morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-03-24
From: Neel Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Out of the cabin, thru the arch and on the trail at 8:30 a.m.Went over Levelland Mt, Cowrock Mt and Poor Mt ¢the trail is up and down. Bigger mileage today as we need to be off the trail tomorrow night as they are warning of a winter storm. And we thought it was already Spring. Jessie got his trail name today. He is now ¢Zoom¢ since he races cars and he moves fast on the uphill trails. The Toronto kids, Kevin and Brittany got off the trail today. She will probably will not be back but perhaps Kevin will. Ran into Bob Davies from Seattle today. He and his brother from Canada are hiking for 2.5 weeks. We had met to share plans in Seattle before we left.
Date: 2014-03-25
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: snow

Snow started at 3:30 am. with more snow predicted for Tuesday night.Miss Janet picked us up at the gap for a ride to Holiday Inn in Hiawassee. This little town of about 800 has great services for thru hikers. Miss Janet is truly a trail angel. She has been traveling up the trail in her van helping out hikers for 15 years. It is amazing how many hikers and gear she can cram into her van. We were ready to get off the trail and out of the snow for the night. To Do list is made: Lunch. Store. Laundry. Shower. Dinner tonight at Daniels Steak House ¢ an all you can eat buffet for only $7.95. I do love a bargain. They say once you are there you can stay as late as you want and eat as much as you can. See, they offer good Southern hospitality to us hikers.   Let¢s see ¢ a shower and a swim, great company and great food¢¦Don¢t tell my wife, she will think I am on vacation. It was also good to shave ¢ we all clean up pretty good. As I write this it is snowing A LOT here in Hiawassee GA on this fine spring day.Later: Went up Blue Mt and then dropped 1200 feet in 1.5 miles to the GapWas surprised to fine a Starbucks at the food store. Tall coffee BLACK! Sure did taste good Re: Picture - no I didn't fall over, there's a glitch with phones and IPads. My editor is cute but I didn't marry her for her technological skills. All the pictures are right side up on laptops and PCs.
Date: 2014-03-26
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Addis Gap
Miles today: 11.3

We lost some of our group today. Some say that by this time, a week in, 25% of the wanna be thru hikers will have dropped out. No wonder - tonight it will get down to 25 degrees. Slow and steady gets you down the trail. Sarah, Tas, and Torch are staying behind a day. But that¢s how it is¢¦hike with some folks a while and then others. No telling where hikers will meet up again! And when we meet will we recognize each other because I stepped on the scale and have lost 5 pounds. Even with the all you can eat buffet - only $7.95. This hiker likes food and likes it cheap. Dr. Zoom and I are waiting for that trail angel, Miss Janet, to take us back to Unicoi gap, at 2949 feet. There are two big climbs today. Rocky Mountain at 4017 feet, down 1000 feet and back up to Tray Mountain at 4430 feet.Later today: Got to Tray Mt and decided to go further because today is a beautiful day for hiking. Dr Zoom and I are the only people in this camp. Set up the tents and there¢s still time to read. I am using my IPhone for journaling, reading and keeping track of my miles. Oh, and at times we do get a signal so I can call home. That¢s it for today - tomorrow will be a short day as we hike to a new hostel, Top of Georgia, just a half mile from Dicks Creek Gap.
Date: 2014-03-27
From: Addis Gap

