morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-04-10
From: a. Rufus Morgan shelter

To: sassafras gap shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: clear sky

The sun came up when we left the shelter. We knew we had only one mile to go to get to the Nantahala outdoor center. There we had a great breakfast at the river end, a typical American restaurant. After we went to the outdoor center to get pressed toilet paper and a few other small things. But we left the store having paid more than 400$! We had treated us to 2 new backpacks. The store had a special offer, 20% off osprey backpacks! Our old ones we sent directly to Maine. We hiked today about 7 miles with the new packs. We already found out that we have to pack them other than the old ones but we look to that tomorrow. Tomorrow we hike to stacoah gap and hope we get a room in Robbinsville for re supplying before we head into the smokies.
Date: 2014-04-11
From: sassafras gap shelter

To: stacoah gap
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: broken clouds

We got up early and had enough time to make breakfast and start slowly into the day. First we had to go up for a short distance. On the mountain we had a beautiful view and a great hike along the ridge in the early sunshine. After we had to go steep downhill and marco marked the trail with arrows for the Germans who followed after us. At stacoah gap we called the motel we had planned to stay in and the owner came to pick us up for a little gas money. It wasn't a great place, but sharing the room with Ines and Volker made it at least cheap, even cheaper than some bunk rooms would be. Robbinsville is a good place to resupply, since everything is in walking distance. We went to the grocery store and made laundry at a laundromat. We spoiled us with doughnuts, coke, juice and chips, everything we had longed for the last couple of days. We updated our trail journal and went to have dinner at a Mexican restaurant.
Date: 2014-04-12
From: stacoah gap

To: campsite
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: broken clouds

This morning we decided not to go to far, since our packs are so heavy from re supplying. Arriving at stacoah gap we met an older couple. They had hiked the AT a couple of years ago and went day hiking today. Their trail names are bunny and ogar. They had planned to drive to the next parking at the AT and offered to take our packs. Like that we were able to slack pack for about 7 miles. Awesome! It felt like a Sunday walk!Since we had those easy 7 miles we decided to go further... the pack felt so heavy after hiking without one, it was really bad. Plus we had those typical appalachian mountains, you think you are on the top, then you walk a bit further and you realize there is another top ahead of you, and when you are up there there is another top behind that one. It just feels endless. And I got my first blister today, at my heal, and it grow even after taping it. Rotluchs, you were right, the blister tapes don't work... so I did what you told me, I put a piece of string through it to get the water out. Hope it looks better tomorrow.
Date: 2014-04-13
From: campsite

To: birch spring gap
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: broken clouds

We left our campsite early this morning. We had to hike about 3 miles down a mountain to the fontana dam. At the road crossing/parking lot had just 4 trail angels arrived, preparing for a great meal of freshly made cheese burgers, fresh fruits, cookies, cold drinks and chips. It was absolutely awesome, thank you so much! With a full belly we hiked on to the dam and crossed this huge monument. At the end of the dam the great smoky Mountains national park started. We need a special permit to be allowed to hike along the AT through the park. It took us a lot of time and effort to get it, especially finding a printer was a hassle, but we were finally able to print it at NOC. So today we could hike into the park without worries. There are some regulations for us through hikers that are really weird and annoying. One is that we are only allowed to camp/stay the night at official campgrounds or shelter. Today this ment we had to hike 4.5 miles uphill until we got to the first campsite to be allowed to stay the night. Now I am absolutely exhausted and just really glad to say good night.
Date: 2014-04-14
From: birch spring gap

To: Spence field shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: broken clouds

We got woken up by a wood picker and started with minor pain into a long day. The sky was cloudy and the weather forecast had promised rain. It started soon after we had left the campground and didn't stop until we got to the shelter where we had planned to stay the night. We had passed two other shelters. In the first we had lunch, in the second I had planned to stay but the others wanted to go on, so that's what we did. Our clothes are wet, either through the rain or the sweat. We hung everything in the shelter but its just too humid to dry. It's a beautiful shelter, it has even a fireplace inside. But even the fire isn't able to heat the shelter and dry the gear. It's going to be a really cold night with temperature around freezing.
Date: 2014-04-15
From: Spence field shelter

To: double spring gap shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: moderate rain

