morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-03-05
From: Winding Stair gap/ Franklin NC

To: Siler Bald
Miles today: 4.2

Day 16, March 5 Baltimore Jack Hostel to Siler Bald Shelter 4.2 miles.I woke up early to gather all my gear together that I had strung up everywhere in my room. I super glued a minor repair on my pack, separated all of my groceries by days and packed up my little black backpack (Stroke 9 for all the old alternative rock fans).Blue Grass, Sunshine and I went to breakfast and met Rebel who had showed up in town , Rebel is still struggling with his knees and will stay in Franklin another day or two. Pantry, Hiking Home and several others are going to take another town day because the temperature is supposed to drop to 12 degrees with a possible windchill of minus 4 tonight.We decided we would go for it and sleep in the Siler Bald Shelter tonight. Ron drove us from the hostel and dropped us off at Winding Stair Gap. What a difference the day from when I arrived Sunday in the bone chilling rainstorm, today was absolutely beautiful,cold at 31 degrees but not a cloud in the sky. We started our ascent and quickly I needed to stop to strip out of my R2 fleece. There is a saying in the hiking world to hike cold in other words do not work up a sweat when the weather is like this or you will freeze when you stop. So I purposely and deliberately made my way up the mountain. We all felt pretty good as we had a solid day of rest and good town food. We know that tonight the temperature drop will test our gear and resolve beyond its limits. We all have approximately 20 degree down bags , I say approximately because Blue and Sunshine have custom made bags made by a friend. We also all have thermo reactor liners and r rated sleep pads and space blankets (lightweight foil reflective blankets $2.99 at Walmart )which will go between the pad and our bags. I actually wrapped my entire pad with it as most of your body heat is loss from the ground. I don¢t like to wrap the space blanket on top of me as it makes me sweat which causes issues later. So here is what I¢m wearing to sleep in ; my smart wool balaclava with my LL bean toboggan on top,my buff around my neck, my new merino mid-weight base layer top, my Patagonia R2 fleece, my icebreaker merino shorts and long underwear, I¢ll also wear my new stretchy pants that are super comfortable, darn tough socks with down booties and I¢ve inserted disposable hand warmers in each down boot . I laid my rain gear on top of my bag to shield the wind and I¢ll have my down puffy over my head and If necessary I can put it on .Ill sleep with all my electronics and water filter. I¢ve emptied my water bottles as the have already started to freezeI believe I¢ll be plenty warm and should sleep ok. Tomorrow we will take another short day and then a double digit day Thursday, we plan to get to the NOC by Friday Lord willing.Well that¢s it for today, the service is spotty but I¢ll see if I can post this tonight.  But before I go , I want to wish my beautiful bride Happy BIrthday! She turns 39 again tomorrow. Meantime I¢m out here eating dirt, freezing, digging cat holes instead of by her side.... Maybe I am crazy!
Date: 2019-03-06
From: Siler Bald

To: Wayah Bald
Miles today: 6.8

Day 17 Siler Bald to Wayah Bald 6.8 miles.We finally roused out of sleeping bags around 9 am it had warmed up to a whopping 17 degrees . I had ventured out of the shelter a couple of times in the middle of the night and let¢s just say it was exhilarating and The stars were the most brilliant I had ever seen. There is something amazing about a crystal clear cold night in the mountain.I am excited to report that my gear kept me very warm, I actually left my Puffy on after one of my trips out side and I slept very warm. Trips out into the dark are appropriate when sharing a shelter in case someone is wondering.The day started out cold but soon became perfect hiking weather with views that went for miles. The picture I¢ve posted you can see Standing Indian , Albert Mountain and of course Siler Bald. Wayah Bald has a very cool stone tower and sits at 5,342 feet. A short day but good climbing.Tomorrow we will go 10.6 miles to Wesser Bald. We are sleeping in a shelter with Connor who is from New York also tenting nearby is Sherpa also from New York and Bak from Wisconsin. I hiked with Cheese burger for a while today she thru hiked in 2014 and is section hiking thru the Smokies she said the Smokies was currently closed to Thru hikers because of the weather however was expected to be open within 48 hours. Interesting...
Date: 2019-03-07
From: Wayah Bald

