morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-03-17
From: Neel Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: light snow

Day 5- a quick update on last night. Another hiker, Blackhorse, (Phil), joined Nancy, Frank, Jim and I in our toasty, dry cabin. It was a most enjoyable evening as we shared lots of laughs and listened to the rain hit the roof over our heads. The rain continued this AM when we got up but the forecast was for the rain to change to intermittent showers with dropping temps. We pulled out of the cabin at 8:05 and had our umbrellas up to shield us from some of the rain. We planned to do 11.5 miles and we finished that about 1 PM. The rain stopped after about 2 hours of hiking which made the miles more pleasant. Even though the rain quit the views were still socked in with clouds, except on top of one mountain when we were between layers of clouds and we could see the tops of some nearby ridgelines with clouds below. It was a bit eerie!Twice today the trail went through 2 parking lots and in both places we talked to some locals who were doing shuttle services for some hikers. Seems like most hikers got off the trail last night and many are taking a zero day today (hiking no miles). We figured we can handle one cold, wet night knowing that tomorrow night we have a planned motel night in Hiawassee, GA. Jill F. we are at the Low Gap Shelter tonight near your home town!Jim is working to get a fire built in the fire pit and if he is successful he will be the hero to all who come to this shelter area. That's all for now. There is fairly good cell service here but my fingers are so cold that typing is a challenge. All is well.
Date: 2014-03-19
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 7- Today was our biggest mileage day yet, until tomorrow. We hiked 13.1 miles on the first day of our 6-day challenge and all went well. Our shuttle driver delivered us back to a foggy Unicoi gap and we were on the trail by 9:45 AM. It was cold and moist as we once again were walking in a cloud but we quickly warmer up as the trail climbed 1000 feet to the top of Rocky Mountain. We then descended and then climbed to the top of Tray Mountain. The rest of the day was filled the more ups and downs. The sun came out around noon and we shed some of our layers and were actually sweating at times. We were rewarded with some lovely views this afternoon which makes the climbing worth it. Our packs are heavier than they were at the start because we have 6 days of food instead of 3. Plus Jim was carrying a sub sandwich for our lunch today which must have weighed more than a pound! It was tasty. Our dinner tonight will be Peanut Butter sandwiches, which is usually our lunch. Today on the trail we met some new folks with these trail names: Mechanic, Cactus and Tortoise. The trail is marked with white blazes on trees and rocks. The blazes are 2" X 6" of white paint. Most of the time we see a blaze often enough to not think that we got off the trail but every once in awhile we will asked each other if we'd seen a blaze in awhile. Most of the time there has been no other trail to take, but blazes are reassuring. The trail used to be marked with round metal discs nailed to trees but people started taking them as souvenirs so the painted blazes replaced the discs. We are camped at a lovely shelter tonight. One of the hikers came in carrying a small guitar and he is now strumming it so we shall have entertainment this evening. Squirrel wants me to mention that we saw a squirrel today, only the second squirrel we've seen. I, however, have a squirrel following me everyday! All is well.
Date: 2014-03-20
From: Deep Gap

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

Day 8- Hello North Carolina! At mile 78.5 we crossed from GA into NC and there was a small sign marking this milestone. One state down, 13 to go! North Carolina welcomed us with 2 very steep uphill climbs. The elevation profile map for these couple of miles looks like an EKG strip! Fortunately the weather was great for hiking, sunny and in the 50's with cool breezes blowing depending on what side of the mountain or gap we were on. We started hiking about 7:45 after a fun evening around a campfire with a large group of interesting young people and a good night's sleep. We hiked for about an hour and a half when we caught up with Nancy and Frank. We hadn't seen them in a couple of nights because we went to Hiawassee one night and they went the next. We did some catching up and then moved on. We leapfrogged for the rest of the day with them and Bandit, Peek-a-blue, High Loon, Daniel and some others we met for the first time. Our 15.4 miles today was another personal best for us, until tomorrow. I'm pretty tired now as we climbed lots of hills/mountains today. Tomorrow's miles should involve less elevation change. We met some new folks today and the trail names I remember are: Hamp, Uncle Fool, KV, B-man, Jo Cool, the G.O.A.T., and Hawk. It is a good mental exercise to remember all these new names! All is well.
Date: 2014-03-21
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Betty Creek Camp
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: broken clouds