Today was a horrible day. I don't like to say something like that but it's the truth! It had rained last night and it didn't stop in the morning. When we started hiking we realized that worse than the rain was the wind. The wind cooled air so much that the rain soon became ice-rain that froze our fingers and hit us hard in the face. I can't really describe it but I had this kind of weather only on ski holidays. And the biggest problem was that we weren't prepared for it! All our warm stuff was packed deep down in our backpacks, two days ago we were sweating in the sun and got sunburned... We definitely didn't expect icy rain! So we hiked without a stop about 6 miles to the next shelter and hoped for a dry place to get our warm clothes out and to eat lunch. But, still being in the smokies, there are some stupid rules, as I mentioned yesterday. A so called ridgerunner, same as a park ranger was there telling everybody what to do. One of the rules is that you are not allowed to eat in the shelter. But you can eat right in front of it. Because the bears could be attracted to the smell of food. Like they would care if the smell comes from inside or the outside of the shelter. Anyway we weren't allowed to eat inside, outside the ice rain had changed into a snow storm and even so the Picknick area has a roof the snow came in from all sides, so definitely not a place for eating our lunch. So we just drank something and ate a cereal bar and went on, hoping the next shelter would have space. The good thing was we had now our warm gear on and I was wearing my spikes for the first time! I had gotten me them in Switzerland after I had read a trail journal of a woman who had hiked the AT last year and she had icy rain in April. So far I had held on to them even so the weather had felt like summer. Today I was really happy to have them! I didn't have much energy left since the snow storm had gotten worse and hit us hard. We got to the next shelter, we had hiked 11 miles in ice and rain and had to realize that there wasn't any space left. In the smokies must all the hikers have reservation for the shelter and you are only allowed to sleep in them and nowhere else. As a AT through hiker you can't make a reservation and you can only stay in the shelter if there is space left! I think that's a really unfair rule, especially since most of us have hiked more miles than most of the tourists which are only here for a few days. But this rule meant that we had to go on, 1.7 miles to the next shelter. It felt so bad, and I really thought about quitting, it's just no fun like that! We got to the next shelter and it was full too. But I held them a short speech and told them to move closer together and we would fit in, and we did! The ones who came after us weren't that lucky since now it was really full. But they put up there tents outside, being sure that no ranger would come out in this weather telling them that they weren't allowed to do this. Now I'm in my sleeping bag hoping that I will be warm enough.
Date: 2014-04-16
From: double spring gap shelter

To: newfound gap
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: clear sky

It has been a cold and long night but we got rewarded with sunshine. We made breakfast outside, it was quite warm in the sunshine and our things started to dry. It would have been a perfect day for snowshoeing, snow and sunshine! Again I was happy to have my spikes since most of the trail was icy and extremely slippery. Today we made it to clingmans dome, it's the highest mountain on the appalachian trail and is also the 200 miles mark!We got a ride to Gatlinburg from a hiker who had given up his hike due to an injury. Gatlinburg is a really touristic place, all hotels, all main chain restaurants, hundreds of attractions and just too many people. Nothing like the AT... We share again a room with the Germans and did all the usual things that we do when we are in town. Unfortunately the wifi isn't working in the hotel room, so I hope I can send these last entries tomorrow morning. Our next stop will be in hot springs where we will hopefully be in about 6 days. We plan to make a zero day there to enjoy the hot springs and a massage!
Date: 2014-04-17
From: newfound gap

To: pecks corner shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

I'm lying in my sleeping bag in a nice shelter in the smokies. It has been a beautiful day which made up for the last few bad ones. The sun was shining all day long, but there was still a chilly breeze which made it just the right temperature for hiking. All day we were hiking on a mountain ridge enjoying a great view to both sides. All we could see were the appalachian mountains going on and on in the distance. A hiker which had hiked the AT 15 years ago showed us the mountains which we have already climbed. What a great feeling! We have come all this way by foot. We had to hike carefully today, there were still many parts of the trail frozen. But we had started early so we came to the shelter quite early. Lucky for us! All the through hikers which came after us had to make space for people with reservation. I think all the through hikers are happy when they get out of the smokies. I mean they are beautiful but the rules are just really annoying and in some points just mean. Like I said I'm already in my sleeping bag and now I just heard that there are more hikers coming. I hope they don't have a reservation, otherwise we have to find a campground... which is impossible since all possible spaces are already taken.
Date: 2014-04-18
From: pecks corner shelter

To: cosby knob shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

People were getting up and being busy already early in the morning, so there was no possibility of sleeping in. Oh yes, we were able to stay in the shelter last night! It has been a cold night and a very cold morning. We had bagels and Nutella for breakfast and started hiking to get warm. According to the weather forecast it should have been sunny today, well we haven't seen the sun today. It was cloudy and cold but not bad for hiking. Volunteer maintenance workers told us that it might rain tonight. Lucky as we are we have a place in the shelter! Marco is still in pain, he has twisted both ankles a couple of times in the last few days. He uses painkillers daily but they don't help him much. But today we had to hike 13 miles, still being in the smokies we aren't allowed to camp wild and had to go to the next shelter. Tomorrow we will hike at least 9 miles to get out of the smokies! So we will decide while hiking how far we will go.
Date: 2014-04-19
From: cosby knob shelter

To: painter branch
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: moderate rain

