morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-03-02
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Big Gap
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: light rain

Yesterday was the first day that we had to deal with any unfavorable weather. While we sat on the side of the trail huddled in a nook,a bitter cold wind came a blowing in. Soon the rains followed. We got to try out our new cuben fiber pack cover and rain gear.   So far, so good. We stayed dry and warm for the remainder of our hiking day.We hadn'the planned on staying at the hostel. We are just kind of winging it right now. We had a small resupply box at the hostel. With the rain moving in, along with the darkness, we decided to stay at the hostel and it turned out to be a good choice. We got the last two bunks.Bob/SirPacksaLot runs a tight ship. We got to meet several other thruhikers. A special thanks to Richard who gave us a package oof potatoes and his homemade beef jerky.We got a late start today and we were climbing from the gitgo. My legs were dragging from the start and I have had the big burn going on the ascents. Today turned into a major trudge. I just couldn't get anything going in the energy department. So it would be trudge, Annie's stops and waits, trudge some more, Annie's stops and waits. 'Hey do you need a breath break?' Sure why not. Today I was the ball and chain on our little hiking adventure.We passed from Georgia into North Carolina. I've heard that something like 25-30% of thruhikers heading northbound don't make it out of Georgia. I can certainly understand. Combine some inexperience, a heavy load with the relentless climbing and it all adds up to tough times on the AT. We didn't do much celebrating as we climbed into NC but we were struck by the beauty of the hoarfrost that stuck to the trees and covered the whole mountainside for as far as we could see.Today was a tough day for layering. I don't know if you have had one of those days where you just can't get it right.   We were in and out of the wind, the sun and the shade and we were either too hot or too cold. We eventually descended down to Deep Gap and decided to call it a day.   We had a good climb up ahead out of the gap and my legs were shot. In addition it is supposed to get very cold tonight, somewhere in the mid twenties. Those kind of temps will definitely test our gear. We are hoping that the lower elevation at the gap may help.I know that from previous hikes that days three and four are usually some of my toughest. So I am hoping that with a good night's rest my legs will kick into gear tomorrow on the uphills.Will
Date: 2016-03-04
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Franklin NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

We hadn't planned on taking a full zero in Franklin but here we are enjoying our stay, drying out and getting warm at the Budget Inn. Most town zeros are the same. Eat, sleep, resupply and do the chores necessary to get back on trail.I have had two major screw ups so far. Annie told you about the first one. I was in the lead coming out of Chattahoochee Gap in the dark and instead of hitting the AT, which went east, I got us going north on a blue blazed side trail. It is always frustrating having to backtrack. The second screw up was much worse. I lost a piece of essential equipment. We use two rubber straps that cinch our trekking poles together. The poles form the center piece of our pyramid tent. I lost the straps. At Deep Gap we made do with a long stick. So even though initially we hadn't planned on going into Franklin, now it became a necessity. We had to try and figure a way to Jimmy something together until I could get an order in for some new straps.Yesterday was an interesting day. I was really able to enjoy the hike. My legs were strong on the climbs. It gives one a sense of gliding down the trail. We could tell from the start that we were in for some nasty weather as the skies darkened. We had stopped for lunch just below the lookout on Albert Mountain when it started to snow. By the time we started our ascent, the ground was covered. It made for some great hiking as the wind swirled and whipped the snow all around us. What was great was that we knew that we wouldn' have to sleep in the snow. A warm and dry room in Franklin was in the cards.We saw a few other hikers on our way in. Some were heading for the shelters and others were catching a shuttle at Rock Gap. The shuttle was tempting. But we stuck it out the last 3.7 miles where we bumped into a couple of twenty somethings who were headed south hiking through the storm in their shorts. Ah youth!!!Just a quick word on equipment. My new Arc'teryx rain jacket which is Goretex trilaminate was bombproof. I was completely dry on the inside. That is the first time that I have hiked through rain or snow for an extended period of time and remained completely dry. So that gives me some confidence in heading up the trail.The second piece of equipment which also performed admirably was a pair of North Face Montana Mittens. My hands stayed warm the whole way. These look like those mittens that snowboarders use. I have big time trouble keeping my hands and feet warm in the colder weather.As far as RR goes she was cruising along right behind me singing up a storm.We have more food on deck for tonight. Then we'll enjoy a good night sleep in our soft and warm beds and then get back after it in the morning.   55 miles to Fontana Village Resort, our next major stop. We will try to pick up a meal at the NOC on the way. The weather is looking better. Good hiking to all.Will
Date: 2016-03-06
From: N of Tellico Gap

