morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-10-18
From: Roaring Fork shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel 
Miles today: 15.2

It was super cold last night; below freezing for sure. I had to put my puffy on in my sleeping bag to keep warm (along with my hat and mittens). That worked though.  I was plenty warm enough.  I just hope it doesn¢t get colder than that in the Smokies!  It¢s supposed to warm up a little.The cold kept me in bed until 7. It was hard to convince myself to get out from under the quilt!  I did finally get up, pack up and eat breakfast.  By the time I had done that, my hands were really cold.  The good nenes is that someone had left hand warmers at a shelter that I stopped at yesterday. I took them as ¢trail magic¢.  They worked great in my mittens today!Max Patch was only 1.9 miles so I was there around 9:15.  I hung around taking pictures and chatting with some folks who were interested in the thru hiker experience.  It was so beautiful up there in the sun!  I was glad I did not camp up there. There was frost all over the grass and I had heard the wind in the trees last night.  It would have been frigid in that exposed spot.  That said, there were lots of tents set up on the peak. There is a parking area very close by so many people come up to camp and experience the sunrise and sunset.There were signs that said there was an elk cow and calf hanging around the area. I did not see them though.Moving on, I stopped at Groundhog creek for lunch.  There I chatted with a few section hikers.I thought the rest of the day would just be ¢in the woods¢ but was pleasantly surprised to summit Snowbird Mtn; another Bald!  On top was an interesting FAA communication tower used for air traffic control.I got to Standing Bear Hostel about 4:15, picked up my resupply box and set up my tent.  I purchased a beer, made dinner and chatted with some section hikers.It¢s a little sketchy here.  The pit privy is right next to the stream.  Some hikers that cross that stream just downhill from here may not know that and collect water there...yuck!  I checked out the store looking for lip balm.  They had a sunscreen that would have worked but it was years out of date so I passed on it.The good news is that it looks like it will be a quiet night.
Date: 2019-10-19
From: Standing Bear Hostel 

To: Davenport Gap shelter
Miles today: 3.8
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a quiet night at the hostel. It was also warmer than I expected. I still took my time getting up because I only had a short way to go today. I did want to get to the shelter before noon so I wouldn¢t get caught in the rain.I made hostel coffee and had breakfast.  Chatted with Birdman.  He flip flopped out of Hot Springs.I was on the trail by 8:30.  It was a nice short walk in the woods though some sections were very steep uphill.  Of course my pack is about as heavy as it gets with a full resupply!I got to the shelter at 10:15.  I laid out my tent to dry.  The floor was damp from being in the grass last night.  I collected water and washed out underwear.  I also cleaned up a bit.  I did not shower at the hostel because it was an outdoor and I did not want to get chilled. Then I dug my cat hole for the morning.  That¢ll save me from having to do it in the rain later.I expect the shelter will not be full tonight.  I checked online and only 6 of 12 spaces were reserved.  My 5 friends May show up though.Three section hikers came in for lunch. They have reservations here but are not staying.  So I have a spot for sure!  Yay! ... and it just started raining.  Being dry is not over rated!!A father son team (Rod and Russ) showed up.  They will be staying at all the same shelters I¢ll be staying at in the Smokies.
Date: 2019-10-20
From: Davenport Gap shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: moderate rain

It rained hard for much of the night.  I was glad to be in a shelter. Nate (my nephew) arrived about 9am. We hiked in the cloud/fog up up up all morning. It was drizzly and a lot of water was coming off the trees, so it was a wet day. Luckily it was not cold.  I actually got down to my t-shirt and hiking shirt.We decided to lunch at Cammerer lookout tower.  It is a hexagonal tower built by the CCC in the 1930s. Unfortunately we had no view.  We did hang out up there for about an hour hoping it would clear.It did clear about 4pm and we were looking down at the clouds!It was a terrific day hanging out with Nate!
Date: 2019-10-21
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Pecks corner shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: broken clouds

It was a super varied day.  There was sun, fog, clouds, wind, cold and warmth! Nate and I were changing layers all day.  We climbed up Mt Guyot (6302¢) and Mt Chapman (6215¢).  There were some great views.  We were way above some clouds, under others and in some as well.When we were up around 6000¢ the mosses in the forest were spectacular. I think it¢s because the peaks are often in the clouds. That¢s why these are called the Smokies!
Date: 2019-10-22
From: Pecks corner shelter

