morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-03-23
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: The NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center)
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up many times through out the night tossing and turning but when 7:30am rolled around I was up and packed with a poptart in my hand and I was on the trail. Just under 6 miles was the destination length. When ZZ and I arrived at the NOC, we headed right for, River's End for a Burger and Beer and I must say, the burger there was one of the best I have ever had too!! Cheers! Shortly thereafter we were able to check into the Hostel.. we stayed well, were assigned to the, "Overflow" building. That building was so far up the hill and away from the common kitchen and bathrooms... it kind of sucked to be that far away, (we even had reservations!!). I watched part of a 2013 US Open kayaking tournament which was pretty cool. It was an early-ish night ... 10pm, goodnight.-EagleRunner
Date: 2013-03-24
From: The NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center)

To: The NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center)
Miles today: 0.0

Today would be the morning of my first "Zero Day" (a day of no mileage on the trail). Woke up not feeling all that well, due to last nights celebrations but quickly became better and was able to get that stinky laundry done and take a hot shower. Still some people kayaking on the river, such brave souls! Hung out with many thru-hikers yet again, was able to talk to the parents and friends back home. Pizza was on the menu for lunch and that was quite yummy!! The rest of the day I had no plans, just stroll around the outfitters, the general store and hang out in the bunk house. ZZ-topless, HoBo, Sour Patch and I were the ones sharing the, "Overflow" building so we all hung on the porch at night, was nice to just hang out and chat, especially when it was pouring out. I must say it felt so nice to relax and hang out and not have to hike ... Yup! -EagleRunner
Date: 2013-03-25
From: The NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center)

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: light snow

Left the NOC this morning, felt weird since I was there two nights and not tenting or in a shelter. As we left the NOC there started to be an accumulation of snow on the ground, which wasn't a surprise. As I we got closer and closer to our destination of the Sassafras Gap Shelter, the snow became 6 inches deep and maybe more in sections. It was tough at times due to the snow matching the white blazes on the trees. Though it was a short hike, it was a tiring hike in the snow. The whole way hiking to the shelter, I was praying there was space because I honestly didn't want to tent in these conditions if I could help it. As ZZ and I arrived we were asked by Linus and Hufflepuff if we wanted a brownie to which we agreed and they were amazing!! Linus even offered us a second one, thank you!! (guess it was some trail magic from their friends, thank you!). More hikers arrived at the shelter surprisingly. Others hung tarps to block the wind, one lady set up her hammock in the shelter to save space for someone else. Was a great night except for the chilly wind that blew through the cracks of the shelter.-EagleRunner
Date: 2013-03-26
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Most of you know I am extremely far behind in my trail journal updates and I'm sorry for that. My access to a computer is very limited so if anything I would update the rest when I complete my journey. In the meantime I'd like to invite you to follow my YouTube Channel. I have been posting videos through out my thru hike. Just head on over to www.youtube.com/redrunnerjumper .. subscribe to my channel and enjoy the videos. Thank you for all of the support from my friends and family. Www.youtube.com/redrunnerjumper
Date: 2013-07-26
To: Mt. Katahdin Summit
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Friday July 26th, 2013 I climbed Mt. Katahdin to complete a 2013 Nobo Thru-Hike.I apologize for not keeping up with this online journal but if your interested to see my trip another way, please head on over to www.youtube.com/redrunnerjumper
Date: 2013-04-10
From: Amiacola Falls Visitor Center

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.1

Whelp, Day One And I Did Exactly What I Said I Wouldnt Do. Whoops. 17 Miles Later I Can Feel My Whole Body Stiffening Up. Cant Wait To See What Happens Tomorrow When I Wake Up. On The Brighter Side For Anybody That May Not Enjoy Sleeping In A Tent, Walk Really Far First, Because This Thing Feels Like Heaven Right Now. Now. Everybodys Favorite Subject. The Weather. It Was Magnificent Today. The Sun Was There, Light Breeze Was There, And I Was There. Truly Opulescent. Dont Know If That Word Applies, But I Like The Way It Sounds. The Trail Is Nice, Not So Action Packed As It Is A Lot Of Trees. I Did However See Three Ants Gang Up On A Spider. All I Could Think Was Why Didnt They Put This Scene In That Movie Honey I Shrunk The Kids. It Would Have Been More Opulescent Than The Weather Today, And Now You May Have To Take My Word On It, But Thats Something Special.Thats Really About It For The Day, Met Some Nice Folks Along The Way, And Im Sure More Tomorrow. The Sun Is Going Down Now So I Probably Will Too. Untill Tomorrow.
Date: 2013-04-11
From: Hawk Mountain Shelter

