morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-12
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Wayah Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

It was a warm day, but not to bad. Went across the Siler and Wayah Balds. A bald is a treeless mountain top. Of course coming out of town, we had a nice 1,100 foot climb up Siler Bald Mountain. Seems like every time we leave a town, it is an uphill climb.Franklin, NC is a very friendly hiker town, especially Ron Haven. He owns the The Budget Inn, The Saphire Hotel and The Franklin Inn. Every morning he does a regularly scheduled shuttle to/from the trailhead. If you are at the trailhead all you have to do is call and they will come and pick you up. No charge. Every evening he shuttles hikers around town to the outfitters, post office or stores. No charge.On the way back to the trailhead, Ron told us the story about Pirate, who has hiked the trail 17 times. It seems that Pirate likes to color and hide Easter Eggs along the trail for the hikers. However, there is one small problem, Pirate doesn't always cook the eggs first. Ran into Anansi at the shelter, also at the shelter was Dancing Wind from New York. I was very surprised to see her after reading about her bear incident on Blood Mountain. You will need to read her trailjournal to get the rest of the story. I am glad she decided to stay on the trail.Thought for the day....Why can't they put towns on the top of mountains?
Date: 2010-04-13
From: Wayah Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

It was a long day at 16 miles, most of it was downhill and very hard on the knees. I was sore and tired at the end of the day. The Nantahala Outdoor Center is not the most hiker friendly place on the trail even through the trail runs right through their campus. The resupply selection is poor. It almost seems like they dont want the hikers as it is mainly a rafting center. If you eat at the Rivers Bend Resturant, be careful. They like to make items sound like they are included in the meal and charge you for the items when you checkout. A very shady business practice in my book.Instead of paying for the hostel, several of us decided just to camp down by the river at a campsite Baltimore Jack mentioned. I have been traveling with a new group of characters and misfits...Hardboiled, Slightly Inappropriate, Dan, False Start, Dancing Wind, a couple from Germany, and three section hikers (String Bean, 4 Trees and Coach). While having dinner at the restaurant, I met some other hikers that called themselves "The Goonies" (Peach, Bam Bam, Wookie and Puma).
Date: 2010-04-14
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: clear sky

A very hot day especially for a 5 mile uphill hike. We climbed about 3,000 ft on the way to the shelter. I let the profile of the trail get to me mentally a bit, and that made the trip harder then it should have been.This is the 4th or 5th Sassafras Gap or Mountain that we have crossed. I think they need to get more original in their names. Some of the more unusual names are Big Butt Mountain, Chunky Gal Trail and Swinging Dick Gap. I have no comment.
Date: 2010-04-15
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Cody Gap
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

Another hot day. The morning we had to hike over 5,100 foot Cheoah Bald. The climb was only another 700ft as we did most of the work yesterday. On top of Cheoah Bald I ended up having second breakfast for the first time on the trail. By the time I got to the top, I was already sluggish and decided I wasn't eating enough calories and need to change it somehow. As I was cooking, I chatted with "The Goonies", who camped on top. The rest of the day was pretty easy. I ended up taking a 3 hour lunch break at Stecoah Gap with Peach, Bam Bam, Crazy Train, a girl from Austrailia (who later I learned was Lift'N'Step), a girl from New Zealand (who later I learned was Restless), Hardboil and Slighty Inappropriate and his girlfriend, who came out to hike with him for a few days. As we were getting ready to leave our lunch spot, we received trail magic. A guy came up to do a short day hike and gave us grapes and bananas. Fresh fruit something we never get out here. Then two guys that did a week long hike came up with hamburgers and chicken sandwiches from McDonalds and a cooler of Cokes. It was well needed. We finally left the road crossing where we had lunch. We ended up camping in a gap right on the trail. I didnt set-up my tent. I just camped on the ground, which is called cowboy camping. Crazy Train is from Virginia. He cooks most of his meals on a wood fire and carrys a very nice(and sharp)folding saw. He can build a fire in a very short time.
Date: 2010-04-16
From: Cody Gap