To: Wesser Bald
Miles today: 10.6

Day18 -10.6 miles Wayah Bald to Wesser Bald.Near tragedy yet noteworthy start for the day. So as you know we hang our food bags on either bear cables if available or tree limbs. Well this shelter did not have cables so we had hung our bags on a limb. I got mine down and I was trying to get Bluegrass and Sunshine¢s bag down but the line had wrapped around and had gotten stuck. Blue must have heard me struggling and came up and tried his luck. He pulled pretty hard and snap in a flash the whole limb fell down , fortunately the limb totally missed us. So obviously in the wintertime it¢s hard to tell the good limbs from the bad they all look dead , but we all need to be more careful selecting our hang limb as this freak accident could have ruined our day. After the incident we prepped and ate our breakfast . The day was going to be great for hiking no rain and not terribly cold . We made great time had two major climbs but made our 10.6 miles in very good time . We met Q a fellow trail journal blogger at the base of Wesser and he made that last climb go by quickly with our conversations.I had read Q¢s aka Question Mark journal before I had left and told My wife that I surely hope that I¢ll run into him on the trail as he seems to be a very nice guy and he is!We were the first to arrive at the shelter and then came Angel and Momma Bear a sweet mother and daughter team who are from Florida and then Samaritan who is incredibly interesting and funny.We are all tucked into the shelter as it¢s calling for rain in the morning. But right now all is perfect! Tomorrow the NOC.
Date: 2019-03-09
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 14.2

Day 20, Fontana Dam to Stecoah Gap SOBO 14.2 miles Well once again I can¢t sleep, I would say that¢s the one major thing I¢ve been missing on this adventure is good rest. I¢m laying here in bed this morning listening to the rain pound against the roof at the hostel. By the the way this Wolf Den Hostel is superb , Lonnie the owner is very accommodating and I would highly recommend this place! Today on our hike we will have to be extra careful not to slip in these conditions. You see we will be slack packing with a light day pack and we will instinctively want to move at a quicker pace. Jimmy showed up to take us to Fontana Dam where we will slack pack south bound back to Stecoah Gap. The interesting thing is that we will actually have more climbs going this way but not as steep. Today we had the honor of having Artemis join our little group. At first the rain was off and on but for the most part the day was fairly nice. We made good time and saw several of our friends heading north perplexed at seeing us heading south. 14.2 miles has been our longest day thus far. I did take a slip and fell third time in NC but no harm done. We encountered three loose dogs on the trail I fed them some beef jerky as they seemed to be starving, one of them followed us and Blue was able to call a number on the tag and we met the owner on the trail.When we got back to the Wolfs Den Hostel,  Sherry, Jimmy¢s lovely wife Had made us a Mexican Casserole banquet with blackberry and peach cobbler for dessert. It was absolutely fabulous. This couple is so wonderful offering trail magic , slack packing, rides, logistics,dinners and the list goes on to all of us hikers. They have been a true Blessing to us.Tomorrow we slack pack from Stecoah Gap back to the NOC for 13.6 miles. Should be another great day. I¢m also excited that after my hike tomorrow anther trail angel Terry will take me into Knoxville where I¢ll be able to take a zero with one of my life long friends Mike and maybe see my brother and sister in law if they are in town. Unexpected visits can sometimes work out , Hey I just happen to take a stroll and wind up in the neighborhood!
Date: 2019-03-10
From: Stecoah Gap