To: Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 5.4

It was a cold morning. And my mother-in-law thinks we keep it cold at the house. Up and out of camp at 8:20 a.m. We went over Powell Mt. at 3850 feet to Dicks Creek Gap at 2675 feet. The quite a climb up but the rest, as they say, was all downhill.It was a short day today as the hostel we were headed for was only 12 mile from Dicks Creek Gap. It¢s called Top of Georgia Hostel and Hiking Center.   Owned and operated by hikers they know what we need. It has only been open for two weeks so we are some of their first guests. Bob ("Sir-Packs-Alot") Gabrielsen is the owner and Johnny ("Standup") Varner is the cook and caretaker. Some of their ¢amenities¢ include bunks, hot showers, laundry service (for a mere $5 they will wash, fluff and fold ¢ leaving your clothes on your bunk ¢ I don¢t get that kind of service at home), hot meals and a shuttle service (just in case we get homesick for Hiawassee!) One special service Sir-Packs-ALot offers is a ¢Pack Shake Down¢ ¢ he will offer his expert advice about what you need and especially what you don¢t need in your pack. They even offer campfire chats for some good AT story telling. As we settle in I have been craving spaghetti all day and guess what is on the menu! There are rumors about Standup¢s homemade cinnamon rolls. Ah, my life will be good with a cinnamon roll and a good cup of coffee in the morning! Thinking about food is getting me hungry and since dinner isn¢t until 7 we are heading to a burger place for lunch. Can¢t miss a meal or I will wither away to nothing. I ended up having dinner with Bob, the afore mentioned hostel owner, aka Sir Packs A Lot. He received his Triple Crown award in 2007. The Triple Crown award is given by ALDHA-West after you have hiked all three long trails: Appalachian, Continental Divide and the Pacific Crest Trail. I was the treasurer and the newsletter editor for ALDHA West before ¢retiring¢ to have time to go hiking. ALDHA stands for American Long Distance Hiking Association. Met a hiker who goes by Starbucks. We have more than hiking in common as he works for REI in Virginia. I am a seasonal worker and all year customer of the Washington based REI. I told him where the one Starbucks in town was and he was soon out the door, Starbucks¢ cup in hand.
Date: 2014-03-28
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: moderate rain

The AT runs through 14 states. This morning I woke up in Georgia and went to bed in North Carolina. One state down¢¦13 to go!There was rain and fog all day. I was on the trail by 8 a.m. This section of the hike had lots of ups and downs. The final push was a 1600 elevation rise in 1.5 miles. I was coming down to Blue Ridge Gap when I heard a truck start and take off east on a forest service road. As I continued up the other side three army guys came running down the trail in full gear. They asked how far to Blue Ridge Gap and I told them just two minutes. Had to break the news - their truck just left. They were not happy campers.Dr. Zoom and I are sleeping in a shelter tonight with three others instead of putting up our tents. Some of you were wondering about how Zoom became DR. ZOOM. It was when Sarah had blisters ¢ Zoom was there to help her with his first aid kit.   Thus he became Dr. Zoom.
Date: 2014-03-29
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: moderate rain

Rain continued all day ¢ almost as rainy as in my home state of Washington this month. I took two spills today but no blood so all is good. I always told my kids if there¢s no blood or a bone sticking out they were okay. But I must say with a wet trail it is easy to have my size 14 feet slide out from under me. I will be in a shelter again tonight. When there¢s room it is so much nicer than setting up a tent in the rain. I am down to my last pair of dry socks for tomorrow. Hiking makes you appreciate things you usually take for granted ¢ like hot coffee and dry socks. The Boy Scouts stopped in for food and have decided to bail on their 3 day hike. So much for getting a badge for hiking in rain, fog and wind. Kevin from Toronto showed up without Brittany as she went home. You got to give her credit to try it for her guy. My gal was clear that she wasn¢t a hiker on our first date ¢ and I am glad because someone needs to post my journals, send me dry socks and homemade brownies. Tonight we have 9 people in a six person shelter. A storm is rolling in so we are glad to tuck in and share the space. Okay, the picture is one my editor found as it was too rainy and foggy to get a good shot of what must be a wonder to see when Spring comes and the rain stops.
Date: 2014-03-30
From: Carter Gap Shlter

