morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-03-20
From: Rocky Mountain Campground

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

The day began on the top of Rocky Mountain. We were the first to greet the coming cold front and let out a celebrational shiver. Yes it was cold and windy, but not unbearable. I actually slept quite well. The bonus for sleeping up there was I didn't have to climb two 1000'+ mountains in one day. The first part of the day was the climb down Rocky Mountain and then the long climb up Tray Mountain. After a water resupply and a privy inspection, who should show up but Diligent, Sparkles, David, Sara, Rich & Kalil along with Kaitlin and Erica (Murph). What was an overcast and chilly shelter became a social hotspot as we updated each other on where we had been, where we were going, where everyone else is, and who had received the most outrageous trail magic. It was the highlight of the day for me.But Geezer and I had miles to burn to make it to Deep Gap shelter. The trail wasn't that strenuous, but possibly due to cold temperatures, I found myself losing steam in the late afternoon. I finally reached my destination about 5:00 pm after hiking since 8:45 am.Before dinner, I set up my tent. By then it was really chilly and starting to stop ice pellets. I forced down my dinner. I still don't have a very good appetite. Most people say that stops after week one, but I am on day #8 and have not experienced a change.Tomorrow's a short day of hiking and then into Hiawassee for a resupply. That is it we can coordinate logistics amidst very bad reception. It's supposed to get down to 26 degrees tonight, so I'll let you know how my 30 degree bag fares. That's it! Goodnight.11.7 miles were hiked today: 54.3 (Rocky Mountain) to 66.0 Deep Gap
Date: 2016-03-21
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 3.6
Weather: broken clouds

Last night was cold. From the time I walked into camp amidst the occassional ice pellet until I woke up to 1/4 inch of snow on the ground, I was gripped by a sleep preventing coldness that caused me great discomfort. Morning finally came, and the tent stakes I had driven extra deep to withstand the wind were encased in frozen clay. The positive thing that happened was that Geezer negotiated a ride out from Dicks Creek Gap to Hiawassee from Bill, a ridge runner who was headed that way, if we could be there no more than 15 minutes after Bill reached the Gap.By the time I extracted those last frozen stakes and packed up, we had about 8 buffer minutes to chase Bill about 4 miles to Dicks Creek Gap, and we weren't sure how fast this professional hiker hiked. So despite the lack of sleep (Geezer didn't fare any better in the shelter), we put in a solid effort, and with the large percentage of downhill sections, we made our ride and got breakfast & checked in at the Holiday Inn Express.There are a lot of other hikers doing something similar. A lot of us plan to zero here tomorrow as well before taking the next long segment to Hot Springs. The path is so much easier with friendly faces you can count on to watch your back. The weather and the exhaustion gets us all down from time to time, but we keep picking each other up and pressing forward. I hope I zero well.3.6 miles were hiked today: 66.0 (Deep Gap Shelter) to 69.6 (Dicks Creek Gap - and then by car to Holiday Inn Express)
Date: 2016-03-22
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was my first zero day, after a Nero yesterday. I used it to get the correct medication for a pollen allergy, which is what popular opinion indicates I have. I also ate well, showered well, and slept well. I finally found all your freeze dried dinners in Hiawassee, and I split those with Geezer. We still need to stop at the Top of Georgia Hostel to see about some denatured alcohol fuel for Geezer. We secured a ride to the trailhead, I got my trail journals a little more up to date.It was a good time for talking to people in the phone, and for letting this cold snap pass us by. I got weighed at the Rite-Aid. I weighed in at 228 lbs, which means I've lost approximately 9.5 lbs in 8 days on the trail. I started around 237.5. That's a little too much too fast, so I have been eating a lot in town to restore balance.Anyway, I enjoyed the Holiday Inn Express. Just don't expect an easy or convenient resupply here. No miles were hiked today.
Date: 2016-03-23
From: Hiawassee