To: The NOC
Miles today: 13.6

Day 21Stecoah Gap to NOC 13.6 MilesOk it¢s a good thing my smart phone is smarter than me , evidently the time sprung forward today. This will actually eventually give us longer days to hike.Jimmy was right on time to carry us to Stecoah Gap for us to hike south to the NOC. Sunshine, Bluegrass and I will attempt another double digit day, and then I¢ll get to go to town and they will go to the Fontana lodge. Terry is going to give me a lift into Knoxville this evening after our hike.I always like to start and end my day by looking at https://www.atweather.orgYou can actually select the state and shelter for weather on the trail .Of course you need WiFi access but it¢s a great site if you do.The weather turned out excellent today no rain and unseasonably warm temperatures. It was great to see some of our friends hiking north coming out of the NOC. Just like yesterday they first appear perplexed to see us hiking SOBO but quickly understand once they see our daypacks in lieu of our monster packs. Today we saw , Yvette now known as Detour, Papa John, Pantry, Tiger and Smiley formally R2D2, Cowboy up and several more. We met a nice young lady from Finland her trail name is Finish Line! I liked that a lot.Yesterday the SOBO approach was probably harder than going NOBO however today we certainly had the easier route as the climb out of the NOC is long and brutal.Well tonight I¢m at my dear friend¢s home in the Knoxville area and I¢ll also get to visit family tomorrow.I¢m pretty exhausted and will enjoy resting up tomorrow before I enter the Smokies Tuesday. I¢ll resupply tomorrow and prepare for potentially a 7 day stretch thru Standing Bear.
Date: 2019-03-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Day 22 , Zero Day with Friends and Family. Clinton Tennessee.A much needed Zero day today spent with my life long friends and family. Mike and Tonja hosted me at their beautiful home, provided delicious homemade meals, super comfy bed and will bring me back to the trail all the way to Fontana 2.5 hours away in the morning. Tonja allowed me to raid the pantry and resupply for the week. I also got to spend some quality time with my Wonderful Brother and Sister in law, nieces and great nieces and nephew. Herb, Resa, Heather, ResaMarie,Lexi,Kate and Nolan all made me feel so very special and made me a special sign and a batch of coconut, peanut butter, honey & oats energy balls . I¢ve already eaten half of them while laying on the couch. I do feel energized but I¢m not moving!So tomorrow I will start the 70 miles prox trek through the Smokies. My bag is heavy with 7 days worth of food . Sunshine texted me that there is a boil water notice on Mollie¢s Ridge. That is good to know and will try to get more insight on that for any hikers coming behind.Well I¢m hitting the sack , not very early but man is this bed soft. Soon I¢ll be back eating dirt and digging cat holes, but tonight I sleep like a King!
Date: 2019-03-12
From: Fontana Dam

To: Birch tree Gap
Miles today: 7.6

Day 23 -Tuesday March 12 enter the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 7.6 miles To Birch Spring Gap campsite.Super exciting day, I entered the Smoky Mountain National Park!I have fond memories as a child coming to these mountains hoping to catch a glimpse of a bear. I have spent many a weekend in Gatlinburg skiing , exploring the shops and of course day hiking various trails. My buddy Mike drove me to Fontana Marina exactly where I left off early this morning, I again am so thankful for all he and his lovely wife has done for me. I¢m refreshed and ready to go.So the trail runs along the lake and the views were gorgeous. The trail takes you to the Fontana Dam Shelter which is lovingly known as the Fontana Hilton because it sleeps 20 people and has an electronic solar charging station and bathrooms and showers close by. That¢s pretty fancy as far as shelters are concerned. The trail turns into a paved road and actually goes over the dam. The water was rushing out and that¢s where I saw Iron Will . He was actually taking a zero but was doing a little sight seeing. I actually hiked the entire day by myself most of the hikers are ahead of me. After several pictures and talking to some friendly tourists I made it to the entrance of the park where I had to deposit the bottom half of my $20.00 permit to enter and primitive camp in the SMP backcountry. About 6 miles in, I took a side trail to Shukstack Fire tower and climbed it to the very top for the most majestic view yet! I could see Fontana Dam in the distance as well as the Smoky mountain Range on the other side it was truly amazing. I have to backup and admit I¢m a little intimidated by heights especially when there¢s a good chance of falling. This tower was perfectly safe but very steep and really the first section was the only one missing a hand rail. It was scary,but the views were so worth it!By the time I crawled down the tower and explored the old ranger house ruins it was 3 pm . I decided to go to the next campsite instead of catching up with the group at the shelter. Tonight I have the entire campsite to myself, my tent is pitched , my bearbag is hung it¢s 7:12 pm and still plenty of daylight!!! I plan to catch up tomorrow and possibly do11 plus miles to Spence Field Shelter it wouldn¢t be too bad but I¢m toting 7 days of grub to get me thru the Smokies.
Date: 2019-03-13
From: Birch tree Gap