To: Mt Collins Shelter 
Miles today: 15.4

What a fabulous day! It poured rain all night but we were cozy in the shelter.  The rain stopped in the morning and we were on he trail at 9am.The shelter was over full last night. Rod and Russ were there; Nate and I; Half Note (thru hiker); and then 7 women attending an REI adventure trip showed up.  Considering the crowd, I slept great!It was a little drippy when we left and the trail itself was wet so my shoes got wet.  The rest of me stayed dry though.We had views right away.  Again we were looking down on some clouds and were below others.  Some clouds looked like smoke rising up in the valleys.We had lunch at Charlie¢s Bunion; a grand rock outcrop with fabulous views. The sun was warm but the air was cool. There was a Sierra Club tour there with us.We got to Newfound Gap about 2:30.  That¢s were I left Nate.  The place was crawling with tourists and I was thinking about the 5 miles more I had to hike so I almost forgot to throw my trash out!  Luckily I remembered when I was just 50¢ down the trail so I could run back and take care of that.I got to the shelter about 5pm.  So far there is a couple from PA staying here.  They have never stayed in a shelter before.  They are only parked 0.7 miles away.  There is another couple from Toronto that also parked in that nearby lot.  Finally there is a Smokies thru hiker here.Russ and Rod finally showed up about 8pm.  I was worried about them!  Rod is 70.  He is in great shape but is slow on the ascents
Date: 2019-10-23
From: Mt Collins Shelter 

To: DerrickÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 13.0

It was darned cold last night!  I did stay warm without needing to put my puffy on.  I did sort of throw it over me early this morning.  It¢s a good thing I slept with my water filter because it was frosty out there which means it got below freezing.I left at 8:30.  It took me about 30 minutes to warm up my feet. I had managed to dry my socks by keeping them under my quilt but my shoes were still wet (and frozen) from yesterday.I got to Clingman¢s Dome around 10:30. It was gloriously sunny but windy as all get out!  I dropped my pack, put on my puffy, and walked up the tower ramp.  The views were forever in distance.  I could literally see 100 miles in all directions.  I guess this is unusual as there is almost always haze and/or clouds.  Afterwards I sat at he bottom of the ramp in the sun and had my second breakfast of pop tarts.I stopped at Double Spring Gap for lunch.  What a perfect spot!  The sun was streaming into the shelter and there was no wind!  I made hot lunch (ramen) and had a bagel with cheese.  Stake showed up so we chatted for awhile.  He just graduated with an Environmental Science degree and has a job waiting for him in waterway management. Just as I was leaving, Peep Show arrived with Timex.  I met Peep Show in NH!  Russ and Rod also arrived.I got back on trail at 1pm.  There were gorgeous views along the next ridge.  Eventually I was back in the woods so I turned on my audiobook (the Hunger Games) and the miles flew by.  I was at the shelter at 4pm.   Stake, Peep Show and Timex all arrived shortly after.  Then Mr President arrived.  I met him at a hostel a ways back.  Then Duct Tape showed up!  It¢s a full shelter ( there are also a couple of section hikers here).  Lots of fun conversation!
Date: 2019-10-24
From: DerrickÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Knob Shelter 