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

Well, what can I say? Rain is bad enough but the winds started to whip up. It actually stopped raining at midnight Saturday only to start a driving freezing 50 mile an hour wind. This morning everything in the shelter was frozen. When I say everything I mean everything, including socks hung out to dry and my tennis shoes. But a hiker knows every day ¢ no matter what ¢ we hike. I left the shelter at 8:15 a.m. to tackle Albert Mountain with its 5250 foot elevation. So far on the trail this is the highest point. There was a milestone to celebrate ¢ reaching the 100 mile mark on the AT at Fire Tower. Heading down to the Glassmine Gap. Along the way watched five different woodpeckers pound away at trees. They did it in turns, not all at once. There hasn¢t been much wildlife so far. The shelter mice are smart enough to stay out of the cold ¢ so haven¢t encountered them yet. I did see a deer on Blood Mountain and today almost stepped on a snake. I do not like snakes but this was a little brown garter snake. From Rock Gap Kevin and I hitchhiked into town. A farmer picked us up. His son is Corey who owns Outfitter 76. There are many of these important hiker life lines. As this is Sunday I really appreciated their mission statement: We believe we are blessed to provide resources to people, allowing them to get more intimate with God's wondrous creation. Our ultimate responsibility is to God and putting Him above all we do - to ensure that everyone we come in contact with will know there is something truly special about this organizationThe town of Franklin, NC doubles in size in t summer from 30,000 to 60,000 as many have summer homes in the area. Added to that are the thru hikers ¢ who are blessed to find a shuttle to take them into town, to have a good meal and a place to stay. The Sapphire Inn will have enough luxuries to give us a break but not enough to make us want to stay too long.   And again, it is Sunday. We missed the Hiker Bash by a day and everything except restaurants and grocery stores is closed. Tomorrow morning we are going to get to the First Baptist Church. Every morning from March 14 to April 11th these good people offer a hearty and hot breakfast to thru hikers. From their website: Last year, 2013, the Church fed 595 hikers from 44 states and 7 countries. To do this it took 42 church volunteers contributing 592 hours. Truly a worthy and impressive outreach ministry leaving hikers with a full belly and a good feeling about Franklin.That is indeed radical hospitality with a heaping dose of trail magic.
Date: 2014-03-31
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Burningtown Gap
Miles today: 18.3

We did have breakfast with the kind folks at First Baptist Church. They picked us up at 7:15 a.m. for an All You Can Eat (AYCE) pancakes, sausage, coffee and OJ. See previous post about them. No, they didn¢t baptize me again ¢ only the blessing of their hospitality and prayers for us. Soon I was back at the motel and then the handy shuttle took us back to the trail.We headed up to Wayah Bald with its well known stone tower. Here¢s my editor¢s educational moment: Wayah is a Cherokee word for wolf. Once there was a large population of Red Wolves in the area until the mid 19th century when due to a bounty they were nearly eradicated. The total population was down to 14. Point Defiance Zoo, near Tacoma, WA, has been carrying out a program of rescue of the Red Wolves. Red Wolves from the zoo were released back to their native habitat at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, NC in 1987. A year later the first wild red wolf pups were born. http://www.pdza.org/red-wolf-conservation/ (Can you tell she is a teacher at heart?) As we were headed to the Wayah Stone tower the trail turned to pavement which felt weird. It was a clear day and I think I got a pretty good picture of the tower. It was built during the Depression in 1937 by the CCC. It was built for fire detection and sat 60 feet above the summit. It fell into disrepair but had some TLC not too long ago. From the tower is a great view of the land around Franklin, NC.We got to our shelter early and decided to continue on since it was a good day for hiking. But a funny thing happened on the way to the next shelter. We found a sign for a hostel and decided to try and get cell service and it worked! 20 minutes later I was in a nice hot shower.The hostel is run by Wiggy (Steve) and his wife Maggie. He hiked the AT in 2010. Once again we find those who have hiked the AT know what thru hikers need. The hostel has basic services ¢ WiFi, laundry, a kitchen (to whip up some instant mashed potatoes and chicken in no time), a lovely lounge where some of us are going to watch a movie. Many think this is the nicest hostel on the AT. From our view they might just be right! In fact some of us are thinking we will slack pack tomorrow and stay here again. Slack packing is where you go with basically a day pack, hike from one shuttle drop to the next. After a great day of hiking you then return to where you were, have another great night before heading back out to the trail. And one more thing - my choice of instant potatoes - Idahoan. They come in 4 oz. foil pouches and run about 90 cents each. The package says it serves 4 or one hungry thru hiker! They also come in different flavors - like Buttery Homestyle, Four Cheese and Garlic - I will save that one for when I am solo hiking!
Date: 2014-04-01
From: Burningtown Gap