To: Lance Creek
Miles today: 16.2

So Many Things Happened Today. But Before I Tell You About All That, Let Me Apologize For Writing In All Caps. Its Annoying Me To Unknown Ends And I Will No Doubt Have My Phone Support Team Fix It Soon.I Am Typing This In What I Will Refer To As A Squall, Although I Believe That To Be Related To The Sea In Some Fashion And Not The Mountains Of Georgia. Neverthless Water And Electricity Are Pouring From The Sky And I Have Nothing But A Few Scant Milimeters Of Some Fabric Some Scientist Invented A Few Years Back, Probably For Some Unrelated Purpose Like A Dolphin Riding Uniforms For The Navy Seals Underwater Attack Unit. I Should Be So Lucky.Another Good Day (Not Walking In The Rain) And I Felt Surprisingly Spry Despite Some Soreness. After Three Gnutella And Pb Burritos (Im Eating My Way To A Lighter Pack), Well... I Thought That Sentence Was Going Somewhere But Really I Just Kept Walking.   I Thought Before I Started This Whole Thing, That There Would Be a lot Of Time To Think And Reflect, And Im Sure There Will Be, But I Have Noticed My Mind Mostly Wandering Through And Mismatching Melodies And Songs Into Some Garbled Amalgamation (Good Word I Know). Thoughts Seem A Bit Fleeting And I Am Finding Little Desire To Hold Onto Them. Again, Its Day Two And Theres Still A Long Way To Go.I Did Meet Some Southbounders That Are About To Finish, Which Was Interesting As The Tone Of Conversation Was Far Different Than The Majority Of Conversations Had In The Last Few Days. Far Less Naivety (Primarily Around Coming Storm) And A Good Bit More Absent Minded Discussion During What Appeared To Be A Fervant Search/reorganization Of Pack. Best Of Luck To Those Guys As They Will Be Finishing Up Tomorrow.I On The Other Hand Will Not Be Finishing Anytime Soon, So If You Are Actually Reading This (As Opposed To Fake Reading?) I Will Leave You On The Edge Of Your Seat Until Tomorrow.Cheerios!
Date: 2013-04-12
From: Lance Creek

To: Whitley Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.1

Good Day Today. Super Tired As I Did Not Sleep Much Last Night Due To Severe Raining And Thundering. The Lightning Was Intense. It Felt Like I Was Getting Punched In The Face Everytime It Lit Up The Sky. Then The Thunder Would Roll In For Five To Ten Seconds. Never Been In A Storm Like That Much Less In A Tent In A Storm Like That. Stayed Relatively Dry Considering, But Didnt Get Much Good Sleep.Other Than That... Blood Mountain, Neels Gap And Onward. Going To Get Some Sleep Now As I Want To Be Up And Out Before Sunrise.Cheerios!
Date: 2013-04-14
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.0

Shorter Day Today Was Great, Made Eleven Miles Before Noon Then Hitched A Ride Down To The Blueberry Patch, A Great Hostel Run By Gary And His Wife. Amazing Hospitality, Good People, And Some Damn Fine Biscuits With Homemade Blueberry Syrup To Boot. This Was My First Town Resupply And Hiawasse Was A Great Town For It. Stuffed My Face At The All You Can Eat Buffet, Grabbed Some Supplies, Then Hitched A Ride Back To The Hostel On A Boat On A Trailer. Good Company At The Hostel And A Good Nights Sleep Did Me Well.
Date: 2013-04-15
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Standing Indian Mtn
Miles today: 16.7