To: Birch Spring campsite 
Miles today: 17.5

I left camp at 7:45!  It was a cold morning but not quite as bad as yesterday.  There was quite a hoopla at the shelter last night.  There was an unattended pack at the shelter when I arrived.  The owner had not shown up by 8pm.  Not only was the pack here but there was also a rehydrated meal left.  We all decided to look in the pack for ID.  There were 2 sleep systems (pads, tents, bags).  There was food in the pack¢s brain along with an ID from TN department of agriculture.  In the hip belt was a set of Nissan keys.  It was weird.  The guys (Russ, Stake and Mr President) decided to call authorities to report it.  We hung the food.  Just as we were all settling in, the owner and another person appeared!  They had been out measuring trees.  They left after we told them we had reported an ¢incident¢.  We were all relieved that she was ok.  After that, I slept great!On the trail, there was a steep climb up thunderhead Mtn; probably the steepest I¢ve climbed in the Smokies. The views from there and Rocky Top were unbelievably clear today.  I could see ¢forever¢. The tips of these mountains were almost balds.I got to Russell Field Shelter (9 miles) by noon.  I collected water as I knew there was unlikely to be water for the rest of the day.  As I ate lunch, Stake Peep Show and Timex all came and left. Birdman was at the shelter.  I was surprised to see him because I met him awhile ago and he¢s moving a lot faster than I am (he did 30 miles yesterday!). He told me he went off trail to attend a concert with some friends.The rest of the day I listened to The Hunger Games and just ¢made miles¢. I did talk to a few section hikers.  One lovely woman from Australia is hiking for 3 weeks.  She was loving hiking the trail solo.At camp tonight I¢m with Peep Show and Timex.  They are both older women.  I thought it might be fun to hike with them but so far I haven¢t been able to engage them in any fun (or meaningful) conversation. They seem to just really want to be done with the trail and are done ¢socializing¢.  Oh well.I miss Russ and Rod.  They were good company in the evening.
Date: 2019-10-25
From: Birch Spring campsite 

To: Fontana Dam Shelter 
Miles today: 6.4

Last night (actually early this morning) there was a bear close by my tent.  I could hear it tearing apart trees, maybe looking for grubs.  It was around for at least an hour.  Tonight a group of hikers saw the same bear in the trees eating nuts. I actually think I scared this bear last night when I went to dig my cat hole.  Something crashed through the woods at that time.I left camp at 7:45 again.  Timex and Peep Show left just before me but they did not talk to me at all today (either this morning or a bit later when I passed them at the Fontana Dam visitors center.The woods were really pretty today; lots of red, orange and yellow. It¢s also warm!  Last night I slept with only 1 layer on and I was fine.  Today I hiked in just my t-shirt and hiking shirt. It almost felt like summer!  It was also cloudy and I could tell rain was imminent.I walked across Fontana Dam, visited the gift shop and visitors center.  Then I hiked on to the shelter.  I was the first one here.  I called a shuttle to go into the village.  I did a resupply at the general store and went to lunch at the inn (super good veggie burger, sweet potato fries, chocolate lava cake and IPA.Back at the shelter there are lots of people (thru hikers, section hikers and drive ins!). I met Baby Milkshake!  I had met his mom (Mama milkshake awhile back).
Date: 2019-10-26
From: Fontana Dam Shelter 

To: Locust Cove Gap
Miles today: 18.4

I slept pretty good considering the crowd in the shelter (aka the Fontana Hilton).  There were lots of hikers there but the problem was the 4 non-hikers.  They were up late.  One guy, who was a real jerk in general, was making a lot of loud noise, including talking at 12:30am.  Luckily my ear plugs work great!I left at 7:45 (and has no qualms about trying yo be extra quiet for those late-to-bedders!  It was a long climb out of Fontana Dam (of course).  When I got to Cable Gap Shelter I found Baby Milkshake, Pineapple and Yalla.  We all had second breakfast together.The woods were looking very colorful today; lots of red, orange and yellow. The most color I¢ve seen to date on the hike.Right before Brown Fork Gap there was a very steep climb with some good views at the top. At the shelter I had lunch with the same crowd plus Creamy and Little Dipper.  They all were moving on another 9 miles this afternoon while I was going only 5.  So I waved goodbye to them for now.  I¢ll likely see at least some of them in the future.  That¢s the way the trail works!It was a weird weather day.  It started out almost hot.  I was down to my summer set of clothes.  At higher elevation it was super windy (in fact high wind warnings were up!) so I had to don my leggings and my t-shirt.  By lunch I was getting chilly and had to put on a long sleeve shirt. When I got to Stecoah Gap, it was hot again!  At the gap there was trail magic: clementines.  I sat at the picnic table and ate a couple as I called my mom and then Jim.We also got trail magic back at Cable Gap Shelter. A section hiker ( Master Jedi) gave each of us snacks.  I got a coconut/chocolate bar.
Date: 2019-10-27
From: Locust Cove Gap