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: few clouds

Not a bad day for hiking, but had to rush to make sure I made it to town before the post office closed to pick up my package. I don't like the idea of mail drops, you always seem to be rushing to get to town before the post office closes. Fontana Dam is not a good resupply stop. They have a nice shuttle service to the village, but the prices are high and the selection very poor. For a resort right on the trail, you would think that they would cater to hiker a little bit more. I did stay one night at the hotel. Tonight I am going to go over to the shelter, named the Fontana Hilton. It is supposed to be very nice and even has a shower.   We gave the guy from Germany a trail name today...1 Beer, which is about all of the English he knows. He is a very nice guy. We are still working on a name for his girlfriend.
Date: 2010-04-17
From: Fontana Dam

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Took a zero today. Moved from the Fontana Dam Village to the Fontana Dam Shelter, which is named the Fontana Hilton. It is a large shelter that sleeps 24 and has a shower with hot and cold water. Last night 12 hikers got tickets for having beer at the shelter. It was $75 a ticket.I need to do a better job in resuppling and making sure that I get food that I am going to eat. I guess that comes with experience. About a couple more characters on the trail. One lady (Tolerance) started hiking with a African Gray Parrot. The bird was unhappy so she had a friend pick it up right before the North Carolina border. Another hiker left town with a small watermelon. Seems like a heavy item to be carrying, but each his own.
Date: 2010-04-18
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Mollie Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

We left Fontana Dam today and started the Great Smoky Mountains. This is one of the two sections of trail that makes me the most nervous. The other being the White Mountains in NH. It was a long road walk across the dam to the trailhead. Once we got to the trailhead it was uphill most of the day. In all we climbed over 2,000 feet. As luck would have it we went through another Sassafras Gap. Somebody needs to come up with some new names. We had several 4,000 ft mountains to go over during the day, Shuckstack, Greer Knob and Powell Knob. At lunch I ran into the local ridgerunner (someone who hikes a section of trail taking care of it and giving advice to the hikers), who told us about the upcoming terrain in the next couple of days. He was correct. The ridgerunner was also taking a survey of the hikers hometowns. He was also checking the backcountry permits of the sections hikers. In the Great Smoky Mountains and the Shenandoah National Park all hikers must have a backcountry camping permits. These permits are free and is for information purposes only. It allows the park rangers to keep track of the backpackers in the park. Section hikers have to fill out their camping locations each night, thru-hikers just list thru-hiking on their permits. In the Smokies, it is only legal to camp at shelters or designated campsites.
Date: 2010-04-19
From: Mollie Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The morning was an easy hike over some very beautiful balds. But the afternoon was tough and we had several hard climbs. First, we had to hike the 5,441 ft Rocky Top Mountain. Now everybody join me in a chorus of Rocky Top Tennessee. Then we had to climb the 5,527 ft Thunderhead Mountain. That was a touch climb. The end of the day was very frustrating. The map I am using is not the most detail map of the AT through this section. And several climbs at the end of the day were not on my map. Everytime I thought I was at the shelter, I ended up not even being close with another climb to hike. I have a new name for my most favorite names on the trail....Devil's Tater Patch.
Date: 2010-04-20
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was probably my lowest day on the trail. It was a cold, raining and windy day. But that is not what got me down. I see other hikers hiking 15 - 20 mile days and I am struggling to hike 12 - 14 miles. I just wish I could get my milage up so I can stay with them. The weather was not really an issue, I knew that there will be cold, wet day. And I am prepared for them. The shelter was built to sleep 12 and we had 18 people in for the night. It was cozy, but everybody stayed dry and warm. Towards dusk a group of 6 girls from a chuch group arrived. They were soaking wet and really not prepared to be out there as they had no tents or any other type of shelter with them. They also hike 4 miles on the wrong trail and had to back track the 4 miles back to the AT. They told us about a group of 6 boys from the same group hiking seperately that also ran into major problems. In fact, one of the boys had to be evaculated by the rangers to the hospital for hyperthermia. We found out the next morning from two of the group that went to the hospital with him that he was going to be fine. We also found out that the 3 boys that remained on the mountain had no stove. I am sure that the thru-hikers at the next shelter where they stayed took care of them. The shelters on the AT are first come - first serve, except the Smokies. In the Smokies, the shelters are reserved for section hikers. This is another reason for the backcountry permits. However 4 beds in each shelter are reserved for thru-hikers. If a section hiker with reservations arrives at a full shelter, they can kick out a thru-hiker and take their spot in the shelter. The logic for this policy is that thru-hikers are more prepared to sleep away from the shelter because they are carrying tents and other shelters, whereas sections hikers may or may not be carrying tents. The girls memtioned above did not have reservations for this shelter, but a shelter several miles down the trail, which they didnt make because of their navigation error. Therefore, the girls could not kick thru-hikers out of the shelter into the cold, raining night to set-up their tents. But since thru-hikers lookout for all hikers on the trail, we made room for them at the shelter so nobody had to sleep out in the rain. The shelters have two levels of sleeping platforms and a large open area under roof, so if nothing else people could have slept on the ground and still be under the roof.
Date: 2010-04-22
From: Gatlinburg. TN