Heading Out Well Fed From The Hostel, I Walked Most Of The Day With A Group Of Four. We Made It To The NC/GA Border, Which Is One Out Of Fourteen States Done. Goodbye Georgia, Hello North Carolina.Lots Of Climbs Up And Down Today But They Are Feeling Less Strenous As I Get Stronger. Met An Interesting Fella Parked In An Orange VW Bus At A Random Dirt Road Crossing. He Was Busy Picking Ramps To Sell At The Local Farmers Market In Franklin NC. He Showed Us Where We Could Pick The Ramps, Which Are Basically Really Small Leeks That Have A Strong Garlic Overtone. I Threw Some That I Picked In Some Mashed Potatoes I Had Later And They Were Great. I Am Camped Out In Top Of Standing Indian Miuntain At Around 5500 Ft And A Cloud Literally Roled Into Camp As I Was Cooking Dinner. Should Be A Cold Windy Night But Hopefully A Nice Sunrise. Untill Then.
Date: 2013-04-17
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 19.4

Woke Up To A Nice Sunrise From Cowboy Camping Last Night. Probably A Bit Lucky That It Didnt Rain During The Night, But Alls Well That Ends In A Nice Sunrise In The Mountains. Thizs Is The Start Of Week Two And Im Feeling Good About The Rhythm Im In. Up And Down With The Sun Is Pretty Standard Anf Its Nice To Do So Naturally Without Any Alarms Or Such.There Have Been Intermittent Rain And Thunderstorms All Day, But I Managed To Dodge The Worst Of It In Various Shelters And Structures. Made It To Cold Springs Shelter Which Im Sleeping In Tonight. Its A Cool Old Shelter Built Back In The 30s. Some Kind Folks Were Setup Here Handing Out Some Snacks, Warm Food, And Keeping The Fire Going. Thanks To Those Fellas For Making The End Of The Day A Cinch. Till Tomorrow.
Date: 2013-04-18
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.4

Had A Pretty Long And Grueling Climb Out Of The Nantahala Outdoor Center Today. About 6 Miles Long And 3500 Ft Up. Seemed Like It Would Never End, And On Top Of It All I Had Just Downed An Entire Large Pizza To Myself And A Nice Heavy IPA To Wash It Down. The Lunch At Noc Was Great And Soaking My Feet In The Nantahala River At A Nice 50 Degree Water Tempature Was Very Theraputic. Some Nice Fella Was Picking A Banjo And Hollerin Nearby As Well. There Is Something Very Complementative About The Sounds Of Rivers And Banjos. All In All, It Was A Nice Afternoon Break At The Noc And I Was Lucky To Have My Resupply Come To The Outfitters Just An Hour After I Arrived. Made It To A Shelter For The Night, And Its A Bit Strange As It Seems I Have Entered Into An Entirely New Group Of People. I Dont Really Recognize Anybody But Everybody Is Friendly And There Is Plenty To Talk About. May Try To Push Through To Fontana Tomorrow Which Is At The Edge Of The Smokeys. We Will See.
Date: 2013-06-07
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

One week from today we'll be heading for the trail. Trying to sleep that night, thinking about the next day and wondering what adventures await! The day we've been planning for for the last 2 years is about to happen!Our gear is together, the food is packaged up, only a few minor details before we load it in our packs and head out.The last couple months have been spent testing out details of food, weight, and gear, and we've tweaked it out to what should make for a fantastic experience. No, it's not ultralight packing. We're gonna have a little more luxury than that!
Date: 2013-06-10
To: Pulling it all together
Miles today: 0.0

So, the food is packaged and ready, the gear is assembled, and we're close to packing it all into the backpacks. We're planning on only one drop point, so we'll be taking quite a bit with us, especially the first half. Figured it wouldn't hurt to have an extra day's food in case the miles didn't go as planned. It's exciting to see it all coming together!
Date: 2013-06-12
To: What are we forgetting?
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