To: NOC
Miles today: 12.9

After a good waffle breakfast we got dropped off at Burningtown Gap to slack pack to Nantahala Outdoor Center.   When you slack pack you leave all your gear and just take a day pack. It made the miles go by faster. The shuttle drops you at one spot on the trail and picks you up down the road. Then it is a leisurely drive back to the hostel. We hiked up to the observation tower on Wesser Bald at 4627 feet before heading down 3000 feet in six miles to Nantahala Outdoor Center. From Wesser Bald, you can see the Great Smoky Mountains to the North, the Balsam Mountains and the Cowees to the Northeast, the Little Tennessee River Valley to the East, the Nantahala Mountains to the South (Winespring Bald's radio/tv towers) and to the West the Valley River Mountains and the Snowbird Mountains. By the way a ¢bald¢ is not the state of a hiker¢s hair ¢ it is a low elevation mountain surrounded by forest yet devoid of trees on the crown. Typically covered with meadows, balds can offer great views and are a good place to find wild berries, they also attract much wildlife ¢ it is a southern term. If you¢re not careful my sneaky editor will teach you more than you wanted to know! Hikers come and go ¢ depending on speed or taking time off. A new hiker friend is Buzz. She does a lot of miles every day ¢ I told her she is getting a rep ¢ ¢I am Buzz, get out of my way, I do BIG miles!¢ She added ¢and I smell good!¢ She had been hiking with Spice for a while who we also met.   Buzz says she did a pack shake down at Neels Gap and lost 160 pounds from the hike ¢ namely her boyfriend. Buzz did a 22 mile slack pack to meet us at NOC,   Like I said we come and go, hiking with some for a while and then because of schedule we part ways. Dr. Zoom will be getting ahead of me next week when a friend from home, Curt, is flying out to hike with me for a week. Dr. Zoom will be taking some time off the trail for his sister¢s wedding so we might catch up with each other somewhere down the trail. We get word up and down the trail where folks are ¢ Sarah, Tas and hopefully Torch are just a day behind us now. I know you are interested - I had a lamb gyro and salad and 2 hours later a Swiss mushroom burger. Life is good. It¢s all about living the dream¢¦and the food. It¢s movie night again at the hostel. Last night was ¢9¢ by Tim Burton ¢ bizarre as are most of his movies. Tonight is a bit more mainline ¢ picked by Buzz we are watching Ice Age! Anyway that is the latest. Should be to Fontana Dam on Friday. I had already scheduled Saturday off to wait for Curt and we head out on Sunday. If we thank God for the wonders of the mountains will that count towards our worship attendance? They might count us as we have an in at the church ¢ Curt¢s wife heads our worship team and my wife, well, you know, she the pastor.
Date: 2014-04-02
From: NOC

To: Locust Cove Gap
Miles today: 10.3

After another great breakfast and we are off to Locust Cove Gap. NOC is the Nantahala Outdoor Center. It is a great place where thru hikers, section hikers, day hikers and non-hikers converge to enjoy the Great Smoky Mountains. Not only do folks hike here they also do the zip line, boat rides, mountain biking and other adventures. Once again there were great services for thru hikers who need a break or to restock. They also have a good selection of Ben and Jerry¢s!   But now we are on the trail at 9:30 a.m. because we are HIKERS! Since we dropped 3000 feet yesterday we get to climb 3000 today!!! Throughout the trail the rocks glitter and this is from mica. North Carolina leads the nation in production of mica. It is used as an insulator in electronic and a glittery addition to toothpaste. It also is used in paints and for insulation. I got to Sassafras Shelter early and decided to continue on so less miles tomorrow.Buzz left the trail at NOC to head home for a family event. She will return in a week with her brother to hike the Great Smoky Mts. Will miss her sense of humor and energy! If by chance you do go hiking and can stay at the Aquone Hiker Lodge do!   2 nights with hot showers, 2 breakfasts, 2 laundry, 2 movie nights and shuttle to and from the trail. $83. As you can see, it is a wonderful place. Really appreciate the folks following my hike. And special thanks to John and Sindy for the protein bars and Paula for the VIA coffee. I am not much into instant ¢ coffee purist I am ¢ but a hot cup of Starbucks on the trail is a welcome treat. Ah, I might need to stop here for a protein bar and a cup of Joe.
Date: 2014-04-03
From: Locust Cove Gap

