morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-03-18
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Newfound Gap, US 441 and Gatlinburg
Miles today: 4.5

Well, the partiers pooped out at around nine. Off to la-la land for me! I woke up around midnight to howling winds, even with ear plugs in I could still hear it. Nature came a-calling at 2 am. I went outside ¢ there was no wind, no clouds, just stars and I said to myself ¢I guess it's not going to rain.¢ Man was I wrong! It rained hard, but by the time we got up it was just fog. I hiked in my rain gear fast and hard to catch the 10:30am NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) shuttle at the Newfound Gap parking lot. I got there at 10:20am and waited along with two other hikers that were there. About 20 minutes later, I ask if anyone has called about the shuttle. Nobody said yes, so I called. And yes, I had a signal! The girl at the NOC said if the van is not there by 11am you missed it. At 11:15, I called back. Someone new said, ¢OOPS!¢ No one signed up to drive the shuttle, he¢ll be there in 30 to 45 minutes. So we waited, cold from the sweat of hiking fast so as not to miss the shuttle. At around 11:50am we were headed to Gatlinburg, TN. When we got there, the sun was out and it was hot! So here goes four dirty, smelly, cold, strange-looking creatures, walking down the sidewalks of Gatlinburg, trying to find a hotel. I mentioned we looked like an attraction to the tourists! We have no washer at the hotel and the nearest laundromat is 2.5 miles away, so I washed my clothes in the sink and hung them up to dry. Then I walked over to the NOC and the KFC in only my rain gear and my blue Crocs. Now there¢s a sight you don't want to see! I¢m heading back out to Newfound Gap in the morning and hopefully the rain will have stopped. Till then, happy trails!
Date: 2013-03-19
From: Newfound Gap, US 441 and Gatlinburg

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

We took the NOC shuttle back to Newfound Gap this morning and left from the parking lot around 10:30am. It was a nice, cold, sunny start but most of the trail was nothing but a sheet of ice. I made a lot of mistakes today! I was so focused on not falling that when I got to a sign, the sun was blinding me so all I saw was the word ¢shelter¢. Thinking the shelter was on a side trail, I didn't think the three ahead of me would stop. So I looked back and saw Cheryl and Trudger behind me so I kept going. When I came across a spring, I thought the two ladies were still behind me and maybe they had stopped and ate lunch. So I kept focused on the trail, hiking away. I even saw tracks in the mud at times, thinking the other three are ahead of me and the ladies are behind me. Well, after hours of this it dawned on me - I have not been looking for the white blaze! With a few choice words, I realized I've been hiking the wrong *&^%%* trail! After a few more choice words, I start back-tracking. #&*&%*! After three and half hours, I was at the shelter I had missed (Ice Water Springs) and had some leftover cheese cake and fig cookies. And off I go again to make it to Pecks Corner Shelter. I finally got there at 8pm and it was full. When I came into camp, I heard Mary say, ¢Is that Boo Boo?¢ I said, ¢Yes¢ and then (ok, get your kleenex ready) everybody yelled, ¢BOO BOO!¢ and clapped! Robin asked what happened so I told them the whole story. Then, since the shelter was full I said, ¢I'm going to go set my tent up¢ and Flounder said, ¢We'll make room for you.¢ Then Daddy Long Legs said, ¢I¢ll pump up your mattress and get your sleeping bag out, you go get ready for bed.¢ So I ate half a Cliff bar, hung my food bag and off to bed I go! So instead of a 10.4 mile day it turned out to be a 15 mile day. Thanks to everybody here at the shelter! What a hell of a day!
Date: 2013-03-20
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Crosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9

