunion the trail became more soft and travel slowed. It seemed like a couple dozen hikers passed me during the day making me wonder about how full the shelters would be. With over a foot of snow, setting up a tent would be problematic for me. Once I got to the turn to Pecks Corner Shelter I made the decision to turn. Now, Pecks is not an ideal shelter for thru-hikers. It is .4 miles off the trail and way down a hill. Tri-Corner is about 5 more miles and almost on the trail. I figured not many would chose Pecks. I was wrong. It quickly became beyond packed. I definitely made the correct decision to stop. During the day it started to snow lightly, then a bit heavier, then it just didn't stop. I knew we were going to have to break trail in the morning.   Wasn't 12+ of snow enough?We are currently packed into Pecks like sardines, shoulder to shoulder. Thank goodness I have earplugs, I hope everyone else does. 6:30 duration2608 ascent2249 descent
Date: 2013-03-30
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: overcast clouds

3/30Slept well in an over-stuffed shelter. We had 16 on the decks designed for 12, with a young guy hanging his hammock above his buddies. There were more souls outside in 4 tents. I don't think I could have set up my tent in that snow. It snowed more than I expected last night with 3-4 inches of new snow on top of the 12+ inches we already had. There were places today I know that there is over 2 feet of snow on the ground. It was beautiful beyond belief. I initially planned on hiking to Cosby Knob but two things changed my mind. First: the hiking in the new/soft snow was dang hard. I was barely traveling at more than 1mph. This type of snow was MUCH harder to hike in compared to the hard pack between NFG and the Bunion, where the day hikers had packed it down. Second: there were a ton of folks talking about stopping today at Cosby Knob. I would be one of the last ones getting there and would probably find the shelter full. I might be forced into setting up my tent on over a foot of snow and I don't have that experience. So, for safety sake, today was a short day. I am at Tri-Corner Knob Shelter, mere 5.2 miles from Pecks. There are only 6 here, having the same idea of not pushing their luck. The thrus include K-Fox, JavaMan, and Northern. We've had a lot of time to dry out and chat this afternoon.   Word got to us that the road to NFG was closed again yesterday so there may not be many hikers immediately behind us. Oddly, Tri-Corner was my target for the day when I left NFG yesterday. My, was that delusional. With the new snow, the limbs on the trees were hanging low over the trail. Hikers were bobbing and weaving like a boxer working a speed bag. As the temps snuck above freezing the snow started to fall from the trees. I would be just hiking along, and pow. Who just hit me in the head with a snowball? As it got a bit warmer it became a steady "rain" of water falling from the spruce.   Everyone got pretty wet, a set up for hypothermia if you weren't careful. Getting to camp early gave us a chance to dry out and get warm. Tomorrow I am hoping to be at a much lower elevations than the 6K I am at now. It is suppose to rain so I am expecting the trail to be a mess. I may not get out of the Smokies but I will be at the edge. 4:15 duration1786 ascent1102descent
Date: 2013-03-31
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: overcast clouds

3/31Happy Easter. I got some Cadbury Malted Easter Eggs to mark the day.What a crazy day of hiking. It stayed just above freezing all night. That allowed the snow to get real soft and slushy in places. With the melt starting at above 6K, the trail turned into a creek, with calve-deep ice-cold water flowing our direction. Hiking in this cold water made me wonder if this is how people lose toes. Where the snow wasn't slush it was soft enough for me to posthole making travel very slow. It was so bad that after a mile and a half I considered reversing course and heading back to Tri-Corner. It really was that bad, the worst I had ever seen. Fortunately the trail started to lose elevation and slowly conditions improved. The toes were never in any real danger. I passed Cosby Shelter and decided I just wanted to get the heck out of the Smokies. This meant a big-mileage day, on a day my shoes would be soaked 100% of the time. Big miles and wet feet can be a bad combination. I felt a couple hot spots but there was nothing I could do but to slow down and cool the feet down in creeks. Normally I would put Duct Tape over these hot spots but I knew nothing would stick to the wet feet. Luckily, once reaching camp, my feet were no worse for the wear. Gotta love trial runners. I found out that Cosby was bursting at the seams last night. I am really glad I decided to stop at Tri-Corner instead of pushing on. The was "no room at the Inn", meaning I would have had to tent. Fresh Ground was just tearing down his Trail Magic spot near I-40 just when I got there. Yes, we went under our first interstate. I scored some of the last of his chicken noodle soup. Fresh Ground will be moving on to Roan Mountain til 4/12.   At 135 miles away I may not make it. Spent the night at the famous Standing Bear Farm. Curtis and Maria were excellent hosts, serving Easter dinner to the hungry hikers. I definite recommend a stay here. Saw many of the same faces that stayed at Pecks two nights ago. Epilogue on the Smokies: I am glad it is over. Maybe down the road I will look fondly of the experience and the photos. Right now it's too close. Mother Nature threw just about everything at us. It normally takes 5-6 days to traverse the Smokies. It took me 10 days, 4 of which were holed up in a motel waiting for either the roads to reopen or the snow to improve. The southern section is suppose to be harder than the northern section, but the weather made the northern section twice as hard. The next trail town is Hot Springs with the beautiful Max Patch along the way. Spring appears to be pushing winter aside.....finally. 11:02 duration2431 ascent6552 descent
Date: 2013-04-01
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Campsite beyond Max Patch
Miles today: 13.8