Day 9- We achieved a new personal best today with 16.2 miles! Today's miles were much easier than yesterday's because there was less up and down. Our big climb of the day was to the top of Standing Indian Mountain, with a 1200 foot climb to an elevation of 5500 feet. The 2.4 mile trail up looked like it followed an old road so the grade was gentle. The trail down was 4.6 miles so it was not too hard on the knees. We took a short spur trail to get to the actual summit and the view was grand, however there was no cell service! The clear day afforded us views of mountains and ridges as far as the eye could see! It was fabulous! Some hikers told us that there is a 20% chance of showers tonight, so we'll see if that materializes. When we left Hiawassee on Wednesday morning the weather looked dry for 6-7 days, but we know things change. We sure have appreciated the past 3 days of sunshine! Tonight for dinner we are eating a dehydrated meal I put together of pasta, spaghetti sauce, ground beef, and peas. It will be yummy. Last night we rehydrated and heated a meal of pasta, peas, ground beef and baked bean gravy. That too was tasty! We are camped at a small camping area along the trail called the Betty Creek Camp-no shelter here just spaces for tents. The creek is about .2 miles from the trail, but it is worth the walk. We collected water for the evening and then soaked our feet in the icy water and tried to wash a few body parts. It was so cold it felt like the stream came from glacial run-off!Tomorrow we thought we would do about 12 miles, but if we're feeling good we may try to do 4 extra to get to a shelter and shorten up the following day, which has a good bit of elevation change. We'll see. All is well.
Date: 2014-03-23
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: broken clouds

Day 11- Here we are at Cold Spring Shelter and "cold" is the operative word! It started raining just as we left this morning at 7:30 and the temp was about 35 degrees. It rained for about 3 hours and we only saw one southbound hiker in that time. We used our umbrella system and it worked well because there was no wind. Shortly after it stopped raining we passed Wayah Bald Shelter so we stopped in for a snack break and met a young couple from London, England with the trail names of Dirty Harry and Misty. They were heading out so we chatted for a few minutes and then followed them up the trail. No trail magic today so we pressed on to our destination of Cold Spring Shelter. When we arrived there was a couple who had stopped to get some water and a young man spread out over most of the shelter floor. He was giving off strange vibes and we were a bit relieved when he decided to move on after 3 hours. He didn't seem particularly prepared to be out here but said he had walked 1,000 miles on the AT last year. I hope things go well for him. This is a small shelter and is supposed to sleep 6. The wind is howling and the temp is dropping and it is cold ( did I mention that already?!). The tent sites are up the trail a tenth of a mile on the ridge line. Jim says we should try sleeping in the shelter tonight because it will be colder on the ridge, so that's what we're going to do. I have been reluctant to sleep in the shelters because there is always someone who snores up a storm and the mice come out at night to see what they can eat on the shelter floor. If things get really bad, we'll just get up, pack up and start walking. Tomorrow we have 11-plus miles to get us to the Nantahala Outdoor Center, where we have a motel room booked for two nights! We will be taking a "zero" day, where we hike zero miles-in other words, a rest day! Later: we've set up out tent which makes me happy. Plus a bunch of guys have arrived and want to sleep in the shelter. And Nancy and Frank (the Youngsters) have joined us here and will go into the NOC tomorrow too. Nice sunset on its way to the low 20's and since it is Spring, Jim tells me this is not winter camping! Yeah, right! All is well.
Date: 2014-03-24
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 11.9

