morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-03-20
From: Yellow Creek Gap

To: Fontana Dam Shelter 
Miles today: 7.5

Today was a good day. It was a long climb out of Yellow Gap which got the juices flowing in the cold morning air. It felt good being out on the trail again. Along the way we saw Waffle and Hawkeye. We met them the first week out here and saw them briefly a couple of weeks ago. It¢s funny how you run into people that you never expect to see again. We made it to Fontana Dam. Which is an iconic AT landmark. Tomorrow we get to walk across it. The shelter here is one of the nicest ones on the trail. There is a solar powered charging station for phones, flushing toilets, and a shower. We set up my new tent on one of the tent pads overlooking the lake. It¢s a beautiful spot. I like the new tent. It¢s the same as I had before except it¢s a 3 man. There is more than enough room inside for our packs and things. Good for when it rains. Once the temps warmed up today a bit it was a really nice. It probably hit 60 at some point although it¢s always colder on the ridges. The sun was out so it seemed warmer. It¢s supposed to rain with possible snow showers tomorrow. Hopefully not too bad. We¢ll be entering the Smokies first thing in the morning after we cross the dam.
Date: 2019-03-22
From: Fontana Dam Shelter 

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 23.9
Weather: broken clouds

Yesterday we crossed Fontana Dam which was very cool, and entered Great Smokey Mountains National Park. The climb was a slog. Seemed to go forever. Halfway through the day it started to sleet. That lasted until we got to the shelter. Since we had been off trail for a few days there were a whole new group of people. Moonie and Pony Keg were two we had a fun time with. We had to squeeze into the shelter since you have to stay in shelters in the Smokies unless there is absolutely no more room. I think we jammed in about 20 in a 14 person shelter. The nice parts of the shelters in the Smokies are they have tarps on the front so they¢re closed in and they have a fireplace. I had the worst night¢s sleep. We woke up in this morning to an inch of snow on top of the sleet. We got back on the trail which is the best way to warm up in the morning. Today was sunny, in the 40s, but very windy at times. The Smokies are no joke. Yesterday we climbed over 3700 feet. Today we climbed to 5400 feet. A lot of hard ups and downs. My legs were dead when we reached the shelter which was thankfully full. Woohoo! So we set up the tent. It¢s supposed to get down into the teens tonight but we¢ll be fine. We have another 12 mile day tomorrow just like first two. We¢re thinking of zeroing in Gatlinburg on Monday because there is supposed to be a big storm then. Ice and snow in the mountains. We¢ll keep an eye on the weather and see.
Date: 2019-03-28
From: New Found Gap

To: Standing Bear Farms
Miles today: 34.1

We were back on the trail by 9am Tuesday. It was not a particularly nice day. Misty and cold all day. For most of the day the trail was a little river. There was no way to stay dry so by the time we reached Pecks Corner Shelter my feet were wet and cold. The shelter was almost full with a mixture of new folks and people we¢ve been hiking with thru the Smokies. I never sleep well in the shelters and this night was no different. We were up and out by 9. Usually the last ones to leave. The day was better. No rain but not a lot of sun and quite cool. We hiked on a lot of ice as all the water from yesterday had frozen. We got to Crosby Knob Shelter around 4 and even though the shelter wasn¢t full we set up our tent anyways. We found a nice level spot next to a stream behind some rhododendrons. Morning came early. We were up by 7 but were still the last ones out at 8:30. It was an awesome day. Sunny and in the 60s. Plus we were hiking out of the Smokies. We had about a 6 mile downhill to start. It was really hard on the knees but the beautiful weather and views made up for it. We exited the Smokies and waiting for us was a man with some trail magic. Chips, candy, cokes, Gatorade, etc. it was nice. Then it was off to Standing Bear Hostel. We had heard a lot about it. The most popular hostel on the trail. All I can say about it is it¢s not my cup of tea. Its party central. A lot of 20 somethings drinking beer and smoking weed. We set up our tent instead of staying in the bunkhouse. At least we¢re away from the nonsense. Tomorrow we¢re back on the trail. Hoping to camp on top of Max Patch.
Date: 2019-03-29
From: Standing Bear Farms