To: Sweetwater Gap
Miles today: 22.4
Weather: clear sky

One of the toughest parts of my day is waking up, getting out of my warm sleeping bag and hitting the trail; especially when the temps are near freezing. It helps to know that soon after we start climbing that I will be warm and shedding layers.There are two times of the hiking day that are really enjoyable: early morning and late afternoon. The light has a different quality. This morning as we climbed above Tellico Gap, it wasn't long before the first rays of light began appearing in the east. We shut off our headlamps and we walked toward the light or into the light. The birds were singing. Why were the birds singing? Who knows. Maybe that is just their nature to sing. Just like it is in our nature to walk.The birds sounded happy. I know that sounds a bit goofy. It was like they were saying to each other 'hey we are going to make it, winter is almost over'. Anyway I enjoyed their singing and it made me think about walking into the light and hopefully that is a metaphor for my life.We finished our initial climb and crested the ridge. The sun rays warmed us and for as far as we could see, there were miles of forests. At that moment I had a sense of the beauty of the AT. We had a long descent to the Nantahala Outdoor Center where we had breakfast and then began our steep climb out of the gorge.Today was climbing day. I think that we did around 5000 feet of climbing. It was a sunny spring like day. No trouble keeping warm today. From the NOC we climbed about 3500 feet until we peaked out. There were some great views from Cheoah Bald.We descended all the way back down to Stecoah Gap where we cooked dinner on a picnic table. Luxury.One last climb took us past Sweetwater Gap where we found a flat spot to set up our tent. We had a nice view of the sunset. Today was a good day of hiking. Tomorrow we will rest our legs at the Fontana Village Resort.Will
Date: 2016-03-07
From: Near Sweetwater Gap 

To: Fontana Dam 
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Apparently my fingers looked like hot dogs dangling out of my sleeping bag because a mouse ran up and bit my thumb in rapid succession last night! He didn't break the skin thankfully, but came pretty close. I have had mice chew through various parts of my pack before, but never run up and try to take a chunk out of my finger. Although there was that time when I was a young girl. I was over at my uncle Nolan's and we were playing in the garage. It was a time in my life where I was trying to pick up and cuddle all things furry. Alley cats etc., and getting bit and scratched for my troubles. On that particular day, I saw a cute little furry looking mouse just asking to be picked up. Somehow I got it cornered in the garage. But when I started to pick it up, it bit me! Of course instead of getting sympathy from my elders I got yelled at for trying to pick up a mouse in the first place. I can't remember if there was a tetanus shot involved. But this morning I didn't want to pick up the little mouse and cuddle it. I wanted to kill it with my shoe!I don't think either Will or I slept very well after that. We kept waiting for the devil mouse to come out and bite us in the nose or something. We were on the trail by 6am again this morning. Regardless of how much (or little) sleep we got. We were a mere 13.5 miles from Fontana Dam and hoping to make it there by 12:30 or so. The plan is to get a room at the Resort. Making today a nero. Then 'sleep in' tomorrow, heading back to the trail at around 12:00. Making that our second nero.Had some good views of the Fontana Dam as we got closer to the village. I tried to take a couple pictures for you but the trees were blocking the view. And though I asked them politely to move, they steadfastly refused to do so. Trees can be very stubborn I'm finding. So pretty much right on schedule, we made it to the shuttle pick up place at 11:45am. There was some lag time but we got a room and picked up our food boxes that we sent ourselves here . A huge lunch came next and showers and the laundry.   Hoping to get some down time to just chill after that.We met a couple of hikers that I thought especially my youth group teens would be interested in. Their trail names are Kid and Pork Roll. They are from PA and NJ. They are 19 and 18 years old and plan to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. Some 2190 miles (depending on whose stat you are reading). The guys are super strong hikers and impressed both Will and I, which is saying a lot with all the trails we have under our belt. I would be very surprised if these guys didn't make it. So see, you guys? It's not just people in my age bracket doing this hike but also teenagers. Very cool. Well, I guess that's a wrap for today. Heading into the Smokies tomorrow. We'll let you know how that goes! Road Runner
Date: 2016-03-08
From: Fontana Dam 