We woke up to frozen water, so we packed up. Robin came up to me and asked if Boo Boo has a leash. Then Flounder said, ¢Whenever someone comes to a side trail, lay down some sticks in an ¢X¢ so Boo Boo won't take the wrong trail!¢ Ok, I knew the ribbing was coming and I don't mind everyone getting a good laugh! So off we go to Crosby Knob Shelter. We all left at different times. Just past Eagle Rock, I heard something to my left. I looked up and about 20 yards above me was Wiley Coyote. At first I thought it was a German Shepherd or a wolf. It was big!I made it to the first shelter, which is Tri Corner Knob and decided to eat a hot lunch. I unloaded my pack and could not find my Jetboil cook stove ¢ a few more choice words were said - I had left it at Pecks Corner, where I had spent the night. My only hope was someone would bring it along and after about 30 minutes, Sweet Tea came walking in with it. I owe him a beer or two or three. I made it to Crosby Knob Shelter before dark and everybody said, ¢Boo Boo!¢I had mentioned before that I was trying to accomplish something since I had started this journey and today it finally happened! I never dropped my hiking poles! Woo Hoo! (I usually end up leaning them against a tree or slamming them into the ground when I stop and every day, at least once, they end up falling over.) I¢m lying here in my bag at 8:47pm and someone said it¢s snowing! Oh yeah, and this is the first day of spring. Gosh, I'm so ready to be out of the Smokies! Ten miles to Standing Bear Farm Hostel and a hot shower.
Date: 2013-03-21
From: Crosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm hostel
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up at 7:05am, put on my Crocs and said, ¢What is in my shoes?¢ It was snow. Flounder uses my Crocs at night and snow had gotten in them when he went out. It had snowed 4" and temps are 10 degrees. Robin and Mary were first to leave, I was next. It snowed all the way down the mountain. At one point I came to a knee-high, snow covered wall and Robin had put ¢Boo Boo this way.¢ I busted out laughing! I passed Robin & Mary a little while later and told them I had seen the sign and we all got a kick out of it. Then I booked it all the way to Standing Bear Farm hostel, 10.7 miles away and made it in only five hours - I was on a mission! Mary had mentioned pizza and that was the only thing on my mind. I passed another hiker headed to Maine named Joseph. He had spent the night in town and gave me an extra apple that he had. Lots of nice people out here! Now I¢m here at Standing Bear Farm hostel and it¢s all on the honor system - pay as you take. This place is full. Today marks one month on the trail for me and I did get some pizza!
Date: 2013-03-22
From: Standing Bear Farm hostel

To: Old Road
Miles today: 25.6
Weather: clear sky

16 Hours The Standing Bear Farm Hostel is a nice place to stay for the night. They have very hot showers. The bunk house is heated by wood, so if you get up at night, you put a stick of wood in the barrel stove. The only thing is, there's no moisture in the air so it dries you up. It was a hard decision to leave and here's why. On the hike up the gravel road to the hostel I tweaked my right ankle and then I did it again that evening. I've hiked over 240 miles on some of the worst terrain I've ever seen and then I get hurt doing something I've done a thousand times ¢ hmmm - go figure! Anyway I packed up and left.The climb out of Standing Bear Farm was straight up from 1775 ft. to 4263 ft. in 5.6 miles. It was killing me. I was taking hiker vitamins (Ibuprofen) like crazy. Just past Brown Gap, I was passed by two young brothers from Germany, aka Starsky and Hutch. They said they had started March 5. Very nice kids - I can't imagine going out of the country to hike, but hey, they¢re young! As I watch them hike on without stopping, I struggle with every step. By the time I got to Max Patch, the wind was blowing and it was snowing hard and my ankle was feeling good ¢ vitamins must have kicked in. I finally made it to Roaring Fork Shelter (15.1 miles) and I told the gang I was moving on and that I was going to the next shelter. When I got to the Walnut Mountain Shelter, it was full and I didn't want to wake anybody up so I moved on. After hours of hiking, my head light and I were both running out of juice, so at 1:00 am I found a place to tent.
Date: 2013-03-23
From: Old Road

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 7.5

I woke up to rain around 6 am. This morning I found two section hikers from Florida had been tenting about 100 yards down the hill from where I was. As I got closer to Hot Springs, NC, I could hear the train blowing its whistle. It¢s a nice long descent into town. Now I¢m sitting here at the Alpine Court motel. Couple of things here: Hiking last night was nice - it snowed on me one minute and the next I could see the stars. The temperature on Max Patch was 33 degrees and where I tented it was 39 degrees and inside my tent that morning it was 47. It was almost a full moon so that had helped me when my light was going dim. I also hiked 25.6 miles and I felt good. And also, back at Roaring River Shelter, I thought if I take my boot off I might not be able to make the hike into town. And now they¢re calling for snow. So here I sit, waiting to see what happens next.
Date: 2013-03-24
From: Hot Springs, NC