To: Summit of Max Patch
Miles today: 13.3

Friday was a very difficult day. After not sleeping well last night we had a 5 mile climb to start the day. 3000 feet with no flats or downhills. It was relentless. By the time we reached the top we were both exhausted. The rest of the day was a lot of ups and downs. After eating lunch I was close to calling it quits for the day but we continued on. We eventually made it to Max Patch which is a giant bald on top of a mountain with spectacular 360 degree views. We set up our tent along with quite a few others but it¢s so big no one is that close by. We¢re hoping for a nice sunrise tomorrow but we¢re not too optimistic. The clouds have moved in and will probably be around in the morning. We¢ll see.
Date: 2019-04-01
From: Summit of Max Patch

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Friday was a very difficult day. After not sleeping well last night we had a 5 mile climb to start the day. 3000 feet with no flats or downhills. It was relentless. By the time we reached the top we were both exhausted. The rest of the day was a lot of ups and downs. After eating lunch I was close to calling it quits for the day but we continued on. We eventually made it to Max Patch which is a giant bald on top of a mountain with spectacular 360 degree views. We set up our tent along with quite a few others but it¢s so big no one is that close by. We¢re hoping for a nice sunrise tomorrow but we¢re not too optimistic. The clouds have moved in and will probably be around in the morning. We¢ll see. Turns out the sunrise was nice. I¢d say a 7 out of 10. We were up and out by 7:30. A record for us. It was an easier day than Friday but not by much. A day being easier has as much to do with how our bodies feel than the terrain. Today we felt strong out of the gate so the day seemed easier. So much so we did our longest day ... 16.6 miles. Other than a few aching feet we feel pretty good. Tomorrow we¢re hiking into Hot Springs NC, which is right on the trail, and then we¢ll take a zero on Monday. There are natural mineral hot springs that you can soak in. We might try one. Besides I need a shower desperately and a cheeseburger. Tonight will be our 6th day in a row in our tent, another record.Got into Hot Springs this morning. Poured rain all night. Can¢t wait for a shower. Back on the trail Tuesday.
Date: 2019-04-02
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Rich Mountain Camp 
Miles today: 8.3

We got up and out this morning at our customary 9:00am. No need to hurry we were only going 8+ miles. We¢re stealth camping at Rich Mountain Camp. It¢s a nice campsite at the top of a mountain. We¢ve got our first fire of the trip going. Today had many more ups than downs. The climb out of Hot Springs was especially tough and a little perilous. We were walking on the edge of the mountain overlooking the French Broad River. The footing wasn¢t the best but we made it ok. Our packs seemed extra heavy since we just resupplied. Tomorrow we¢re planning on going 15 miles to another stealth site. It¢s supposed to be a nice sunny day too.
Date: 2019-04-03
From: Rich Mountain Camp 

To: Jones Meadow Spring 
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

I¢ve noticed that my posts are beginning to sound the same. We got up at such and such and the terrain was up and down and very hard. So I thought I¢d write a little about our life on the trail tonight. We have gotten into a fairly regular morning routine. We wake up, usually at 7. I get dressed first. I have dedicated sleeping clothes that I do not wear for hiking. My hiking clothes are in the bottom of my sleeping bag staying relatively warm. Unfortunately they usually stink but then I usually do too so not a big deal. It¢s still a shock when I have to put my shirt on in the morning. Cold but it wakes me up. As I¢m getting out of the tent MJ is getting up. The first thing I do is get the bear bags down from wherever I hung them. I¢ve gotten pretty good at hanging it but believe it or not, it¢s been very hard finding a good tree. After getting our food bags, I fire up the stove for coffee. Meanwhile MJ is packing up everything in the tent. We drink our coffee and eat breakfast while we¢re breaking down camp. We¢ve gotten it down to about an hour before we¢re packed up and ready to hit the trail. I think we can do it a little faster once the weather warms up. It won¢t be so hard getting out of a warm sleeping bag. Usually the first mile is one of the best of the day especially if it¢s a sunny day. It¢s just so refreshing and peaceful out here in the morning. It¢s a very special place and we are thankful to be here. The
Date: 2019-04-05
From: Jones Meadow Spring 