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 24 11.4 miles to Spence Field Shelter. When I awoke this morning at 5am it was pitch dark, I laid in my bag till 6am and decided I would strike my tent ,cook breakfast and hit the trail as I had a big day ahead of me. It was actually very peaceful and calming to be all alone, The bears left me alone last night, or if they did come in to my camp they were very respectful and quiet. I was anxious catch up with my Tramily by this evening. I went down to the stream and using my headlamp I quickly filled my Cnoc bag to filter my water and I retrieved my bear bag that was hung on the cables. Breakfast was a heated carnation pack with coffee and boom I was on the trail.I had to use my headlamp to navigate and then the Sun started to rise. It¢s so hard to describe the beauty of the sun climbing over the mountains, hopefully the picture gives it justice.When I arrived at the shelter my friends had slept in from the night before ,I was surprised to See Bluegrass,Sunshine, Detour,Artemis,Getting There all lounging around as they only had a 6 mile day in store. We all hugged and had our reunion moment. This trail has certainly been everything I expected but what I had not counted on was the amazing people I have met and grown to love in such a very short time. Well we hiked to Spence Field and the shelter is fantastic as it has a fireplace. We have a family of 7 and 2 additional section hikers in the shelter. It is absolutely the best watching the kiddos play UNO and play with the fire.Hiker midnight,We are planning on two more double digit days. Am I ready?
Date: 2019-03-14
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 6.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Thursday day 25, 6.1 miles in gale force winds Spence Field Shelter to Derrick Knob Shelter.The best laid plans.... Wednesday when I went to bed (hah , bag) I had another 10 mile plus day slated for Thursday. Well the mountains had other plans. We awoke to a severe wind advisory with 50-70 mph gusts forecasted in the mountains.Artemis, Get¢n There, Sunshine and Bluegrass made a smart decision to hitch a ride with the family that was staying at the shelter to get off the mountain to town and resupply. They had planned a resupply and Hostel stay Friday so it really was a smart move. Somewhere along the trail I lost my good judgment and decided to brave the hike with Q. I mean we are the eldest supposed to be the wise ones right?Well picture this ; two advanced in years guys climbing good ole Rocky top 5527 ft with almost hurricane force winds , wintery mix rain, no rope.... Super fun now that we survived but I¢m telling you I was replaying Sunshine¢s warning of how sad she would be if a tree fell on my head, Ouch!The wind did literally put me in a sitting position sliding down the trail at one point but once we were at lower elevations protected by the the hedges of rhododendrons the hike was not that bad.Led Zeppelin had a song out in the early 80s ¢a fool in the rain¢ If you ever hear it think of me. Parents listen to your kids !Well we finally made it to the next shelter Derrick Knob, Q the mountain goat that he is ,pressed on to Silers but I stayed put.Slowly but surely other hikers came in that were behind me Joker,Cowboy-up, Rhythm, Zipper, Perfect, Alaska, Red and several others. Full house in the shelter with 5 tents set up outside. Misery loves company!Well I survived and thank you for all the inquiries, I apologize for the suspense, the backcountry in the Smokies does not have WiFi and one or two occasional fluctuating bars of cell service.No more excitement ....
Date: 2019-03-15
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mount Collins Shelter 
Miles today: 13.0