To: Mollie's Ridge Shelter 
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: scattered clouds

We had a restful stay at the Fontana Village Resort. Nice rooms for a decent price.   Hiker friendly. Highly recommended if you can afford the $77. We got a ride to the post office from HikerHunter. He is a section hiker from Texas. Many thanks.We hit the trail around 1 PM with heavy packs. The trail goes by the Fontana 'Hilton'. This is reportedly one of the nicer shelters along the trail complete with electric outlets to recharge phones and devices and best of all showers. We hit the pavement that took us over Fontana Dam.Soon we were back in the woods to begin a long hot sweaty slog up to Mollie's Ridge. Temps were in the 70s. We went through our fluids rapidly. We climbed and climbed and finally reached the shelter just as it was getting darkCheerio built a fire. I enjoyed our first campfire. There were two college age girls from Vanderbilt who were out for a few days of hiking in the Smokies for Spring break. HoHo a young thruhiker from San Diego joined us. He hiked the PCT in 2015 and got bit with the thruhiker bug. Here he is on the AT with big plans for future hikes. It was a really enjoyable night.I was reflecting on how a thruhike changes a person. One sees the world in a completely different manner after walking 2000 miles. Someone can start out a hike as a member of the corporate world and end up a vagabondWill
Date: 2016-03-09
From: Mollies Ridge. Shelter/ Smokies

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Did you know that you can get poison ivy in the winter? Me neither, but apparently it's true because I picked it up a little less than a week ago. Of course since all the leaves are off and only the vines are present, it looks like every other barren viney stick out there. Will didn't get it. Just me. I have had poison ivy several different times now and it seems like I react more violently each time I get it. Oh well, I guess you could call it a 'trail hazard '.The wind was very exuberant last night. It spoke in a kind of gusty way. If I closed my eyes as I sat in the tent, I could picture myself on the deck of an old sailing ship. The sails straining as the wind drove the ship forward and waves breaking in high waves all around me. But then I opened my eyes and I was in a forest surrounded by trees. But the wind was still there, and it acted the part of one of those ' white noise' machines through out the night.We stayed at Mollies shelter last night which is kind of fun because my friend Lynne has a German Shepherd puppy named Molly. You can see her in our very first prep page that Will wrote pretending to be our dog Jedi. She is so cute.When you are in the Smokey Mountain National Park, you forced to stay at the shelters or pay a fine if you are caught. The caveat is that if the shelter you go to is full then you don't have to stay. This is the first shelter we have stayed at on our trip so far. There are a lot of reasons for that but one of the biggies is that it cramps our mileage style. We don't want to hike 8 or 16 miles, we want to hike and average of 21.5 miles. Haven't really seen any shelters around then.We had a really gorgeous sun rise this morning which we tried to capture on the camera but those darn trees got in the way again. I'm sure you'll be surprised to hear that our hike today consisted almost exclusively of steep uphills. We had a couple of almost views thrown in there too. You really have to like trees to enjoy this hike so it's a good thing I do. Cause they're everywhere!Okay, that about does it for today. I'll catch you later! Road Runner
Date: 2016-03-10
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter 

To: TriCorner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 25.1
Weather: overcast clouds