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

Someone was knocking on my door and woke me up this morning saying, ¢Pizza Delivery¢. Well, it was Mary and Gummy Bear. They were going to the laundry mat. I had washed my clothes yesterday so I shopped around a little but there¢s not much here in Hot Springs. You have Dollar General, the Hillbilly Market, an outfitter¢s store and a couple of restaurants and bars and that's about it. Wi-Fi is not working very well and they say it¢s because of the storm. AT&T is a joke in the mountains. I fell asleep watching TV. Robin and Gummy Bear woke me up and invited me to supper so I cleaned up and met everyone at the Iron Horse Station Restaurant/Bar/Hotel around six thirty. When we were done, it poured down rain on me all the way back to my room! That's all for now. No new photos today, so here is one I took yesterday.
Date: 2013-03-25
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Another zero day here in Hot Springs, NC. I¢m waiting on the global warming snow storm to move on! My wife wants me to do more than just hike the AT while I'm gone. She would like for me to make side trips and visit historic places and such along the way. Not sure how much of that I will end of doing but she did talk me into a soak in the hot tub and a massage at the Hot Springs Resort and Spa. I think I actual snored a little on the massage table! Thanks babe! Seems like all I've been doing is eating, laying around, and sleeping. I should be ready to hike!
Date: 2013-03-26
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Yet another zero day. I mailed some weight home, bought some insoles for my boots and applied some mink oil on the boots to help keep the water out. Packed up most of my stuff for an early departure Wednesday morning. Talk about cabin fever - I'm ready to GO! This afternoon I went for a walk though town in a snow shower and stopped off at Gentry hardware and talked to the owner. He told me his parents opened the store up years ago. He has a lot of old pictures. He even has a picture of his dad and the pilot of the Memphis Belle on the wall. And they have stuff that's hard to find in a big town. I had to pull myself away or I'd keep him from his customers. I made my way across the French Broad River. The AT goes across the right side of the bridge and and then turns right, so now I think I now which way to go. Well it's 7:30pm and it's still snowing and starting to cover the ground...again! Look out Erwin - here comes Boo Boo!
Date: 2013-03-27
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hemlock Hollow Inn hostel
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I had purchased new insoles for my boots yesterday at the outfitter store, but after walking in them for awhile, I could tell they did not fit properly. I had to wait until 9:00am for the outfitter store to open so I could exchange them. After that I was back on the trail! I hiked solo pretty much all day and of course had several hikers pass me. When I arrived at the first shelter, I found that it was full and there was no place to tent so I hiked on. I ended up at Hemlock Hollow Inn hostel. When I walked in, low and behold, the gang was here as well, something I was not expecting. This hostel was another great place to stay. Tomorrow I'm going to try and do 20 miles, then on Friday, I will try to do 7 miles and Kathy is going to pick me up sometime and spend the weekend with me in Erwin.
Date: 2013-03-28
From: Hemlock Hollow Inn hostel

To: Camped at mile 303
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: light rain

I got up this morning at 6:30am, took a shower, went and had a made-to-order breakfast and then I was ready to hit the trail. The hike out started uphill. I'm starting to see a pattern here. After each hostel, it goes up hill for miles! Anyway, it was going to be a tough day. There was deep snow, with deeper snow drifts, snow dropping on me from the trees above, snow going down my back because of low lying branches that my pack hits, hiking poles getting stuck in the snow, foot slipping off the edge of the trail ¢ you get the picture. Down the side of the mountain on one leg, slipping and falling down on the slick icy rocks that you can't see, death defying cliff climbs and declines - there was even this one place that went straight down at least five feet of snow and ice all around and you had to climb down backwards or risk breaking something! If I sound like I'm whining, well I am! I found out later that everyone whined about today! When I got to Jerry Cabin Shelter, it was full and Vegas & Trudger were there. I moved on and tented up about three miles, just at my three hundredth mile mark. I didn¢t do the twenty miles I wanted to do today so I'll have to do 13 tomorrow. What a day!
Date: 2013-03-29
From: Camped at mile 303