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: drizzle

There were crazy storms last night! Thunder, lightning, torrential rain and whipping winds.  Because I wa sin the gap, I was protected from the wind but I could hear it howling in the canopy. I had made sure that I didn¢t pitch my tent under any dead stuff so I wasn¢t worried about trees and branches falling on me but I could hear them falling in the woods.he storm abated in the early morning hours. So I was up and on the trail at my normal timeFirst I climbed up to Cheoah Bald and was treated to a fantastic view.  It was worth weathering the storm to be up here in the early morning.Then it was a long descent to the Nantahala Outdoor center (NOC). The Nantahala River was running strong and muddy due to the storms.  At the NOC I saw Jupiter.  She was yellow blazing because she injured her hip.  She was waiting for Sauce, Spark and Green Machine.  I purchased pizza and soda then laid my tent, quilt and sleeping bag liner out to dry.  Everything was damp from the storm last night.  While there, Spark¢s dad Eric showed up.  He is going to hike with them for the last stretch.I stayed there about 1.5 hours and then got back on the trail.  It was a fairly steep climb up to the ¢jump off¢; a cliff with a sweeping view.  The whole area had a forest fire in 2016 so there is lots of evidence of that around.There is only one other section hiker here at the shelter: Warren, a retired professor of environmental economics. He has done all sorts of fabulous hikes including Mt Everest up to the base camp.
Date: 2019-10-28
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Silar Bald shelter
Miles today: 17.4

Such a gorgeous day! I left camp at 7:55 and was up on the Wesser Bald lookout tower by 8:15.  The weather had called for ¢dense fog warnings.¢  That clearly was for the valleys below because I was looking down on a sea of clouds, the mountains like islands and the rising sun illuminating the mountain tops.  It was amazing.The colors in the woods is really pretty now, mostly yellows and golds. I enjoyed those colors and a nice view when I lunches at Copper Ridge Bad.  I called Jim from there to discuss the end-of-trek plans. I only have 7 more hiking days left!  Except for tomorrow, they will all be long ones.I met several section hikers going NOBO today.  Also saw lots of tourists when I got to the Wayah Bald stone tower (about 2:30). You can drive up to this site.  The views were super there but not as spectacular as on Wesser.The rest of the day was unremarkable. I listened to some music and started a new audiobook, ¢The Giver¢.
Date: 2019-10-29
From: Silar Bald shelter

To: Rock Gap, Gooder Grove Hostel 
Miles today: 7.9

Section hiker Mike rolled in about 8pm last night.  Luckily he set up his hammock and didn¢t bother me too much.  I slept great.I got on trail at 8 am.  I was not in too much of a hurry because I knew it was going to be a short day.The recent storms have put a lot of fallen limbs and trees across the trail. I had to navigate those over the last couple of days. The storms also knocked off lots of leaves so I was getting peek-a-boo views through the trees, especially along the ridge to Panther Gap.I had arranged for a shuttle into Franklin, NC by the hostel folks.  They were due at Rock Gap at noon.  I got there at 11am so I had an early lunch and chatted with a couple of HVAC guys who were taking a break in the parking area.Once at the hostel I took a well needed shower and had my laundry done. Then I went down to the Motor Co. Grill for a wonderful black  bean burger done ¢teriyaki¢ style (with pineapple and teriyaki sauce).  The sweet potato fries were super.  They were actual spears of sweet potato with the skins, lightly coated with some yummy stuff and fried, served with real maple syrup!  Yum!I stopped at the outfitters where I bought a merino beanie (they give thru hikers a discount!)!  They will exchange my worn out pair of darned tough socks so I¢ll stop back tomorrow.  They also have a taproom there so I treated myself to a Wayah lager and signed the 2019 thru hikers banner.
Date: 2019-10-30
From: Rock Gap, Gooder Grove Hostel 