4/1Thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Standing Bear Farm. IMO, this is a must-stop for anyone on a thru-hike. It ain't the Hilton but it has everything a hiker could want. They even had Diet Coke. I only drank 8 cans. It rained most of the evening and into the night. I just love the sound of rain on the roof. I was in no hurry to get up and the dilly dallying almost cost me, more later. K-Fox arrived at the hostel coming from Davenport Gap Shelter before I left. I got a ridiculously late start of about 10am. I looked at the map and figured getting to Max Patch before sunset was a piece of cake. Cake it was not. There was over a mile climbing hidden in the map over those 13 miles. When will I learn not to trust profile maps? The climb up to Snowbird was similar to that of Shuckstack when entering the Smokies. What a difference a day makes and even sometimes during the same day. Yesterday I was worried about my toes. By noon today I was hiking in a T-shirt, listening to song birds, with early buds on the trees getting ready for spring. I want to thank the folks that maintain this section. It was wonderfully groomed. By nightfall I was wearing everything I have with winds testing my ability to put up a tent. It's gonna be a cold/windy night and I managed to set up my tent in a way that lets the wind in. As I mentioned before, the highlight of the day was going to Max Patch, a tall mountain with no trees at the top and 360-degree views. I wanted to camp up there with the realization that conditions dictate whether that is a good idea. Today was way too cold/windy to tent up there. As the day went on I kept looking at my watch and the map. I wanted badly to get there by sunset. I made it, barely. The sunset did not disappoint. It was stunning. Picture on this page. The day ends with me camped near two friendly families, one from TN and the other from OH. They invited me to share their campfire and warm up. I accepted. 9:37 duration5308 ascent2759 descentVideos added for 3/29 and 3/30
Date: 2013-04-02
From: Campsite beyond Max Patch

To: Hot Springs: Laughing Heart Hostel
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: overcast clouds

4/2It was indeed cold/windy last night. Not only did I have the opening of the tent facing the wind, I also pitched it on way too much of an incline. I kept sliding in the direction of my feet which is not good. In those conditions the sleeping bag will get wet from condensation from touching the wall of the tent. That is important if you are going to be in damp conditions for several days, as it adds up. Since I was headed for town it's not a big deal. I had a couple options for an end point today, which set up the next day differently. When you are hiking all day by yourself odd "conversations" come about. Brain: "I've made the decision to push to Hot Springs and 19.3 miles today."Stomach: "Is there food involved?"Brain: "Anything you want."Stomach: "I'm in."Feet: "I think I speak for the knees as well. Do you realize that is over 50 miles in three days? What is in it for us?"Brain: "Yeah, that is a lot. How 'bout a zero tomorrow and maybe go to one of the Hot Spring spas?Feet: "I'm in. Let's go."Coming down into Hot Springs there is a tendency to stare at the Monopoly houses and Match Box cars down below, until you accidentally kick a rock off the trail. You watch it roll and tumble for a couple hundred feet and realize that could be you if you don't start watching your feet closer. 10:36 duration3071 ascent6152 descentVideos added for 3/29 and 3/30
Date: 2013-04-03
From: Tanyard Gap

To: Hot Springs: Elmers Sunnybank Inn
Miles today: 5.9

4/3I stayed at the Laughing Heart Hostel last night (4/2) which is run by Chuck Norris and Tigger. As per usual there were a lot of familiar faces staying there that I had met on the trail. It was relaxing with a lot of good conversation. Went to the Smoky Mountain Diner for dinner last night and breakfast this morning. You can't go wrong there. Went to Bluff Mountain Outfitters to see if the absentee ballot I had requested was in. Nope. If it's not there by tomorrow I will have missed voting for the first time in my life. Sorry Amy. Mailed my Microspikes back home. We might still have some snow/ice but my plan all along was to ditch the Microspikes once the Smokies were over. The highlight of the day was the visit to the Hot Springs Spa that brain promised feet yesterday. I decided to get a massage on top of the hour in the hot mineral spring. Man o man, was this a good decision. Note to other thru-hikers: Just do it! Thank me later. I didn't know my legs felt bad until they felt good. The massage immediately improved some of the loss in flexibility I have suffered. Feet didn't care much for the massage but admitted later that it was a good thing. The hour in the hot (warm) mineral spring water was just flat out relaxing. Sitting there with the view of a creek and mountains added to it. Having an eagle fly around on top of that was just surreal. Changed hostels for tonight and am staying at the famous Elmer's Sunnybank Inn. Elmer is a thru-hiker from the 70s that has turned his 1840 Victorian house into a hostel. To top it off, Elmer cooks "gourmet organic vegetarian meals". Now, I am a "meatasoras" so this "vegetarian" thing didn't impress. I still wanted to give it a try. Oh my, was it good. From the soup, to the salad, to the main course, to the dessert, I don't know what any of it was, but it was amazing. Stomach can't wait for breakfast in the morning. Note to other thru-hikers: This is a must-stay. I decided to hike 5.9 miles today to set up an easy 10 into a hostel tomorrow. Gonna rain and wanted 10 instead of 16. I wish all nero days were as good as this. 2:37 duration764 ascent1706 descent
Date: 2013-04-04
From: Hot Springs: Elmers Sunnybank Inn