To: Sam's Gap US 23, I-26
Miles today: 14.4

I started hiking this morning at 8:00am. About half a mile up the trail I come across Flounder, Daddy Long Legs and Robin & Mary tenting in Shelton grave site (which I thought I'd passed the night before). Robin asked what my plans were. I said I was going to Sam¢s Gap to meet my wife and asked if they needed a ride into town (Erwin). He said Daddy Long Leg¢s friend was picking them up later. So off I go, knowing I will see Kathy later today. I made it to Devil Fork Gap (NC 212) right at 11:15am, crossed the road and into the woods I go. When I got to Lick Rock (and no I didn't lick the rock) I called Kathy. She said she had seen and talked to Flounder and I asked how the heck did you do that? Well, she said she had gone to Devil Fork Gap around noon trying to find me. If I had known that, I could have slack packed up to Sam¢s Gap, but had missed her by less than an hour, oh well.) She was at Sam's Gap now and then she tells me that my son, Brandon, is somewhere between her and me on the trail. He was hiking out to meet me. I was much further down the trail than he expected, but Brandon found me about 2 miles south of Hogback Ridge Shelter, slap wore out, tongue dragging the snow. When we reached the shelter, Brandon offered to carry my pack the rest of the way back to the van, a little over 2 miles away. I didn't want to say no and hurt his feelings - what would you have done? So he hefted my weighty pack on his 19 year old shoulders and gave dear ole dad a break. On the way out of the shelter, Trudger and Vegas were coming in and I offered a ride to town. They said OK and they also looked whooped, so now we're all here at the Holiday Inn Express in Erwin.Kathy here: I met seven other hikers that day while I waited in my van at Sam's Gap for Bruce and Brandon to come off the trail. Four that I shuttled down the road to the caf© and three that I offered my van to as a warm place to wait until their hostel shuttle arrived. It had started to snow again, wet snow that wasn't sticking to the road-thank goodness! They were all really nice, appreciative young people.
Date: 2013-03-30
From: Sam's Gap US 23, I-26

To: Spivey Gap US 19W
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: clear sky

I am slack packing today with Trudger, Vegas and my son, Brandon. Gummy Bear, Coffee Pot and Tarzan are just ahead of us. We are starting where we left off yesterday when my wife, Kathy, picked us up. We will be making our way to Spivey Gap, 13.4 miles away. By the time Brandon and I made it to Big Bald, the fog had lifted and we had some great views. But something is going on with my stomach and I¢m feeling sick and weak. It's going to be a long day! I've got my Salomon trail runners on today. I had to switch out of my boots as my feet were killing me. The Super Feet inserts I bought were hurting my heels and put a blood blister in the bend of my big toe that I ended up popping later that night. It's funny that I have to re-teach my brain. I can't just walk through the mud and water like I did with my boots. My eyes tell my mind to put my foot there but it ends up somewhere else because of the foot prints in the ice. You try to walk in a straight line but that never happens. Sometimes your feet go in the opposite direction. It¢s like I'm doing some new, crazy, off the wall dance. It's just hard hiking when you¢re in deep snow. It can really wear you out in a hurry! We finally made it to Spivey Gap and Kathy was waiting on us with the van. I really enjoyed hiking with my son today. I told him its nice talking to someone besides myself because when I get in an argument with myself, I still have to hike with myself! He just laughed. Today's hike was good in one way and bad in another. It¢s my daughter¢s birthday today and it¢s the first time I won't be there. She¢s with her boyfriend today as his birthday was also this week and they¢re having a party. It's just one of many things that I'll miss on my journey to Maine.Kathy here: While waiting in the parking area at Spivey Gap with Trudger and Vegas, two other day hikers drove up and stopped to talk to us, Singing Sister and Mr. Blister. They obviously spend a lot of time on this trail and others and bring goodies to hikers. They had already given away their last brownie, but Singing Sister treated Trudger and Vegas to a song, ¢Happy Trails¢. And she sung more than just the chorus! That was a very unique experience.
Date: 2013-03-31
From: Spivey Gap US 19W