The first hikers started to get up around 5:30am and were so loud that the rest of the shelter had to wake up... So ignorant! We tried to go back to sleep but finally got up around 7am. It was raining what we haven't expected. We had planned to sleep in the tent tonight since it was too far to the next shelter. So we started into a rainy day. The first mile was downhill, then uphill for another mile and after about 5 miles downhill. Downhill is the worst for all of us. Marcos ankles hurt so badly that he told me that he wanted to go home. My shoulder pain came back too and I thought I couldn't go on. But when we reached the end of the smokies after a short lunch break, 3 trail angels were their offering us lunch, cookies, cold drinks and so on, thank you so much, this made our day! The rain came and went many times today and we just hoped it would stop until we find a good campground. We stopped quickly at the standing bear farm hostel to get fuel but decided not to stay since it seemed dirty and badly maintained. According to our AT app it should have a tent site about every mile. But we hiked really long until we actually found one. And it had started to rain again and we got really wet. We put up the tent in the rain, I cooked our dinner, we ate in the tent and at about 8pm it stopped raining. Volker had already started to make a fire and we were able to dry all our wet clothes. Now it's about 9:30pm, we are warm and dry in our sleeping bags, enjoying to tent again!
Date: 2014-04-20
From: painter branch

To: roaring fork shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Our tent was still wet this morning and it didn't dry until we had to pack it.We hiked up a mountain and there was a man doing trail magic. So we had a second breakfast like real Hobbits have with doughnuts, coffee and swiss miss. Thank you very much, this was great! But even after this I couldn't keep my mind of the thought of the easter breakfast we would have had at home: self colored eggs, swiss bread (Zopf!), and all the other good things. And easter also means for me to be with our families, so this was a difficult day for me. But we hiked on and I tried not think about what and who I miss. After about 10 miles we got to another road crossing where a former through hiker made trail magic. He had just started to pack since he didn't think that there were more coming. But he unpacked, offered us freshly grilled meat, hot dogs, chips, doughnuts, soda and sweets. We stayed for almost an hour and ate so much that we didn't need dinner anymore. I would have liked to stay there and not move anymore. My feet felt sore and I was tired of walking. But we wanted to go 3 more miles to the next shelter. We like to tent at the shelter since there is usually a water source, a privy and a fireplace, all things we have to worry about otherwise. Especially the water can be a real issue. What also happened today: we lost the trail for the first time! We had walked through a campsite and followed the biggest trail, the wrong trail. Fortunately we realized it soon and were able to find our way back and got on the AT soon after. It was a beautiful sunny and warm day, but it will be a clear, cold night tonight.
Date: 2014-04-21
From: roaring fork shelter

To: hot springs
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

This morning I just wanted to stay in "bed". I felt worn out and tired and I knew that marco had planned to hike 15 miles today. Finally I got up and packed while marco made breakfast. We are getting into a routine and are sharing the tasks quite well. But I can't imagine that I could do the hike alone. Marco is like an engine, keeping me going and spoiling me when I need it. The first 4 miles were almost flat going through rhododendron woods. A beautiful start! The rest of the day wasn't really hard either but we both had to take painkillers for the downhill parts. We arrived at the shelter around 4:30pm and had a note from ines&volker telling us that they had went on. It was only 3 more miles to hot springs. The promise of a bed and a shower kept us going even so my shoulders told me to stop immediately. Another painkiller and 3 miles later we were in hot springs! There was only space in a bunk room left, but we took it happily, tomorrow we will have a double room. We took a shower, went for dinner and went to the spa to make reservations for tomorrow. We went to bed early, unfortunately did other hikers stay up late and were extremely loud. Hopefully we can sleep in tomorrow!
Date: 2014-04-22
From: hot springs

To: hot springs
Miles today: 0.0

We are taking a zero day here in hot springs. We did the usual resupply/washing. Then we went to the spa, had an hour long soak in the mineral water hot tub and after each an hour long massage! Both therapist were really good and worked on our tight spots they also showed us how to stretch and get rid of our sore spots. They advised Marco to take another zero tomorrow to rest his ankles. But they also said that they are surprised how good our bodies seemed to keep up with the hiking, they have seen a lot worse in the last couple of days! We went for dinner with Ines and Volker at a nice pub where they had open mic night and enjoyed some surprisingly good music and great food.
Date: 2014-04-23
From: hot springs

To: hot springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

We decided to stay another day in hot springs giving Marcos ankles a rest. I got up early to rent the room for another night and went back to bed to sleep a little longer. Then we went into town to buy postcards. We had coffee at a cute little coffee shop, wrote postcards, did some more laundry and went back to the hostel. Now we sit in the back garden, enjoy the sun, check our emails and plan the next couple of days.
Date: 2014-04-24
From: hot springs