Friday Day 26, 13.3 miles from Derrick Knob to Mount Collins shelter. Hit 200 miles today Ooh Rah!  We had Rain and thunder all night and when I geared up to hit the trail at 8AM it was still slightly raining. But slowly but surely the rain subsided and by 11 AM the clouds started to part revealing beautiful vistas that by far are the most beautiful I have ever seen. Hopefully I¢ll have WiFi service soon and will be able to post. I completely lost yesterday¢s post but will rewrite it later today. I felt very strong today and the climbs came easier , however I was stopping quite a bit enjoying the views and breathing the mountain air. I hiked by myself for the most part however Sparky,Young gun,Perfect and Alaska caught up with me at Double Springs Shelter where I had stopped for lunch.Young Gun, Perfect and Alaska decided they were going to stay at that shelter but Sparky moved on and I Ieft shortly after as well.The rest of the hike was amazing, the trail from Double Springs led into a pine forest with a carpet of green moss on the fallen trunks and rocks . Truly this is the enchanted forest where the elves live. The smaller pine trees are exactly the type you might have in your living room at Christmas. I wish I could capture the smell of the moss,leaves,pine trees,wet rocks that surrounded me and keep it in a jar so that I could bring it home to share. I absolutely Love the Smokies ! The Mountains have been kind to us thus far. Thursday was a little tricky but we all survived.Tonight we are at The Mount Collins Shelter. I got to hike the last part of the day with Sparky from Switzerland he¢s in my age group and is an amazing climber and hiker. Finish Line from Finland arrived just about the time we did 7 PM. Q ,Joker, Cowboy Up,Chill¢n and his service dog were already in their bags when we got in.Very Long day but so rewarding!I slept next to the service dog, naturally. Hey do dogs snore?
Date: 2019-03-17
From: Newfound Gap/ Gatlinburg 

To: Icewater shelter
Miles today: 3.1

Sunday Day 28 Nero ,Newfound Gap to Icewater Spring Shelter 3.1 miles.I slept wonderfully in my hotel bed last night. I slowly roused out of my bed and quietly worked on my gear trying not to disturb my roomies. Resa got up and she went downstairs to check out the breakfast the hotel was offering and she came back with a great report and coffee for all of us. The breakfast was fantastic, Cereal ,eggs, sausage, waffles shaped like a bear,biscuits and gravy ,wonderful !I got dressed in my Sunday go to church clothes....hiking pants , icebreaker shirt, trail runners and fleece . Well at least they were clean and I had showered twice. Church was awesome and surprisingly full of travelers from all over the US. I really appreciate it when I can visit a church on Sunday.These trail towns are used to us hikers and Roger the preacher had actually offered to pick me up trail side ,house and feed me. How awesome is that!.After a great lunch at a nearby pancake house . Resa and Herb took me up to Newfound Gap and we all took off hiking . They accompanied me half way to the shelter . The views were amazing but so were the crowds of day hikers. Everyone was super nice a lot of college kids on spring break.The trail leading out was very icy in sections so we were extra careful.We got to the midpoint and enjoyed a wonderful view we all hugged said our goodbyes and Herb prayed for my safety. I was so sad to see them go ... I made it to the shelter and Cricket was sitting outside in the Sun. There were 6 section hikers already there and the shelter was booked to be full tonight. I went ahead and pitched my tent as it¢s really my preference and I believe it may actually be warmer and we are expecting a cold night .As I was unpacking my gear that¢s when I realized I had left my puffy in the truck ugh!! Luckily I had cell service and was able to call, Resa and Herb had just arrived at the parking lot and confirmed Ibadan left my puffy. I was about to hightail it back down when Blue, Sunshine and Gettin There came thru and were about to come my way. Resa recognized them and of course they were willing to deliver it to me. Wow what a close call! Thank you Lord, thank you Blue, Sunshine and Gettin there, thank you Resa and Herb!! What a fantastic ending to a great weekend. Well the trail fam is zonked out in the shelter , the section hikers have been enjoying an aromatic burger cook out , now I¢m starving and craving burgers again.I¢m in my tent and sleeping bag safe and sound settled in for a cold still winter night. Tomorrow 12.6 miles and gorgeous views. I hope bears don¢t like burgers because I can sure smell em.