To: Gooder Grove Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Zero day!  I started by walking to Main Street and having breakfast at Rockin¢ Rolly Pollies.  The veggie omelet and hash browns were delicious. On the way back I purchased some homemade cheddar potato soup and a quava cheese pastry to have for lunch.I spent most of the day reading Chances Are by Richard Russo, our next book club read. I¢ll actually be home for book club this month!I had a blueberry scone with coffee for second breakfast.  Even though  not hiking I¢m packing on the calories for the last stretch.In the evening I got a ride to Asian King for all-you-can-eat buffet.  I mananged 3 platefuls!Then I ran over to Walmart (it was raining pretty hard at this point) for resupply. While I was there the sky opened up and bucket of water came down.  The parking lot was flooded! Luckily I was just watching this from inside.My ride back to the hoste was delayed because they had a major roof leak they had to tend to.  When I finally got back, the basement had started to flood.  The bunkroom is down there so Zen (the hostel owner) had me move to an upstairs bunk.  It¢s all part of the adventure!
Date: 2019-10-31
From: Gooder Grove Hostel

To: Gooder Grove Hostel 
Miles today: 0.0

another Zero day!  Though I am super anxious to get back on the trail.  I ate breakfast stuff I had purchased yesterday (raisin bran, banana, yoghurt and milk).  Had a leisurely morning until about 10:30 when Zen gave me a ride to the post office so o could mail home my full journal notebook and most of my AT guide pages.  There is no sense in carrying more weight than I need to for this last week.  As it is I have 12 pounds of food for the 6 remaining days!Zen then dropped me off on Main St. it had started to rain so I ducked into the gem store.  They had the biggest geodes I ever saw!  They also had some very inexpensive stone mala bracelets so I purchased 2 as a present to myself.  Following that I stopped in the gift shop that leads into the Scottish tartan museum.  I ascertained (again) that our supposed Scottish family surname (Jamieson) is not Scottish. There was a few Irish things in there but they are sorted by region of Ireland and I don¢t know where the name comes from.Then it was off to the outfitters to exchange my Darned Tough socks.  This is the second pair that I wore out on the trek.  Thankful they have a lifetime warrantee and can be exchanged for new ones!I waked back to the hostel and made lunch that I purchased yesterday (minestrone soup, cheese scone and a mango). I finished the Russo book in the afternoon and downloaded my next read from the library.  Some more hikers are showing up.  Birdman got here late this afternoon.  Last time I saw him was in the Smokies.  Zen just left to pick up a couple more hikers.I¢m really looking to get back on the trail tomorrow morning!
Date: 2019-11-01
From: Gooder Grove Hostel 

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: few clouds

Zen shuttled me to the trailhead and I was in my way by 8:10. I cruised along at a great pace and has done 10.5 miles by noon.  Before that I climbed the Albert Mtn fire tower.  The very top was locked but from the top most accessible landing the views were spectacular. The climb down from Albert Mtn was fairly steep and rocky, so a little slow going. The leaves that had come off the trees as a result of the storms were piled on the trail hiding rocks and roots. They also were a bit slick so the footing was treacherous. I took my tome and got down unscathed.At 12:15 I was at a beautiful overlook for lunch.  I made this a fairly quick stop because I still had a long day ahead to make my 20 miles.In the afternoon I passed several section hikers.  I had to ford a stream!   Most streams were no problem to rock hop across but one had no possibility of that.  So I took off my shoes and waded across.  Boy was that water cold!  Consider that there was ice in places along the trail that had not melted by late afternoon.The air was great for hiking today; cool enough so I was not sweating. Unfortunately that means it¢s likely to be frosty tonight!
Date: 2019-11-02
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: clear sky

It was mighty cold last night!   Mt here was frost. I was plenty warm enough in my tent but I did have to lay my puffy over me in the early morning hours to be warm enough.Last night a hiker showed up at camp after I was in my tent and then they left before I was out of my tent this morning!  So I have no idea who it was. I left camp at 8:10 and noticed another camper that had come in later last night.It stayed cold all day. I never took off my mittens! It was not cold enough to hike on a coat though. I was in a merino t shirt, midweight base layer and my hiking shirt for most of the day.In the afternoon I entered Georgia, my 14th state! The hardest part of the day was the climb out of Dicks Creek Gap; it seemed to go on forever (though it was only about 3 miles).  It was steep in some sections. I honestly think I was just tired from my long day yesterday.  That said, a couple of section hikers  said I ¢flew¢ past them when I saw them at camp later on.There are several folks at the shelter tonight including a brother/sister pair (Henry and Alice).  I¢m staying in my tent because I think it is warmer.