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: clear sky

First things first: Hiawassee shout outs: Gene Roll (423-653-7417) who shuttled Geezer and I from Holiday Inn to Dicks Creek Gap. He showed up on time and delivered as promised. It was $15 for both of us, total.Georgia Mountain Restaurant: I had a breakfast and a buffet lunch here. Both were good. Daniel's: AYCE buffet was good. I enjoyed two of these at a rate of $8.95.Holiday Inn Express: Exactly what you expect. I liked it a lot.So we made it out of our hotel and started hiking by 8:30 am. It was a long uphill day. We reached Muskrat Creek Shelter around 4:15pm. It warmed from 40 into the 60's today. After taking care of water, dinner, the tent set-up, etc... I largely ignored the social atmosphere and crawled into my tent to get all tasks taken care of during daylight. There's possible pm thunderstorms tomorrow, so we're trying to avoid being on top of Standing Indian Mountain when that happens. We crossed into N. Carolina today. 11.8 miles were hiked from 69.6 Dicks Creek Gap) to 81.4 (Muskrat Creek Shelter).
Date: 2016-03-24
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: broken clouds

Muskrat treated me very well last night. I don't think I woke up once, which is a first for the trip. The downside was I was a little late for my hiking start time with Geezer, but he understood. When you're finally getting good Z's don't interrupt it!Today was a larger mileage / generally easier terrain day. The mountain in the middle was Standing Indian. It was tall, but the slopes in each direction were more gentle than a lot we have experienced. We made Carter Gap and pitched tents in a hurry because   rain was expected any minute.I had enough time to get water, call home, and take my cooking stuff up to the shelter before the rain started. I am enjoying this new group. A lot of them started around March 16th, and did a few less short mileage days to reach the same spot. As my pace ramps up, I'm sure I'll see plenty of them. The rain is falling, the tent (interior) is dry. Life is good. 12.5 miles were hiked today: 81.4 (Muskrat Creek Shelter) to 93.9 (Carter Gap Shelter).
Date: 2016-03-25
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap/Franklin
Miles today: 15.9

A happy Good Friday to all. I have safely made it to the Knights Inn in Franklin, North Carolina. I have forgotten to mention trail magic instances. Just prior to Standing Indian Mountain, Caveman (A.T. '12) was shuttling somebody to the trail, realized he had a 12-pack of Coke and decided to share. Thank you!Also, today, after finishing our longest day, there in the parking lot of Winding Stair Gap, a thru-hiker from last year was handing out Coke, beer, and snacks. It was perfect.Today's hike was long, but we made it. Albert Mountain taught us some new lessons in mountain climbing. It was steep enough that I put away my poles and grabbed onto rocks with my hands. I enjoyed the view from the top.The rest of the day was just putting in miles. We walked from 8:05am to about 4:55pm. Geezer's wife Lee picked us up. A ridge runner, who was a little too enthusiastic about trash cleanup also got a ride, along with her massive black bag of possibly leaking trash. Lee ended up driving her many miles back to get car. When all hikers were showered, we hit up the Asian King buffet, then the Wal-Mart for a resupply. There is a plan tomorrow to hit up a free hiker breakfast and then possibly find a place to do laundry. We should probably not have any problem doing 10 miles tomorrow.I have been eating more. I got a 1.5 Quart butter pecan ice cream, but could only eat 2/3 of it. I have some work to do before Harper's Ferry.15.9 miles were hiked today: 93.9 (Carter Gap Shelter) to 109.8 (Winding Stair Gap)
Date: 2016-03-26
From: Winding Stair Gap/Franklin

To: Campsites at MP 118
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: scattered clouds