To: spring mountain shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

We had a difficult day today. The weather was great but marcos feet weren't. Already on the first mile he was in pain and took a painkiller. But he got so dizzy from it, that he had to sit down and I was afraid he could faint. So we hiked slower, took more breaks but the pain didn't get better. Then we had come to a steep downhill part and marco was in so much pain that he cried while hiking. At this point we started to realize that this could be the end of our through hike. We sat on a fallen tree beside the AT, crying and trying to find out what to do. Sure, we can easily spend 6 months in the US without getting bored but giving up the AT is the difficult part for us. We have planned this trip for such a long time. We had to go through so much trouble for it. It had become such an important thing for us, can we just give up? We decided to call the hostel where we had planned to stay next. For a huge amount of money they come to pick us up at the next road crossing tomorrow at noon. We will stay there in a cabin for the next couple of days. Marco will have to see a doctor. We need to know if it is something serious which will take longer to heal or if it just needs a week of rest. I'm just not ready yet to give up... I still hope.
Date: 2014-04-25
From: spring mountain shelter

To: allen gap
Miles today: 5.7

The weather was as my mood this morning, changing every few minutes. We packed in rain and started hiking in sunshine, but like I said, it changed many times today. We hiked about 3 miles to allen gap, there we had a coffee and waited for the driver to pick us up. We got to the nolichucky hostel around 1pm. We rented a cabin since we think that we will have to stay for a while. Then the driver brought us to the hospital. We were surprised how fast we were able to see a doctor. Marco had xrays taken from both feet. The good news: his feet are fine! Most probably they are just not used to the work they have to do. He will have to rest for 2 days, take painkillers and steroids that we got a prescription for and then go back on the AT! We are both really happy for this good news! After the hospital we went to the grocery store and got as many vegetables and other fresh food which we craved for. We have a kitchen in the cabin just for us and are so happy we can cook us some really good food. We will have pasta with vegetables and hot dog sausage for dinner! The time we have we will use for a good clean of all the things we have and to go through our packs again in the hope that we can get rid of a few pounds. I think both of us are still carrying too much weight! Maybe we also find time to update our journal, to answer your questions and to give you an idea of our gear. We'll see.
Date: 2014-04-26
From: allen gap

To: View Entry
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: few clouds

We slept in this morning, had a great breakfast and did some cleaning. Then we rented two bikes to go into town. I will count these miles as hiking miles. The bikes had just one gear and were really heavy. I had the feeling I was riding an old swiss army bike that was designed for a 6 year old, it was a heavy drive. They actually have a bike/walkway along the river to get into town, beautiful and a pity if we would have missed it. So we went to the coin laundry and washed all our clothes and even the sleeping bags since it had front loaders and it was really cheap. We also bought a few groceries and went to Mc D, since they have fast and free wifi.Back at the hostel we invited Tomas to a beer, he had just arrived. We have met him already a couple of times along the trail and he's really nice. He is also writing a trail journal, so if you have to much time you can read his too.We made hot dogs for lunch/early dinner. Now we are tired and just lying around, Marco is still in pain and tries to rest his feet, and I am trying to keep the cat from hunting the bird that has his nest with 4 eggs on our veranda roof.
Date: 2014-04-27
From: erwin

To: erwin
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: clear sky

We decided to test marcos feet today and went for a slack pack walk. We did about 4 miles on the trail going south. We met several hikers that we knew and they wondered if they still were heading north. Yeah they did, it's us who do it wrong! We got off on a side trail that was marked on our map. In real it was rarely visible and awful to hike. But it went along a creek and since it was a hot day, water was all that counted. We ended up on a dirt road and took the wrong turn. We realized about 1 mile later and turned. I walked past a black wet looking stick and when I looked down I realized it was a snake. I jumped and screamed to warn marco who was behind me. Then I grabbed my camera and took a few pictures. Marco now had to figure out how to get past it. But he got lucky, the snake didn't move and we were able to go on. By the time we were back at the hostel marco was in pain and I had a headache from the sun. So tomorrow we will just rest!
Date: 2014-04-28
From: erwin

To: erwin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It was supposed to rain today so we decided to sleep in and just hang around. Ines and Volker had told us they would come to Erwin today. But we must have missed them and we couldn't find out where they went. We had planned to invite them to dinner in our cabin, so we now had a lot of food that we needed to eat. We ate and we packed and ate some more. We sat for a while on our veranda, watched the bird that was nesting above us and just did nothing. Then marco went to put our clothes in the dryer. During that short time a hummingbird came flying towards me, "stood" in midair in front of me, showed off his beautiful green colored feathers and flew away. It is the first hummingbird that I have seen in wild. A really beautiful little bird, just about 2 centimeters tall. I'm really sorry marco has missed it. All day we were discussing what we should do. Should we hike on or should we stay? Should we give up? We had went for a walk of 2 miles and he was in pain all evening. Is it worth or are we risking his health? We still wondered when we went to bed.