It has been a blustery couple of days. Last night the wind howled but we stayed warm and had a good night sleep.   I was talking with HoHo and we both decided that Double Gap wouldn't be a good place to be in a winter storm. The morning started out misty and foggy. We climbed the 3 miles up to Clingman's Dome, the high point of the AT.   We had no views. But we did note a major change as the forest was filled with Pines and Balsam fir. Ah, the smell of Christmas.The north side of the dome was more like a rainforest with plenty of moisture. The trail was icy and in spots treacherous for over a mile. We had a few spills and thrills, flips and slips but we made it through with our hiking poles.   Microspikes would have been nice. No blood or broken bones, just a few scrapes and bruises.We hit New Found Gap and the sun came out for the remainder of the day. So we had two completely different days in one. We had some patchy ice and snow on the way to the shelter but no major mishaps.We put in a long day and arrived at TriCorner at dark. We ate in the dark. We got the last two spots. HoHo, Rambo, Rocket, Polk Roll and Kid were all there. As the last headlamp went out, the Snorechestra started to play in a clamorous cacophony that terrified even the mice. It was a mice free night and the sleeping wasn't half bad.Will
Date: 2016-03-12
From: N of Spanish Oak Gap

To: N of Big Rock Spring
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: broken clouds

We had a great campsite last night. Quiet. We watched the last golden rays of the sun fall on the knob and then it was off to zzzland. We got a good start this morning and hiked up to the grassy bald at Snowbird Mt. We were glad we didn't choose to hike on and camp there last night. The wind was howling. We were relatively sheltered from the wind at our site.We dropped down to the side trail to Ground Hog shelter. Shortly after passing the shelter, we stopped for a break and here came a hiker with his music player blaring some heavy metal. No earbuds. Maybe he was trying to teach the birds a few new songs.Later we met Subman and Suds and got to chat for a few moments. I had been reading their journal before we got on trail.. We hooked up again for a picture later in the day at Max Patch. Subman is an AT thruhiker veteran. He hiked the trail in 2003. This is Suds first go round and she seems to being doing well aside from some foot problems. Enjoyed meeting them and wish we had more time to hang out.We climbed to SR 1182, picked up some water at the stream and then climbed up to Max Patch. We had 360 panoramic views from the bald. We could see the surrounding mountains for miles and miles. Ridge upon ridge. It was nice to have some unobstructed views. It was the highlight of the day.The next few miles was fairly easy downhill hiking to Lemon Gap. Then it was up and down for another 1800 feet of climbing to Bluff Mt. We ran into Rambo at the Walnut Mt shelter. We hiked together for a short time. We crested the high point and cruised down to our campsite on an old road bed where we have a secluded flat spot.Dinner tonight is broccoli cheddar rice with some cheese and summer sausage mixed in. Pretty good. Snickers for dessert.We have our first mini crisis of the trip. RR has developed a severe contact dermatitis probably in reaction to poison ivy. It looks like it may be getting infected. I tend to think in worst case scenarios. We are 8 miles from Hot Springs which has a medical clinic. Unfortunately it is closed on Sunday. This leaves us the option of hiking on to Erwin Tn which is another 3 days away. Not an option. This could get out of control.So I think our best option will be to try and hitch a ride into one of the surrounding towns so that RR can have her arm evaluated and get some medications and a decision can be made whether we can safely head up the trail. Antibiotics and steroids may be the answer. The alternative, we may have to get off trail for awhile. Stay tunedWill
Date: 2016-03-15
From: Near Whiterock Cliffs