The Knights Inn was satisfactory in every way. Thank you to Geezer's wife Lee who wouldn't let me pay her back for the model room of breakfast this morning at the "City Restaurant". It was a local Saturday morning affair there, so we got to eat like the locals.We stopped into Outdoor 76, signed the poster for this years' thru-hikers, ran into the guy with the Thai wife (now "Backscratcher" while his wife is now "Can-Do"). I bought a fuel canister, then ran into Kaitlin (now "Snickers"), Murph, and Dolittle.We were driven to Winding Stair Gap and then the long uphill day began. Anytime you start from a "gap", you know it's going to be a tough day. Today seemed especially rough. It's probably the full pack, the 16 miles hiked yesterday, and a combination of other things.Also, about 4 miles into the day, Geezer was ahead of me. I thought the last plan was we were going to go 4 miles in to Siler Bald shelter, but I didn't know if Geezer went there or not. It was 0.5 miles down and 0.5 miles back up to confirm that Geezer had not gone down to fhe shelter.It wasn't a total loss. I ran into Joker who told me that Diligence and Sparkles are right behind us, but taking extra days in Franklin. So after the extra mileage, I found Geezer at the top of the hill. We discussed our miscommunication and filed it under "lessons learned".We finally made it to a camping area, gathered water, cooked dinner, and strategized the next few days. The elevation changes are relentless, so we're developing backup plans to get indoors where possible.We're both still in good physical health and want to maximize rest opportunities, while still trying to push out mileage numbers up a bit. We started hiking around 11:00am today and went to around 5:00pm. 8.2 miles were hiked today: 109.8 (Winding Stair Gap) to 118.0 (Campsites)"Vote for me and all your wildest dreams will come true"Pedro - Napolean Dynamite
Date: 2016-03-27
From: Campsites at MP 118

To: Tellico Gap
Miles today: 11.2

Happy Easter Sunday to all! I highly recommend the campsites at MP 118. Water was close by, and there was a higher grass to mud and leaves ratio than most camping areas. We awoke to occasional rain, just enough to make everything wet as I tried to pack up. I got some good experience packing up in the rain and proceeded to put on every layer of rain protection I carried, some of which was unused in the previous 118 miles. Of course The heavy mist didn't justify the category III hurricane protection, so layer by later was removed throughout the morning.A Stone tower at Wayah Bald was completely fogged in, and I enjoyed the different experience today. Geezer and I hatched a plan to stay at the Nantahala Mountain Lodge with a pickup from Tellico Gap. After two instances of trail magic today (Easter eggs, cookies, oranges, string cheese) we met up with "Wiggy", a former thru-hiker, proud to be British, and he took Geezer, Wounded Knee, and me to his hostel. It was a mandatory shower upon arrival, and a non-negotiable donning of hostel clothes while they did my laundry.Luxuries were available for purchase, and a homemade dinner was delicious. It's March madness basketball, and I'm enjoying rooting for the least-cheered-for team. At first I found the mandatory commando experience restrictive, but I'm beginning to find it freeing. Just one more unexpected experience in the Appalachian Trail. 11.2 miles were hiked today: MP 118 (campsites) to MP 129.2 (Tellico Gap)Poem: Fanny BaredAuthor: Spaghetti Legs 3/27/16And so it came to pass,at shelter Siler Bald,despite my protests deep and strong,that mother nature called.And as with sweat drenched brow,I bargained what to divy,I failed to find the sacred placethe trail folk call the privy.One hundred feet of slopeand branches I endured,A quarter mile from humans,For modesty so pure.I thrust my blade into the ground,And severed, I, the roots.A precautionary distanceWas set for pants and boots.As I hung from that poor tree,I found no skill I lacked.Franklin gave me much andTo that tree I gave some back.And at my most exposed,I looked to see who cared,But no one saw except of course,For little fanny bared.
Date: 2016-03-28
From: Tellico Gap

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: clear sky

Steve ("Wiggy") and Maggie run the Nantahala Mountain Lodge with British military precision. We were in our civilian clothes with breakfast eaten, photos taken, packs repacked and loaded into the trailer, and "wheels up" by 8:05am. We were hiking by 8:25 from Tellico Gap. "Wiggy" is ex-British Special Forces, and for someone who has played Call Of Duty, this felt just like tho a a simulated American/British sniper missions from the Modern Warfare series.The hiking itself was great today. The crisp mountain air almost self-regulated my body temperature without the need to sweat in a t-short and pants. We had planned a short day in to see good friends of Geezer's at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Where we had lunch and then resupplied. They are letting us stay for free at their property a yurt at Falling Waters Adventure Resort.It is beautiful here and some families look like they're having the vacation of their lives. 8.1 miles were hiked today: 129.2 (Tellico Gap) to 137.3 (Nantahala Outdoor Center)
Date: 2016-03-29
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: clear sky