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Up, packed and out of camp at 8:15 a.m. About 4 miles in we climbed Jacob¢s Ladder. It has a 600 elevation gain in 6/10 mile. Wow!Lunch was at Brown Fork shelter and afternoon break at Hogback Gap.It¢s a great hiking day with a high temperature at 80 degrees.In our small camp tonight is Dr. Zoom, Crocs (Kevin from Toronto) and Spice from West Virginia. There are also about ten other tents.There are trail registers in each shelter so hikers can sign in to see who is ahead and leave notes. We have been following Naked Ninja. We kept wondering who he was. We met him today at our break. He hikes in a kilt. Word is he got his name on a previous AT hike when he would hike without a shirt and just his kilt. It has to be pretty darn cold for Naked Ninja to put on a jacket!
Date: 2014-04-04
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Hwy 28
Miles today: 5.5

Out of camp at 8 a.m. It gets earlier when food is calling though at home I am usually up by five. We climbed up and over Black Gum Gap and got to Walker Gap before the rain started. It was going to be a rather short day anyway as my goal was to get to the Hike Inn at Fontana Dam only 5.5 miles away. When I got to Hwy. 28 caught a shuttle into Fontana Village for lunch. Started the day with four hikers and ended with eight. Buzz showed up as she decided to go further before heading home. She changed her trail name to ¢Mouse Nip¢ because she says mice keep finding her. She had three of them on top of her tent last night waiting for her to go asleep. Shelter mice can be a bother but they haven¢t bothered me enough to write home about them. But then again we point them towards Buzz aka Mouse Nip.Tonight I am staying at the Hike Inn where friend Curt will join me tomorrow (Saturday) Dr. Zoom will continue on up the trail. He is getting off the trail later, I will jump off the trail for a few days in June so who knows - we might be hiking together again. Heading to Robbinsville for dinner ¢ a small town with a lot of restaurants to choose from!
Date: 2014-04-05
From: Fontana Hwy 28

To: Zero Day
Miles today: 0.0

Zero day. No miles on the trail today!Some Hiking Terms:Zero day means you don¢t hike any miles.Nero day is when you hike a couple of miles into town. Do all of your town chores and then hike a couple of miles out of townTown chores: food, laundry, shower (send wife a post card) White blazing. Follow all the white blazes along the ATBlue blazing. Side trails off the AT that maybe more scenic or easier than the ATYellow blazing. Travel by car following yellow lines on the roadAqua blazing. Travel by boat along a river that follows the ATPink blazing. Follow a girl down the trail carrying her gear ¢ uh, I have only heard of this one!Settling down for the evening - and Tas, Sarah, and Crocs showed up for the night!
Date: 2014-04-06
From: Zero Day

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: overcast clouds

On the trail at 8am at Fontana dam with Curt Stock after starting with a cup of Starbucks Via coffee sent by Paula and cookies from Curt¢s wife, Donna. The brownies Joyce sent were devoured last night. There was a 3000 ft elevation gain over 8 miles heading towards Shuckstack Gap with its fire tower.Passed the stone throne ¢ a piling of stones that would make a great place for a king to sit for a while. Lunch was with the ATC Ridge Runner at Mollies Ridge Shelter. This is his 12th year living at that particular shelter. Ridge Runners are mainly there for educational purposes...teaching hikers Leave No Trace, advising of trail and weather conditions, giving directions, teaching people to hang their food, etc, etc. They carry a radio and can call for help in an emergency and listen to weather reports, and they also maintain the privys and pack out any trash people leave behind.They camp out just like all the other hikers in the Smokies and usually have an assigned territory and go from shelter to shelter.And finally, a mystery solved. Yes! a bear does crap in the forest. In what they left behind there was no Charmin but also no bear bells - so all is good.
Date: 2014-04-07
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: moderate rain

An incredibly big storm came in last night. It poured rain and blew very strong wind all night.Wind continued most of the day bringing fog with it. It made for difficult hiking ¢ and spoiled the view of what most likely is the most beautiful part of the trail. We went over several mountains and by viewpoints but could not see anything.Curt was two miles ahead of me but my body would not move. I think I may have the flu. I had a fever all day and weakness. I will try to get to Clingmans Dome tomorrow and then to get to Gatlinburg to recover. My concern, besides my fever is getting my stove to Curt tomorrow since we are sharing ¢ one of the others can carry it on to him and let him know what is happening to me.