Day 12- It was cold last night as predicted but we were warm in our tent and sleeping bags. In order to stay warm here's what I wore to bed last night: 2 pair of socks, long underwear, hiking pants, a wool shirt, 2 lightweight fleece jackets, a wind jacket, a buff around my neck, my possum/wool hat and my fleece mittens! I zipped up my down coat and slide it over the end of my sleeping bag to help keep my feet warm. This layering worked and I was toasty all night. When I got up to go to the barroom at 2:30 AM, the moon was just rising over a ridge line in the distance and it was the most vibrant shade of orange. I lingered a moment longer than needed just to enjoy that sight. Today we had 11.9 miles to get to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC), where we booked a room for 2 nights. We watched the sunrise as we walked and it was the prelude to a sunny, clear day. The trail had some ups and downs for the first 6 miles, but the last 5-plus miles were downhill to the Nantahala river gorge. The first mile was very steep and rocky so our (my) pace was slow. When the gradient became less steep I was able to pick up the pace and we arrived here at 12:30 PM. It was sunny and warm and the daffodils are in bloom! We checked in to our room which is one of 10 in a large cabin, which has a large common area. The Youngsters are here in the cabin along with Andy and High Loon, two other hikers who have been on about the same schedule as we are. Lunch and dinner at the River's Edge Restaurant filled our bellies and we are now warm and dry in the cabin with friends. Tomorrow is a zero day for us. A zero day in trail lingo means a day when no miles are walked and we are looking forward to a day of rest. The weather forecast is for very cold temps and snow here tomorrow so it worked out perfectly for us to take a zero day. Time to get some sleep. I will try to add some photos to our gallery. All is well.
Date: 2014-03-26
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Locust Grove Gap campsite
Miles today: 10.1

Day 14-Today was all about the uphill! Right from the moment we set foot back on the AT we were going uphill. There was just a dusting of snow when we left the cabin at 8:35 AM but it didn't take too long for more and more snow to gather on the trail. There were sections of the trail which went through dense rhododendrum groves on the shady side of the mountain where the footing was precarious as we were walking over and around icy, snowy rocks. By the time we got to the upper gaps the wind had blown the snow into drifts that came up to our knees. We were grateful for the southbound hikers who had made some tracks through the drifts. We reached the summit of our climb at Cheoah Bald with 360 degree views of the NC mountains! The sunny, clear weather made this a perfect lunch spot. We ate our lunch in the company of Peek-a-blue and 2 young girls that were out for a day hike. They took the picture to the left and shared their chocolate chips! Trail magic! After the summit we had a couple of miles of downhill to get to our campsite. So far we are camped with the same people we shared a cabin with the last 2 nights. Squirrel (Jim) has collected a good amount of wood for a fire tonight which will keep one side of us warm!We paused on our hike uphill today to read a plaque that was mounted on a trail-side rock outcropping. The plaque was a memorial to a man named Sutton who lost his life near that spot in 1968 while fighting a forest fire. Hikers had obviously been adding stones to the memorial over the years so we found a rock to add as our tribute to this firefighter. Tomorrow will be another big day as we have 17 miles to get to Fontana Dam where our Trail Jeannie will be meeting us with our food resupply. She will stay the night with us so we got a room at the local lodge. It will be another cold night, but all is well.
Date: 2014-03-27
From: Locust Grove Gap campsite