The yurt was great. Still a little chilly, even with the heater. Don't neglect your blankets! We got a ride back to the N.O.C., saw Wounded Knee and other familiar faces and are breakfast with Can-Do and Backscratcher. Then it was over to the outdoor center which didn't open until 9:00am... and then Geezer got alcohol for his stove... and then in the most excruciatingly slow process, Geezer managed to use a computer to print out his Smoky Mountain permit. It hasn't helped that the website has been down for the past week. I don't mind paying the $20, but the amount of manhours going into the printing of these permits is ridiculous.So at 9:45am we got started. I was a bit frustrated with the whole situation and uncharacteristically flew up the mountain. I stopped about an hour and a half in to have a snack and wait for Geezer. That was the extent of my super-energy. I ran into Joker and caught up with him. The hiking was tough today, seven miles straight uphill to start with, and then a lot more milesafter that. There is a big rainstorm scheduled to come in all day Thursday, and maybe Friday morning, so we're doing extra miles today and tomorrow to zero during the rain, hopefully at the Fontana Lodge.We're staying at a hostel tonight. Our strategy is to be fully rested for a big day of hiking tomorrow. I'm excited to make it to Fontana Dam. It always seems like such a critical point in people's thru-hikes. Also, I weighed my pack at the N.O.C., and it was 35.6 pounds, with about 3 liters of water. I know I've added some winter gear, so most of that weightloss must be good related. 13.4 miles were hiked today: 137.3 (Nantahala Outdoor Center) to 150.7 (Stecoah Gap)
Date: 2016-03-30
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

The Cabin In The Woods Hostel was a good value with a great $5 breakfast. Altogether, it was $25. We shared a cabin with "Maine Mike" and "Night Whisperer". I instantly had visions of this big guy leaning over my bed and whispering to me at night, but he turned out to be a perfectly normal and personable cabin companion. We are breakfast with "Willow", a mom with kids in college and a husband at home, and "Beaver", a 17 year old kid from Jackson, Mississippi who lamented he was too young to vote for Bernie Sanders. All interesting people. Donna shuttled us back in a vehicle with 309,000 miles that was having transmission trouble (or possibly water in the gas). Either way, we got back on the trail just after 8:00am. We want through a portion called "Jacob's Ladder" but it was just a variety of steep sections. I kept waiting for an actual ladder to climb. The Fontana Dam came into view about five miles from our destination. The views were somewhat blocked by trees so I didn't take any photos. We finally made it down to the marina parking lot. We called for a shuttle to the lodge. He informed us as we were stepping out there was a $3 charge for the shuttle, so I paid that.We are going to stay at the Fontana Lodge for two nights. The rumor is the shelter at Fontana Dam, "The Fontana Hilton", has been overrun by Norovirus, and even if that's not true, incoming rain forecasts have led us to the decision to get indoors for a couple days before we go into the Smokies.We have seen a lot of familiar faces here: Matt Sherman, Carrot Stick, Ariel, Maine Mike, Night Whisperer, Dragonfly (guy with kilt), and Pool is who we met for the first time yesterday. I had read some of his trail journal before I started hiking, and he seems to be an interesting character.Tomorrow is a resupply day and rest day. I'm looking forward to it. 14.0 miles were hiked today (150.7 Stecoah Gap) to 164.7 (NC 28 - Where we caught the shuttle)
Date: 2016-03-31
From: Fontana Dam

To: Zero
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Zero Day here in Fontana Lodge. We had a lovely breakfast at Mountainview Restaurant (the one in the lodge), resupplied at the store about a quarter mile away, did our laundry, ate an 8" pizza at the Pit Stop (convenience store/gas station), planned our next 8 days, ate dinner, called home, took a shower and went to bed.We have sold a piece of our hotel floor to Matt Sherman for $25 for the night. We shared a bunkroom with him back at Wiggy's Nantahala Mountain Lodge. He is a lawyer from New Jersey who has traveled extensively. We got to hang out with a lot of hikers while waiting for laundry, so we got to expand our network of friendly hiker faces. "Who Cares", "Snickers", "Murph", and "Dolittle", who we last saw in Franklin showed up.In general, I am looking forward to getting out into the woods. The time for pampering myself is complete. 0 miles were hiked today physically, but I improved morale by 10%.
Date: 2016-04-01
From: Fontana Dam