To: Campsite S of Big Bald
Miles today: 25.0

Have you ever asked someone a question and had them reply, 'I don't have the foggiest idea'? Well this morning I experienced what they might alluding to in a very real and tangible way. We woke up to some pretty dense fog outside our tent. And combined with the fact that we were hiking in the dark in our headlamps this made for some challenging hiking let me tell you.And like the person who doesn't have the foggiest idea how to answer your question, there were a few times I didn't have the foggiest idea where we were going, literally.   We hiked for a little while and we're given the choice between the scenic rocky rim trail or the dangerous weather by pass. Ya think? Hmmm, let's see, go on the scenic trail in the foggy dark when you won't be able to see anything anyway but could possibly pitch yourself over the side of a cliff OR take a trail named dangerous weather bypass when the weather is dangerous.   You'll be relieved to know we went with option two.By and by the fog lifted and the sun began to make its appearance. Right before full light I heard an owl calling out to me. This reminded me of our friend Jeff, aka Elavator aka Hootie. And I smiled because I know he is hiking along with us in spirit. It also made me think of the book, ' I heard the Owl Call my Name' . I'm pretty sure this owl called me Road Runner. We decided we'd like to try and make it to Erwin in three days. That means an average of 23 miles a day. We had a bunch of uphill of course, but also a fair amount of downhill with a comfortable amount of traversing thrown in for good measure.   The tread was soft and fairly clear of rocks and roots for a change. We decided to try and hike a little later tonight. We ate dinner at our last break and then kept on hiking. A little after 7pm we called it a day and discovered that we had put in our longest day so far on the Appalachian Trail I do believe. This sets us up for a little bit shorter day of hiking tomorrow. We are both really looking forward to a rest day.But for now we are camped midway down this nice bowl. I'm plumb tuckered out so I will bid you a fond good night. Road Runner
Date: 2016-03-16
From: Campsite S of Big Bald

To: Erwin Tennessee
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: overcast clouds

An easy day on the AT? Nah, not really. Maybe an easier day than the others but we were still working up a pretty good sweat and my legs were burning on the uphills.We started south of Big Bald and as we climbed up and around the bald we were treated to a nice sunrise. But that was it for the morning as the clouds moved in and it started to rain. We warded off the rain spirit by donning our rain gear and putting on our pack covers. As soon as we were decked out the rain stopped and soon we were hiking in the sunshine.It was a beautiful sunny warm day. Our afternoons have been really warm lately. It is as if we have decided to skip spring and move into summer. But the trees are still bare and except for a few wild daffodils and dandelions, there hasn't been much activity in the flora department.Annie and I were talking about how it seems like we have been on the trail for a long time even though it has been only a little over two weeks. We climbed about 3500 feet today and so far on the AT that amounts to an easier day. We bumped into Firefly, a veteran AT thruhiker who was out today painting fresh white blazes. We both feel that out of all the hikes that we have done that the AT is the best maintained trail. Incredible work by all the volunteers from Georgia to Maine. We stopped for lunch near No Business Knob shelter and then it was a long downhill cruise into Irwin.We picked up some fuel at Uncle Johnny's and they gave us a shuttle ride to the Super 8 for $6. We are taking a zero tomorrow. Then we will start our next segment and head toward Damascus, Virginia.Will
Date: 2016-03-17
From: Erwin, Tennessee

To: Erwin, Tennessee
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

It's funny, as much as I love to long distance hike, I also look forward to the true rest day or Zero day. That's zero in terms of no trail miles hiked. Although that is not quite true at the town stops, for example in a town like Erwin, which is very spread out, we walked a little over two miles last night to get our laundry done and pick up some pizza and probably about the same today eating and getting some groceries. But, the terrain is vastly different, mostly on the flat which is huge in terms of wear on hiker.So, for the couple of days before you get to this trail town you're thinking about what food you're going to get to eat, how good that shower is going to feel. How nice it will be to have clean clothes on and not stink for at least a day, how wonderful it will be to sleep in a nice soft bed and not have to worry about getting rained on....Yes, it's kind of funny, because before you hit the long trail you just wanted to leave all of civilization behind and go out and be one with nature and eat granola. I think Thoreau had some pithy sayings about not wanting what we have, or having what we want, but I can't call them to mind right now.But what I can tell you is that Will and I really needed this rest day. The bout with the poison ivy really took a lot out of me as well as pushing those uphill miles. But today is a rest day, yay! So we are organizing our town tasks to take up as little time as possible that we might be able to just chill and reconnect with friends and family. I was able to talk to my sister Brenda, my friend Lynne and my daughter Wendy which was so nice and it felt restful too.Oh, and while we were out and and about I saw this Road Runner gas station. I guess they are a chain. Who knew? I have at least 140 stores named after me because this one was store #140. Lol. Well, I guess that's about it. I think I'll get back to enjoying my rest day. Catch y'all later.Road Runner