To: Icewater Shelter
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: clear sky

I did a much better job resupplying this time. It was easier since I had a grocery store with a good selection of food. The outfitters runs a shuttle back to the top of the mountain and I took the late shuttle. When I got back to the trailhead, the parking lot was crowed with visitors and I was asked alot of questions about the Appalachian Trail and my hike. I almost felt like a celebrity. I only hike to the first shelter. The shelter was crowed so I decided to tent since no rain was forcasted and you guessed it, it rained.  Because I was on a slight hill, I slide a bit while sleeping and the foot of my sleeping bag got wet. Nothing serious. In several places over the last couple of day, the forest floor was totally carpeted in tiny white/light pink flowers.I heard that Liz (Mary Poppins) is leaving the trail. It is amazing how fast people is leaving.
Date: 2010-04-23
From: Icewater Shelter

To: Tri Corner Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: light rain

A very nice walk today. It was mainly on ridges which gave us spectular views all day. I started noticing that the forest is turning to more Douglas Fir then hardwood forest. Which is a nice change in scenery. We had to go over two 6,000 ft peaks today (Mt Sequoyan and Mt. Chapman). During the day a saw a Grouse walking up the trail. It stayed on the trail for about 50 yards. Just walking up the trail like a thru-hiker. Once it got off the trail it was almost impossible to see. There was a sign at the shelter saying that there was really bad bear activity around the shelter. Not the kind of warning around where you are going to be sleeping. However, didn't see a bear.
Date: 2010-04-24
From: Tri Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

It was a short day, again it was mostly ridge walking. I arrived at the shelter for lunch and while I was eating lunch it started raining, so I stayed at the shelter. At times the rain was really heavy and there were some thunderstorms. I still wish I would have moved on, in spite of the rain. I camped with Skywalker at the shelter. He has written a book on the Appalachian Trail. One of these days I guess I should read his book.I heard a new slang word today. Dirty Dog (Greyhound Bus)Thought for the day....Why is it the people who insist on a campfire and then hog the campfire are never the ones who gets the firewood?
Date: 2010-04-25
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

Today was our last day in the The Great Smokey Mountains National Park. A couple of thoughts about the Smokies. First, I saw no bears. Second, the shelters were much nicer then expected. I was expected dirty, four sided stone cabins built in the 1930's. Instead they were very nice three sided shelters with a small fireplace in them. Finally, most of the trail was on the border of NC/TN. At times, I had my left foot in Tennesse and my right foot in North Carolina. The hiking was easier then Georgia.Standing Bear Hostel is very nice and build for the hikers community. The hostel is basically in the middle of nowhere. He has an adequate but limited resupply. Also, he carrys soda, ice cream and frozen pizza as well as other food for hikers to eat while staying. The hostel is ran on the honor system. You pick up what you need and write it down on a piece of paper. When you are ready to leave you take you list to the office and pay your tab.I met a few new hikers, UPS, Sideways and Low Rider. I didnt really chat much with them other then to say hello. I also met Sunshine who has been at the hostel for several day with a knee injury.
Date: 2010-04-26
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: light rain