To: Log Cabin Drive: Hemlock Hollow Hostel
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

4/4Has it been a whole month? From the snow/cold in GA, to the snow/cold in NC/TN, I saw my first butterfly on the trail the other day. Can spring hold on?No, it cannot. Today was a mistake I do not want to repeat. I was all comfy in Hot Springs with full knowledge it was going to rain all day. I could zero like most others. How bad could it be? I was just hiking 10 miles to a hostel. If I wasn't hiking to a warm bed I would have stayed in town. I didn't have a cell signal and relied on others for a weather report. They made it sound like it was just rain. Little did I know I was hiking into a Winter Storm Advisory. Above 3K it was all freezing rain and gale force winds. Ice was falling from the trees, occasionally hitting me in the head as a bonus. The trail was even frozen in spots, usually on some steep downhill. Falls were common. It was the coldest I have ever been on the trail. I think I was on the verge of early hypothermia but my speech never slurred. I was sure glad to finally find the hostel. My fingers could barely unclip my pack. I got out of the wet clothes and within an hour was back to normal. My thoughts turned to any other fool that was on the trail today, hoping they were all OK. Spring, where are you?5:15 duration3205 ascent3028 descent
Date: 2013-04-05
From: Log Cabin Drive: Hemlock Hollow Hostel

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: overcast clouds

4/5Stayed at Hemlock Hollow Inn last night. I was so fortunate to have a hostel in my plans after that horrible weather. Just before dark Molly showed up. She is the Athens grad I met just before NC. She is hiking strong now and I expect she will pull away. She seemed just fine coming out of that storm, which really impressed me. A good group of youngsters were at the hostel, TallBoy, Heart Rock, Truck Surfer, Bilbo, Feed Bag, and Molly. Just before leaving in the morning went back to the bunkhouse to clean it up a bit. They beat to it. Good kids. Hemlock Hollow is a bit off the trail (.7mi) and a good find in bad weather. A seasoned couple run the place. The wife is an excellent cook with dinners being a very reasonable $5. I had two. I think my hiker hunger might be kicking in. Oh, and they had Diet Coke. I only had 6 this time. The hiking today was a dream compared to yesterday's survival march. The day started out with light rain and fog. I wanted nothing to do with the rain and waited it out, giving me a bit of a late start. The sun broke through after noon, causing yesterday's freezing rain and today's rime ice, to fall from the trees. You can tell the difference between the two. Freezing rain ice is just clear, solid ice while rime ice is more airy. There was very little wind, and temps climbed into the 40s. I would sign up for this weather every day if I could. I know that sounds cold to you folks back home but sunny, 40s, no wind is great hiking weather. There was a long, steep climb after Little Laurel Shelter that caused me to take a few breaks. It takes a pretty steep hill to stop me now. Don't get me wrong, a 2K+ climb is still hard but I don't fear them like I did in the beginning. I had planned on hiking passed the shelter area where I am camped, but a rocky, exposed ridge section of the trail ground my pace to a crawl. The Firescald Knob area looks flat as a pancake on a profile map. I thought I would make good time there, but was slowed to about .5mph. Note to other thru-hikers: The section I hiked today is wonderful in good weather, dang near dangerous in bad. It will take you longer than you think from just looking at the map. You will also want to take a break on Firescald and enjoy the views. I am tenting near Jerry Cabin Shelter which is maintained in part by The Cleaner from whiteblaze.net . This puts us passed the 300-mile mark. The same kids from last night's hostel are here along with Java Man and Lady Grey. I was concerned about Lady Grey in that storm last night, as I knew she was somewhere behind me, but she did great. Movie Star came in late and wasn't up when I left in the morning. I forgot to mention in the craziness of yesterday. Just before leaving Hot Springs my absentee ballot showed up. I did get to vote. 6:51 duration3077 ascent1280 descent
Date: 2013-04-06
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

4/6I pitched my tent perfectly, for once, last night and stayed put where I lay. For some reason finding a flat spot to put my tent has become harder instead of easier. For some reason hiking today took a lot out of me. The hills late in the day just slowed me to a crawl, forcing me to take many breaks. We hiked by a small gravesite where two Union soldiers were killed. Other than that it was just hiking. When I get to Erwin I will be taking a zero. When I staggered into camp some of the folks were asking what took me so long. I said, "I ran out of Dilithium Crystals. That joke fell flat on the youngsters, but the more seasoned hikers got the reference. Many hikers here, just south of Erwin, TN, have come down with a sudden illness. IMO it is a norovirus. These hikers cannot go on for a day or so due to weakness and other maladies. I am not touching a shelter or even shaking hands with folks. There are several hikers sick in the shelter 100 feet from me as I type. Being sick is one thing. Being sick out here is another. 9:40 duration4193 ascent4003 descent