What are we forgetting? I know -- we could make a list - knives: check, tarp: check, food: check, toilet paper, toothbrush, shovel, clothes, backpack, sleeping bag, cooking pots, stove, fuel, flashlight, water filter, sleeping pad ... check, check, check.We plan to forget husbands, children, work, bills, ... I'm feeling forgetful already! By this time Friday, we'll be ... well, not sleeping! We'll be laying in bed wondering what we forgot!Only 42 1/2 hours till we leave!
Date: 2013-06-14
To: Today is the day
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

An eventful day. Fabulous got off work at 1 p.m. and went home to get some of her stuff for the trip. Three weeks earlier she ended up developing tendonitis on the top of her left foot. Got a cortisone shot, took lots of ibuprofen, and it¢s feeling much better. Been resting it the past three weeks. So today when she went home, her hubby, who was showing her the nice new lawn mower, turns it on its side so as to inspect the awesome blade and underside. Went to put it right side again and her left foot just happened to be where the front wheel landed. Well that left her speechless for about a minute! Left a lovely bruise. Went to pick up Right Again, left her place about 6:30, stopped back by Fabulous¢ house to get what she forgot. Meanwhile, Right Again went out to the woods, dug up a Solomon¢s Seal root, ground it up in the Vitamix, applied it, covered with gauze and ace bandaged it up.Arrived at Elmer¢s Sunnybank Inn in Hot Springs at 11:38 pm. As soon as we stepped inside the door, we knew this was THE PLACE TO BE! If you love big old houses, this one is awesome!!If you are stopping in Hot Springs, you want to stay here. $25 a person per night. Fabulous people, wonderful beds and rooms, three bathrooms, awesome friendly people, just a great place to stop in. Looks like you can ship your food or stuff here too. 828-622-7206. Reservations required. $6 for a great breakfast, $10 hikers price for an awesome vegetarian dinner. Can¢t say enough good things about this place. Due to excitement we did not sleep well, but it was very comfortable.
Date: 2013-06-15
From: Allen's Gap

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: few clouds

Woke up at 5:15 and never really went back to sleep so got up at 6 a.m., packed up, left half our stuff at Elmer¢s, about 25 pounds, as this will be our first day back on the trail in three weeks.Matt (who works at Elmer¢s) shuttled us to Allen¢s Gap, $20 for a car load. Beautiful day for hiking. Saw a large female box turtle crossing our path. Poked our heads under Spring Mountain Shelter, heard several creatures in the roof. Waded through an almost shoulder high forest of green on either side of the trail. Soaked our feet in the streams when we came across them. Oh, we are hiking in our FiveFinger Vibram shoes. It¢s all we will ever hike in!! No need to remove shoes. Step right in and enjoy! Passed a lake that had many crater-looking dark spots on the bottom, and saw fish swimming over and around in them. Must be fish nests. Not sure of the correct term for that. Arrived at Hot Springs at 5:50. Back for another night at Elmer¢s. The smells greeting us were most delightful. Off to bed at 10:15.
Date: 2013-06-16
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: South
Miles today: 5.0

Right Again had a rough night. Up and down till about 1:30. Nauseous, headache, slept in till 8 a.m. Hit the trail at 10:30 a.m. Hiked slow and easy as we have our total weight in the packs today -- about 55lbs! And it's been mostly uphill. Muggy most of the day. Fabulous had fabulous dip in a lovely deep creek at Deer Park Mtn. Shelter. Have been soaking the foot at every creek and it's feeling better. Meds are helping with that. Found a nice spot beside the trail and set up camp about 4:45. Relaxing now!
Date: 2013-06-17
To: Walnut Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 8.0