Left Standing Bear Hotel around noon after McPappa's wife took some of the hikers to a diner for breakfast. Right about the time I was getting ready to leave the hostel it started raining lightly. Later on the rain turned very hard. At times it was raining so hard and foggy that I was lucky to see 30 feet in front of me. Snowbird Mountain looked like a very nice bald, but today was not the day for views. There were many blowdowns on the trail. Some was very hard to get around.In spite of the rain, I had a very good day and arrive at the shelter in a very good mood. I realize some very important things today, part of what I was looking to find out here. When I made it to the shelter it was full and almost everybody was already asleep. It was only about 6 pm. I found a campsite and set up my tarp and tent. This is the first time I have used my tarp all trip, but I still think it is an important piece of gear to carry, even though it weighs 20 oz. I like knowing that I have a shelter at anytime I need it. My tent isnt design to be able to cook while sitting in my tent. So the tarp gives me a dry place to cook and set up my tent.
Date: 2010-04-27
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

It was raining when I got up, moved my gear to shelter to pack and never left the shelter. At times during the day, it rained very hard, snowed, sleet, hail, very windy and even some sun. I do wish I would have moved on in spite of the rain. I have to quite being a fair weather hiker.McPappa's son McLovin came back to the trail after being off the trail for 10 days. He was at the shelter when I moved up to it. When McPappa arrived McLovin wanted to leave the trail again. In my opinion McLovin is just a whinny little brat that needs to grow up. They both hiked back to Standing Bear Hosel in the bad weather, where McPappa ended up leaving the trail. Sunshine hiked in and she was in early stages of hyperthermia. She put on dry clothes and wrapped up in her down blanket. Eventually, she did warm up, but it took a couple of hours. UPS, Sideways and Low Rider stopped by the shelter for a break. UPS was showing the early signs of hyperthermia. I told Low Rider, but they decided to hike to the next shelter. We ended up with a full shelter.
Date: 2010-04-28
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Walnut Mountain
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

It was a perfect day for hiking, sunny and cool. I actually spent the day hiking with Sunshine. It was nice hiking with someone else for a change. We kept a slow pace because her knee was hurting, but we made the intended miles for the day. We went over Max Patch Bald. It was well worth the work to climb the mountain. I am very glad that I waited until today to hike, otherwise I would have missed the spectular views. Around lunch time, we cross a forest road and a truck pulled up and the driver (a section hiker) offered us a cold Coke. A nice bit of trail magic.
Date: 2010-04-29
From: Walnut Mountain

To: Deer Park Shelter
Miles today: 10.0

Another slow day hiking with Sunshine as her knee was still hurting. What also slowed down the pace was finding a deck of cards. It seemed like we played more cards then hiking. We made it to the shelter before dark. Even through it was a very slow pace, it was a good day to be on the trail. It seemed like the views were endless.
Date: 2010-04-30
From: Deer Park Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: clear sky