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 26.3
Weather: light rain

We had a nice day Thursday. The temps were in the 60s and there wasn¢t a cloud in the sky. We stealthed camped again the night before. We had a nice climb to the top of a mountain that had great views. There was a lot of rock scrambling but it was kind of fun. We also hit the 300 mile mark which is amazing. We¢re so proud of what we¢ve accomplished so far. Only 1890 miles to go. We made it to Flint Mountain shelter which was about 12 miles. The shelter is pretty full but it¢s supposed to rain tonight so everyone wants to stay dry. We¢ve started hiking with a new group which seems to happen about every week or two. We can¢t find a group that hikes at the same speed or distance as us. That¢s ok because we¢re meeting new people every week and everyone is cool and everyone has a story. Rained all night but we stayed dry in the shelter. The guy laying next to me snored like a bear. I tried to wake him including ¢accidentally¢ kicking him but to no avail. He kept going. So I ended up flipping around 180 degrees so my head was at the opening of the shelter. It worked. The rain and wind drowned him out and I slept great the rest of the night. We hiked 15 miles today on some pretty difficult terrain. Started off in the rain but it quit around 11.  We¢re stealth camping again with Blacksmith and another twosome. We want to go to Erwin, TN by Sunday and take a zero Monday. One zero a week seems to be working for us. Erwin is 21 miles away and we have 2 days to do it. We¢d like to do the majority tomorrow so we only have a few miles left on Sunday. We¢ll see.
Date: 2019-04-07
From: Low Gap

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We had a nice day Thursday. The temps were in the 60s and there wasn¢t a cloud in the sky. We stealthed camped again the night before. We had a nice climb to the top of a mountain that had great views. There was a lot of rock scrambling but it was kind of fun. We also hit the 300 mile mark which is amazing. We¢re so proud of what we¢ve accomplished so far. Only 1890 miles to go. We made it to Flint Mountain shelter which was about 12 miles. The shelter is pretty full but it¢s supposed to rain tonight so everyone wants to stay dry. We¢ve started hiking with a new group which seems to happen about every week or two. We can¢t find a group that hikes at the same speed or distance as us. That¢s ok because we¢re meeting new people every week and everyone is cool and everyone has a story. Rained all night but we stayed dry in the shelter. The guy laying next to me snored like a bear. I tried to wake him including ¢accidentally¢ kicking him but to no avail. He kept going. So I ended up flipping around 180 degrees so my head was at the opening of the shelter. It worked. The rain and wind drowned him out and I slept great the rest of the night. We hiked 15 miles today on some pretty difficult terrain. We¢re stealth camping again with Blacksmith and another twosome. We want to go to Erwin, TN by Sunday and take a zero Monday. One zero a week seems to be working for us. Erwin is 21 miles away and we have 2 days to do it. We¢d like to do the majority tomorrow so we only have a few miles left on Sunday. We¢ll see. We hiked another 15 miles Saturday. We summited Big Bald which had some amazing views. We also ran in to two guys who¢ve been keeping up with this blog, Look Back and Rainchaser (I hope I remembered that right). Great guys. Gave us a lot of good info. We were happy to meet them. We camped at No Business Shelter along with about a dozen other people. We were pretty spread out so it was fine. This shelter had a bear that got a food bag out of a tree three weeks ago, so we were all a little bit more careful. Made it to Erwin around noon. Hung out at Uncle Johnny¢s hostel until our shuttle showed up and brought us to the local Super 8 motel. We¢re resting our bodies, eating pizza, and drinking beer. Life doesn¢t get much better.
Date: 2019-04-09
From: Erwin, TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0

Just a quick post to let everyone know we decided to take an extra zero day in Erwin to give our aches and pains more time to heal. We¢re back on the trail tomorrow at 9am. Have a 12 mile day planned but we¢ll do whatever we do. Hike on.
Date: 2019-04-10
From: Erwin, TN