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 17.1

Day 15 - A new PR for daily mileage - 17.1 miles with a good number of ups and downs. I didn't sleep well last night because my feet never got warm and I was always almost cold. I thought it was going to be warmer than it ended up being so I only wore one pair of socks, wore lighter-weight pants over my long underwear and left off one of my wool shirts. I added my wool hat partway through the night which helped but it was a restless night. There were 2 big hiking challenges today, Jacob's Ladder and the descent into Fontana Dam. We knew that Jacob's Ladder was significant because it got some ink in the guidebook. Basically is was a .6 mile stretch of trail that went straight up. The good thing was that the trail was mostly packed dirt so there were no uneven, rocky steps to navigate. Once we were to the top (17 minutes) I told Squirrel that it was easier than I thought it would be. He replied that most things are!! We walked under clearing skies and by the time we finished our miles, the sun was shining through bright blue skies. Our descent into Fontana Dam was a fairly steady downhill. Earlier in the day my left knee felt like it wasn't quite lined up and was a bit uncomfortable on the downhills. At lunch I took an Advil and then we had a good mile uphill climb which seemed to align my knee joint again. So between my body fixing itself and the Advil, the descent wasn't too bad. The highlight of our day was meeting our Trail Jeannie at Fontana Dam as she was waiting for us when we emerged from the woods! She brought us the first half of our food supply for our first 3 days in the Smokies. We got a room at the Fontana Lodge so that Jeannie could spend the night with us and we could organize our resupply. Jeannie brought us a couple of things that were surprises to us~dried out Peeps and a Snyder's pretzel! Such treats! We all ate a good dinner and then Jim gave Jeannie some instructions for handling some of our tax documents that need to be submitted. We had some hope for spring's arrival as we saw some trillium pushing up through the ground as well as some tiny yellow flowers and some small white flowers blooming along the trail. Tomorrow we enter Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It is 70-80 miles through the Smokies (I don't have that map in front of me for the exact mileage) and there are rules for hikers that are specific to being in the Smokies. We have to stay in shelters unless weekend hikers have reserved all the spaces or other thru-hikers have claimed a spot, then we can set up our tent. We hope to be able to tent all the nights we are in the Smokies. The forecast calls for rain on Friday and Saturday and then a stretch of nicer weather. The temps also look like they will be warm enough to keep the rain from turning to snow at higher elevations. So we will enjoy one more night with a firm roof over our head before heading our for 6-7 days in the Smokies. All is well.
Date: 2014-03-28
From: Fontana Dam

To: Russell Field Shelter, GSMNP
Miles today: 14.9

Day 16- First thing, we must thank our Trail Jeannie for delivering our resupply and staying the night with us! It was so good to see her and share some laughs. She will meet us again on Sunday in Newfound Gap to give us our food for the remaining days in the Smokies. The forecast for today was for rain all day but we got lucky and hiked for 3.5 hours before the showers started. We made a quick stop to don our rain gear. Shortly after that we stopped again to get our umbrellas rigged up. Out of our 7-plus hours of hiking we probably didn't have more than 2 hours of rain. The AT crosses on top of the Fontana Dam and then heads into the woods. The first mile or so was very steep uphill but then the ups and downs moderated to a very manageable gradient. We stopped between rain drops for our PB&J sandwiches. We were able to add some jelly to our peanut butter because the little packets came with our toast for breakfast so we put a few in our lunch bag! We stopped at the first shelter in the Smokies for a snack and it was already quite full with weekend hikers. This shelter had a fireplace and they had a roaring fire going. We planned to stay at the next shelter so we moved on and I am glad we did. We have to stay in the shelters here in the Smokies if there is room. We arrived at the Russell Field Shelter and were greeted by a Ridge Runner who let us know that we were the first thru-hikers and that there was room for us in the Shelter. We choose two spots on the lower sleeping shelf and have been enjoying the company of the other shelter dwellers. It appears that I will be the only woman in the shelter with 9 guys. I imagine that it will be a real snore-fest tonight. I better find my earplugs! A Ridge Runner is an employee of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and hikes and monitors a stretch of the trail. These people provide a valuable service and are very knowledgable. We were glad to meet this guy at this shelter and hear his stories. The rain is supposed to taper off tomorrow afternoon with clearer weather moving in for the next few days. If I walk up a rise just outside of this shelter I may be able to post this journal entry tonight. All is well.
Date: 2014-03-29
From: Russell Field Shelter, GSMNP