To: River Road, Erwin, TN
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

It is Easter Sunday. I could not think of a better way to spend today than to take a hike and be thankful for what I have, since Kathy and Brandon are headed home. I really enjoyed the short time we had together. So let¢s begin.Kathy dropped us three (me, Trudger and Vegas) off at Spivey Gap for our last leg of slack packing into Erwin. Forecast for today is rain until 10am then rain again at 4pm. I had my rain gear on at the start but ended up taking it off early in the hike and by halfway, I was down to my short sleeve shirt. It's nice not to hike in the mud or snow for a change! Near the end of today¢s hike there was my first on-trail, trail magic - chocolate Easter eggs and jelly beans! Thanks whoever you are! I did 10.7 miles in four hours and fifteen minutes. When we got down to Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky hostel (which is right beside the trail), two girls that Brandon and I had passed yesterday were there. They said they were driving to Hot Springs and ask if we needed a ride to our hotel. We jumped in the back of the truck and they took us the rest of the way to our hotel. It was only a mile away, but that¢s that much further we didn¢t have to walk. I hope tomorrow will be gentle on me with a fully load backpack!
Date: 2013-04-01
From: River Road, Erwin, TN

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I have some news to tell you all about. First, I¢d like to thank all of you for taking part in my journey, but you know my feet have been a problem for some time and I¢ve seen enough snow to last me my life time and yesterday really helped me to make this very hard decision to throw in the towel on my thru-hike. So now that I have that off my chest, I can say thank you and¢¦ oh, by the way ¢ April Fools!Trudger and Vegas and I left the hotel in Erwin around 7:50am this morning on our mile long, yellow blaze to the trail. Just as we left the parking lot, Grim, with Uncle Johnny¢s hostel, showed up and gave us a free ride back to the trail. The hike today was mostly up hill and on dry ground and having my Salomon's on (and not my heavy waterproof boots) made a big difference. Until I was on Unaka Mountain, there was slushy snow on the trail, so that kept me busy trying not to get my shoes wet. I made it to Cherry Gap Shelter. It is full but I'm in it!
Date: 2013-04-02
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Stan Murray Shelter
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: clear sky

I left Cherry Gap Shelter at 8:15am at a nice steady pace, but I think I have picked up a head cold or my allergies are starting up - runny nose, hard to breath, feeling weak. I went to use my inhaler and it's empty. I¢ve only used it four times, so I guess it¢s been cutting on while in my pack. I stopped off at Clyde Smith Shelter and ate alot of food, trying to eat my pack weight down. The two ladies I've been hiking with were nowhere in sight and I figured I would see them at the next shelter. Going up and down Roan Mountain was nothing but a solid sheet of ice with no views. It was 8:00 pm when I came across the sign for Roan High Knob Shelter. It's the highest shelter on the AT. It was 29 deg and it was up the mountain a little bit and I was having a hard enough time on the ice, and I knew it was going to be cold, so I decided to go to Round Bald, some three miles down. I busted my $$$ four times! One time my hiking stick was gone and I found it five feet down in the woods sticking straight up. Well it was too windy on Round Bald so there was a camp site 2.4 miles away, but I passed it and the next thing I knew I was at Stan Murray Shelter, it was 10:30pm and no one was here. There is one tent up the hill a little ways. What a day! There has to be a reason for all I've put myself through today, I hope!
Date: 2013-04-03
From: Stan Murray Shelter

To: US 19 
Miles today: 10.6

I woke up to 24 degrees this morning. I'm at 5,063 ft. Roan High Knob Shelter is at 6,194 ft. I wonder how much colder it is up there? My water is frozen so I can't take my pill one hour before I eat, so I left to go look at the great red barn also known as Overmountain Shelter. It's big with a privy. And trash everywhere. I don't know why people can't haul off their trash ¢ it¢s lightweight! I fixed three bowls of oatmeal and a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast then I set off up Little Hump and then Hump Mountain. I picked a great day to hike it. The views are incredible. I was sitting on top, up against a rock and Sparks, Hoosier and Joe the Hiker were there. They had given us tangerines last week. So Hoosier asked if I'd like to go to the house of a friend of his for the night. I was in shock - this guy doesn't even know me. After the shock wore off, I said yes and on the way there, we stopped off at Highlander BBQ. Joe the hiker (no relations to Joe the Plumber) paid for everyone's meal. What more could I ask for? And now they¢ve asked if I would like to slack pack with them. I'd like to thank the Polsgroves for their hospitality for letting a complete stranger into their home. Thank you! And to Sparks for inviting me and also Joe the hiker for his extra food. So I guess that's why I hiked like a mad man yesterday!