A very short day into town. Sunshine decided to leave the trail due to her knee problems. It was very sad, but expected. Spent most of the rest of the day helping her find a way home, which was hard since nobody in town had cellphone service. In the end, with help from the outfitters, we were successful. After the stress of the day, we went for a soak in the mineral springs. A nice relaxing way to end the day.There is a music festival in town and therefore, we were having no luck in finding beds for the night. The outfitter help up find a couple of bed at a local Bed & Breakfast that also have a small bunkhouse for thru-hikers. A roof over our heads.
Date: 2010-05-01
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Sunshine left this morning, it was sad, but on the trail people come and people go. A section hiker from Virginia Beach, who used to own a computer store, tried to help me fix my MP3 player. We figured out what was wrong, but was unable to fix it. In my opinion, this is a bit of a strange town. There are no grocery stores in town. So resupply was hard. The outfitters carry some items, but at an inflated price. There is a small convience store/grocery store, but they didn't really carry much in terms of backpacking food. Ended up purchasing most of my resupply from The Dollar General Store. I decided that I wanted a nice steak for dinner, which I hope will help with my energy level the next couple of days. It is 13 days until Trail Days in Damascus, Va and it is approximately 200 miles. I have decided to really push to try to make trail day by the starting Friday (May 13) at noon. That will give me 12 1/2 days to hike almost 200 miles. I have to keep reminding myself that I can do it.
Date: 2010-05-02
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The forecast was for near record temperatures, it was extremely hot and windy. When I left town my pack weighed 45 pounds which is very heavy for an ultra light backpack. Of course, we had a tough steep climb right out of town and I almost turned around twice and quit, but for some reason I kept going. I guess I know how hard it was to get home from Hot Springs just having gone through it with Sunshine. I couldn't come up with one reason to stay on the trail. As of right now, I am thinking of leaving the trail after Damascus and trail days. I guess you could say that I was pretty low. Went by a couple of graves on the side of trail. The highlight of the day was finding a new flower for the trip, a hot pink one. The gnats were terrible and we had a nice hard rain for most of the nights. A couple of nights ago at Deer Park Shelter, I heard a yelp and when I shined my light up the trail, two eyes were looking back at me. I think it was a mother bear with a cub. Dont know for sure. They named by pack the Clown Car, because I keep pulling gear out of it that should never fit, just like a clown car at the circus.
Date: 2010-05-03
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

Because of the rain last night, it was a very humid day. The trail was extremely slick and I fell a couple times.   It is hard getting used to hiking alone after hiking with someone for several day. I did find several nice card playing spots.   I saw my first lady slippery flower of the trip today. At the end of the day, was a very hard, technical section of exposed ridgeline. The section had its own side trail in case of bad weather, because of the exposed nature of the ridgeline. As I crossed this section, it looked like a storm was blowing in, just what I needed.
Date: 2010-05-04
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

I passed the 300 mile marker on the trip. Horray. Passed a couple of more graves today, one of a thru hiker that hiked the trail in 1968 and the other was two Confederate Soldiers from the Civil War. During the morning, it was an easy road walk, but that didnt last all day. We had a 1,500 ft climb over Lick Rock and it was tough. I am making more miles hiking alone, but personally I wish my hiking partner was still here. More new flowers to add to my list, one was a purple, with deep veined heartshape leaves. The other was a deep purple flower with a white center, put me in mind of an orchid. We went over Big Butt today. Another name for my list. Question for the day, why are there so many hills in the mountains?
Date: 2010-05-05
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: No Business Shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: clear sky

The mileage at the top of the page is not a tranposition, I did a 20+ mile day. To be honest, I do wish it was only 12 miles and my hiking partner was still here. Had a couple of hard climbs over Bald and Little Bald Mountain. There was great views from the top, which made the climb worth it. Coming out of Spivey Gap, the trail followed a nice mountain stream for a way. There were several very nice camping spot at Spivey Gap. When I arrived at the gap, I expected to see the other hikers from last night shelter camping at the gap. There weren't there so forward I hike. I would have stayed if they did. I did make it to camp before dark. It was a long day, I was tired but very glad I did the mileage. I can still make it to Damascus by Trail Days. During the evening I think i jumped a bear on the trail. I heard a large animal crashing through the woods, never saw it, but I cant think of anything else it could be but a bear. Saw a couple new flowers, there were red and orange and reminded me of the cactus family.Thought for the day.....Why is it when the maps show that the trail is mainly downhill, it seems like 90% of the time we are hiking uphill.