To: The Beauty Spot
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: fog

I neglected to say in my last post that the hotel we stayed in in Erwin was ground zero for an outbreak of the norovirus. A lot of hikers including a couple of our friends contracted it in one of the shelters and by the time they got to Erwin they were sick as dogs. They all came to the our hotel. We were very diligent about not touching anything and washing our hands. One of our friends, West Country, was there for 5 days. Its nasty. I hope we¢re in the clear. We got back on the trail at 8:45 with the intention of doing 12 miles. The terrain was mostly uphill but not severely so we didn¢t mind. Actually it¢s better than going downhill which is really hard on our knees. I had problems with my heels. By lunchtime they were very sore. I laid on the ground with my feet raised and MJ rubbed them and they were good to go the rest of the afternoon. I think I¢m going to look into new shoes when I get to Damascus. We had some trail magic today from Brother Tom. Sweet tea and brownies. Tonight we¢re setup on top of The Beauty Spot, a wide open bald on Green Mountain. We had a nice sunset, looking forward to the sunrise.
Date: 2019-04-12
From: The Beauty Spot

To: Round Bald
Miles today: 25.1

Wednesday night was very nice on top of the bald. MJ got up for the sunrise, I looked at it through my vestibule. We were actually one of the first people out of camp for a change. The new group we are hiking with have all been together since the beginning so they are all close. They are very nice and we¢ve had a good time talking with them, but we feel a little like outsiders. Most of them are young, early 20s and 2 are 19. No big deal, we seem to hook up with a different group every few days. We¢re all camping in a clearing at Greasy Creek Gap tonight. We had a good day on the trail. We hiked 14.7 relatively pain-free miles. My heels and MJ¢s knee both behaved themselves. We climbed Unaka Mt which had a dense pine forest at the top. Very cool. It¢s supposed to rain the next couple of days. Hopefully not too bad. It rained most of the night but stopped just before we got up. We slept in til 8 this morning, leisurely broke camp, and got on the trail at 9:45. Some days I really don¢t have it and would rather not be hiking. This was one of those days. We had a 4500 foot, 4 mile climb up Roan Mountain. It was grueling but by the time we got to the top I was in a much better frame of mind. We hiked 12 miles total today which seems to be our sweet spot. Tonight we are tenting at Round Bald, which is part of the Roan Highlands. The view, as usual on a bald, is spectacular. It¢s supposed to rain again tonight, hopefully we luck out and it stops by morning.
Date: 2019-04-13
From: Round Bald

To: Roan Mountain, TN
Miles today: 14.1

Last night on the bald was a little harrowing. We took a chance that there wouldn¢t be a thunderstorm and lo and behold there was one. Fortunately it stayed in the valley and never got up to where we were but it was too close for comfort. Today we hiked 14 miles through the Roan Highlands. It¢s a series of mountains with grasslands. The views were spectacular. It¢s been one of my favorite areas we¢ve hiked through so far. We did have some drama while climbing Little Hump. It started raining halfway up then when we reached the top it turned into a severe thunderstorm. We had no choice but to keep hiking. It was pretty hairy with the thunder and lightning but we made it. By the time we hit the next peak the sun was out. The trail was treacherous for the rest of the day. Very muddy and slick. I slipped just about every other step. It was very tiring. Another reason to get new shoes when we get to Damascus. The next 2 days they are expecting severe storms so we decided to seek shelter in town. We found a neat bed and breakfast (Roan Mt B & B) so we¢re here until Monday. Oh and one milestone to report, after crossing back and forth between Tennessee and North Carolina for the last month we officially have left NC for good. 2 states down 12 to go.
Date: 2019-04-16
From: Roan Mountain, TN