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The day began with Geezer, Matt, and me in our hotel room getting ready. We managed to place our breakfast order just before a group of 30 car enthusiasts placed their order.We were still chewing the last of our toast as we threw down some money and raced out to catch our shuttle. We just barely caught it and   started out where we left off, at the marina. Fontana Dam is very cool, especially if you're a civil engineer. We placed our permits in the box and headed off. We met "Lady Katherine" today, and leap frogged her, Maine Mike, Night Whisperer, and Beaver all day.It was a long uphill day, and I am quite tired. I am in a shelter (Mollies Ridge Shelter) for the second time, this time as mandated by the authorities that be.I also got to experience hanging my bear vault from a cable. Life is good. 12.6 miles were hiked today: 164.7 (NC 128) to 177.3 (Mollies Ridge Shelter).
Date: 2016-04-02
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

Sleep was in short supply, for me at least. My Thermarest just doesn't cushion the blow of the wood plank floor very well. I rotated all night and fully tenderized my body. We'll see if exhaustion helps tonight.Also, it was quite cold last night, not freezing, but close to it. Temp's coming out of Fontana were warm and humid, like walking through someone's armpit. Then once we reached a certain elevation a cold wind blew in.We are also pretty high up. This shelter is around 4900 ft. Cold seems to be the theme, but lulls in the wind and clouds create temporary warm spots.Today was an easy day relative to yesterday on paper, but every mile was well earned. It was a lot of uphills and downhills, and even though the hiking ended around 3:30pm, I was quite tired. I even went to the extra effort today to filter water twice, once for dinner, dishes, and teeth, and then another liter for a vitamin supplement. It's supposed to be possibly below freezing tonight. I'm hoping that's wrong. 12.0 miles were hiked: 177.3 (Mollies Ridge Shelter) to 189.3 (Derrick Knob Shelter)
Date: 2016-04-03
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

If the previous night was cold, last night was frigid. Somebody's thermometer said 28 degrees, this morning, but there were steady 20 to 30 mph winds all night. The good news is I slept much better. The bad news is my dirty nose couldn't hold my breathe-right strip on, and Buffalo Bill, who doesn't really have a filter, informed me that I wasn't the loudest snorer, but I snored all night. That's the price of the Smokies I guess.I am trying extra nose washing and symmetrical placement tonight. My fingers nearly froze putting in contacts this morning. The hiking was really good. I finally escaped the land of no privies at Double Spring Gap. After that, the terrain changed to something close to the Pacific Northwest as we increased in elevation. After 3 weeks in a bare tree forest, it was quite a change.Clingman's Dome had spectacular views today and a cornucopia of humanity. We thru-hikers stuck out like circus animals. One female hiker reported a woman shouted, "Look, a trail person!". The journey back into the woods was comforting. 13.5 miles were hiked today: 189.3 (Derrick Knob Shelter) to 202.8 (Mt. Collins Shelter). I passed 200 miles!
Date: 2016-04-04
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

Last night was interesting. Weather was better but two "car-campers" from Knoxville, Tennessee thought they'd trek 0.7 miles in and chat up the ladies at the party scene that was Mt. Collins Shelter. I think they were surprised when everyone went to bed at 8:00pm, despite their efforts to liven up the party with some sort of green disco laser flashlight.They did supply some party music during dinner and they worked hard to get the shelter fire going, but let's just say people stayed later than normal to make sure everyone got on their way.Hiking today was beautiful. The first third was among my favorite so far - beautiful weather, a nice gentle downhill, and then at Newfound Gap we got trail magic! I had two mountain dews, an orange, an apple, and Chips Ahoy cookies. Don't judge. I needed all of this.I also got to throw away my trash including a heavy fuel canister that ran out last night, and use a flush toilet. No sink & mirror, but a glance in a car window's reflection assured me I am becoming part of the trail. 14.5 miles were officially hiked today: 202.8 (Mt. Collins Shelter) to 217.3 (Pecks Corner Shelter), plus an uncounted 1 mile to and from shelters.