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: moderate rain

Day 17- After being hesitant about staying in shelters and then having to stay in one last night, we had a great experience. I was warm, which is a big deal, and I got to sleep before the snorers did and didn't put my earplugs in until later in the night. There were rain drops or condensation drops falling on the plexiglass roof all night which made good white noise. We were the first ones away from the shelter this morning at 7:45. Originally we were going to go to a shelter that was 14.7 miles away but we thought if we pushed on and got to this shelter that might give us more time with Jeannie tomorrow. We passed up the original planned shelter, which was empty, and took a chance that this place would have space for us. We were thrilled to discover that there was space for us and we are now settled in on the lower shelf for sleeping. This shelter will not be as warm because it is not fully enclosed up high where the porch roof is attached. It is dry and a few people are trying to get a fire going. We walked in a lot of wet and windy conditions today. On top of the many balds we climbed and crossed we were battered by strong winds and misty conditions as we were walking through the clouds. By the afternoon the trail was super muddy and at times had a stream flowing down it. Our boots were as wet as they could get but our feet were warm as long as we were walking. I forgot to mention yesterday that we joined up with Tennessee. NC and TN share the ridge line that the AT follows. I can best describe it by saying that usually our left foot is in TN and our right foot is in NC! Today we hiked past the spot where we had less than 2,000 miles left to hike! Tomorrow we pass the 200 mile mark! And Jeannie will be meeting us in Newfound Gap with our resupply for the rest of the Smokies. So, to be honest this was not my favorite day on the trail but we are in a solid shelter with a nice group of people. And I am reminded of the AT saying, "No rain, no Maine!"All is well.
Date: 2014-03-31
From: Newfound Gap

To: Peck's Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.4

Day 19- March 31 Newfound Gap to Pecks Corner Shelter 10.4 milesWe had such a nice evening at our Trail Jeannie's house, including a nice Italian dinner at a local restaurant which gave free dessert to people celebrating their birthdays. Jeannie and I shared a slice of cheesecake! Jeannie returned us to Newfound Gap and we were hiking by 10:30 AM. The trail was generally snow covered but well-packed down. After climbing up, up, up out of the gap I stopped to put on my YakTrax anticipating some icy patches when we went down hill. It turned out that I probably didn't need them because the sun was working its magic and melting the snow on the trail. The warm temps of the day turned the trail into one big slushie, which makes for tough walking. We ended our day with boots and socks that were once again as wet as they could get. We will try to keep them from freezing tonight! The day was clear and we had beautiful views to the left and to the right of the trail. We took a short spur trail to Charlie's Bunion, a huge outcropping of rock which provided more spectacular views. Since climbing up between 5,000 and 6,000-plus feet the forest has changed. Instead of walking through hardwood trees we are now in pine tree country. The evergreens, the white snow and the blue sky are very photogenic. We are camped at 5555 feet and there is a lot of snow on the ground and the shelter is very cold. There is too much snow on the ground for the collection of firewood so there will be no fire tonight. I know I can be warm in my sleeping bag so I will probably do a fair amount of Kindle reading tonight. Even though this shelter is .4 miles off the trail, there are already 10 of us here. This .4 miles to get to the shelter and .4 to get back to the trail in the morning do not count in our official trail mileage. Time for dinner. Tonight we are having, pasta, ground beef, peas and carrots in baked bean gravy. Yummy! All is well.
Date: 2014-04-01
From: Peck's Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

Day 20- April 1Happy April Fool's Day! No tricks on the trail today, though!Last night, our shelter which was designed to hold 12 people was bursting at the seams with 18!!! It was cozy and warm and with my earplugs in I slept fairly well. We, along with a young couple of section hikers, were the first ones up and about. We started our .4 miles to get back to the AT and the started our actual miles at 7:15 AM. Our 12.9 miles seemed relatively easy today with moderate ups and downs and improved trail conditions over yesterday. This morning the cooler temps kept the trail crunchy. Later in the day the sun melted the trail-side snow and the route was quite muddy or the sun was an over-achiever and had actually dried out the trail in places. We arrived at tonight's shelter feeling less tired than the last 2 day of hiking. The sun is shining here at the shelter, we've claimed a corner spot on the lower sleeping shelf, our socks are drying and surprisingly, there is strong cell service here. This shelter also has a very close water source and a privy! A 5-star accommodation for sure! All is well.