To: Pond Flats 
Miles today: 30.1

We said good bye to the Roan Mt B & B and got dropped off at the trailhead at 9. We had a great stay. Steve and Ann were wonderful hosts. We started off in 30 degree temps with a stiff wind. Luckily we started with a climb so we warmed up quickly. We hiked with a new friend today. Two Tents (Paul). He stayed at the B&B too. It was nice having him along. He¢s a very nice guy. We talked most of the day and it really made the day go by quick. He¢s close to our age and does about the same mileage as we do so it was a good fit. The terrain was very nice today. Only one extended climb, the rest were easy ups and downs. We ended up doing 16 miles which is one of our longest days. We found a decent tent site to camp in tonight. We¢re lying in our tents listening to the owls hoot. Tuesday was a beautiful day ... sunny in the 70s. We passed Laurel Fork Falls which were spectacular. The first 10 miles were a breeze then can Pond Mountain. 3 miles of virtually straight up climbing. It was a brutal hike at the end of a long day. But we made it to the top and are tenting with Two Tents, Kevin (we met a few days ago at Overmountain Shelter), and another couple(Raven and Happy Dance). Oh and another milestone... we crossed the 400 mile mark.
Date: 2019-04-17
From: Pond Flats

To: Lake Watauga Campsite 
Miles today: 16.1

I didn¢t sleep particularly well last night. Laid awake until midnight then tossed and turned the rest of the night. No idea why, although I never sleep real well out here.  But its not a problem because I¢m never tired during the day. Today we did another 16 mile day. We¢re pushing a little to make it to Damascus, VA by Friday. We have reservations for Friday and Saturday nights. We¢re feeling stronger every day. I tested out my legs today. With 4 miles left to camp, and it getting late, I told MJ and Two Tents that I was going to hike ahead and set up camp before dark. It gave me a chance to see how fast I could hike (safely, of course). I felt very strong, even after already doing 12 miles. I made it in an hour and a half, averaged 2.5 mph. I was surprised and very happy. Earlier in the day we hiked around Lake Watauga. The AT in that area is officially closed for 5 miles due to aggressive bear activity. They allow people to hike through but no one is allowed to camp overnight or ¢linger¢ for any length of time. We made it through just fine without seeing any bear. We¢re stealth camping again tonight in a gap. The couple from last night and Two Tents are here as well.
Date: 2019-04-18
From: Lake Watauga Campsite 

To: Stealth Campsite near Shady Valley TN
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Another beautiful day. Mid 70s and sunny. The terrain was nice too. Nothing too bad. We did a lot of ridge walking. It was another 16 mile day which makes 3 in a row. I¢m happy with our progress and how we¢ve slowly upped our mileage. I calculated the other day that we need to average 75 miles a week to finish by the middle of September. Tomorrow we¢ll cross into Virginia and leave our third state behind. GA, NC, TN down. We¢ll also be getting into Damascus, VA for a zero on Saturday. It¢s supposed to start raining tonight and be very heavy during the day tomorrow. Hopefully we can break camp before it gets too bad. We have 13 miles to go but luckily we have a room waiting for us in Damascus so we¢ll be able to dry out.
Date: 2019-04-19
From: Stealth Campsite near Shady Valley TN

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 13.3

Today was one of those days that the saying ¢embrace the suck¢ describes. We woke up at 6:00 to try and beat the rain. The rain started at 6:05. We broke camp and started up the mountain towards Damascus. The rain turned into a downpour that lasted all day. We had 13 miles to do before we reached town. On top of that I seemed to have come down with a head cold. The only saving grace was the temp was around 60 so it wasn¢t too cold. We both had rain coats and rain pants on but they¢re only good for an hour or two and not for a steady downpour. At the 10 mile mark we crossed into Virginia.  By the time we reached town we were soaked. Like jump in a pool soaked.  The last 7 miles we were walking through a couple of inches of water on the trail too. The amazing thing is we made it to town by noon. 13 miles in 5 hours. By far the fastest we¢ve ever hiked. It really didn¢t seem like we pushed too hard. The combination of easier terrain and our overwhelming desire to be dry was probably the reason. We stopped at a diner and had a double bacon cheeseburger with fries before we checked in. We have priorities. We used Airbnb for the first time and got a really nice upstairs/downstairs little suite with a full kitchen for a decent price. Very nice. We decided to extend our stay through Easter. Our bodies need a break after doing 73 miles the last 5 days. We¢ll be ready to go on Monday. The highlight next week is we see the ponies at Grayson Highlands.