Had a lovely night on the trail last night. Right Again is feeling much better today. Fabulous' foot is doing great -- of course the meds are doing their job. At Garenflo Gap we saw about 20 juvenile grouse that flew off the path in front of us. One curious fellow watched us from a branch just above the trail until we got too close. Ok so can you say Garenflo Gap Grouse 5 times fast? Continued hiking UP, went up the path toward Walnut Mtn Shelter. It was about a 45 degree angle of switchback. All along the whole side of the mountain was covered with stinging nettles, poison ivy and jewel weed. This is the jewel weed with the yellow flowers. So it was slow going up that mountain trying to avoid the nettles encroaching on the path, shoulder high at times. Also saw two beautiful red salamanders with yellowish spots on the sides. At the top met Mr. Clean. Yes, it really was Mr. Clean, shaved head and all. Had that commercial going through my head a while! Finally to Walnut Mtn. Shelter where we met Grace, who we renamed Amazing Grace. Very nice shelter. NO MICE! We'd heard so many bad things about the shelters we really were not looking forward to being in one, but it was very nice. Had a good time getting to know Grace and sharing how much we love our Deuter backpacks. She planned on ordering one as soon as she gets cell service. Also she forgot her headlamp so we gave her Fabulous' tiny spare one. Got to sleep around 10:30ish. Was a great day.
Date: 2013-06-18
From: Walnut Mtn. Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

So it turns out solar chargers don't work very well in liquid sunshine. We spent the day being reminded that this is a RAIN forest! We went water skiing, took mud baths, splashed through streams and hiked up small rivers -- the usual vacation stuff. It finally stopped raining a little before we got to the shelter, which we had to ourselves. We ate a hot meal, took hot showers (seriously!) and built a big fire. Went to bed and had a great night!
Date: 2013-06-19
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Davenport Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

After a soggy Tuesday we were glad to have just clouds for the hike. Came out to a wide open area and pulled out the charger hoping to get enough light on it to charge a bit. The sun came out so we decided to do a little sunbathing there at Snowbird Mountain "beach." Aired our dirty laundry, ate lunch, charged the phone, and Right Again got a sunburn. Saw a number of people as we hiked down, and had fun chatting with them. Saw a big black snake, and just missed seeing a bear as we came into the Smoky Mountain Park. Shared the shelter with several people. Another great day!
Date: 2013-06-20
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: broken clouds

? It is a hill that never ends and it goes on and on my friends. Some people started hiking it, not knowing what it was, and they'll continue hiking it forever just because..it is a hill that never ends, and it goes on and on......? But fortunately along the way it was quite beautiful. Nice "smoky" views. Spent most of the day hiking with SideTracker. Lots of good chats. Sitting now on the side of that 6-mile-up mountain, looking out through a break in the trees at layers of mountains and valleys in the distance -- beautiful!Will be at the shelter shortly for a nice hot shower and some creme brulee for dessert. Just starting to sprinkle. Better send this.Update: Got to the shelter an there were 3 people already there. Griff and Eeyore were a couple young guys with very little gear. They had already gathered some wood for a fire. It was a little damp and hard to start the fire. We gathered some more, then started the fire with potassium permanganate and glycerin. They were all amazed. Bill, the photographer that was there documenting some of the Great Smokey Mountains on the AT, got pictures of it and the resulting hot fire.Then an REI adventures group arrived. It was a guide teaching a group of people how to backpack. That filled up the shelter. Then another person arrived - (oh darn - thru hikers have to move out if the shelter is full of people with reservations), so Fabulous, Right Again and Sidetracker pitched tents on a grassy spot near the shelter. Everyone thought we were so nice to volunteer so happily, so cheerfully, to move out. Had a fabulous, quiet night's sleep!
Date: 2013-06-21
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

We had been told it would level out after the first 8 miles up, and that we'd be on ridge tops after that. They lied. Spent most of the day going up again - and again, and again ... Cosby Knob shelter was 4700 ft elevation. Mt Chapman is 6417. Then down a bit and back up to Mt Sequoia at 6069 ft. Gorgeous, breathtaking views as we were coming down the other side. It's a narrow ridge with steep drops and a few thick bushes on the sides as "guard rails". At places the trail is so narrow that a step or two to the right or left and down you'd go. Angles on the mountains range from about 75 to 90 degrees - on both sides of the ridge. It's amazing that plants can even grow in some of those places. Almost to the shelter we came through an area where the ground was torn up. Heard a snort and Right Again glanced left to see the tail end of a bear disappearing down the mountain. There were 5 other people in the shelter. They said a couple bears had been around earlier - one playing with the bear cables for hanging up food, and the other guarding the privy. Got a relatively good night's sleep - only a couple mice running around in the night, and one person with a good strong snore.