morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-04-13
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Double spring gap shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Another big climb today up to Rocky top Mountain and then right away thunderhead Mountain. It was windy on top but excellent views. Fortunately it was breezy all day, not just on top. Also, because it was partly cloudy it made for a fairly comfortable day of hiking. My original intention was to stop at Silers bald shelter, but by the time I reached there it was fairly early. Happy Hiker and Lotus decided to hike an additional 1.7 miles to catch up with Abby at the double spring gap shelter. It was not a difficult hike so I went forward and arrived there early enough to make my camp at the shelter and prepare dinner. All in all it was a good day of hiking but I was ready to stop for the day. The location offered a convenient water source from a spring located nearby. Springs are a good thing, it does not require water treatment such as Aqua Mira treatment drops. At this point in my hike I have not used my Sawyer filter. The aqua Mira drops take about 35 minutes but with water already available in my reservoir I did not have to wait. Besides, Spring water does not need treatment. Today I set up my tent instead of sleeping in the shelter. I prefer tent camping over the shelter for the privacy that it provides, not to mention the snoring that sometimes takes place in the shelters. Dinner consisted of a slice of fried spam with mustard and also a Mountainhouse spaghetti and meat sauce easy to prepare dinner.
Date: 2014-04-14
From: Double spring gap shelter

To: Icewater Spring shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: light rain

Today included a hike to the highest elevation on the Appalachian Trail. Clingmans dome is at an elevation of 6655 feet. Near the top of the mountain I made a right turn instead of a left turn and walked out of my way about 15 minutes. Although it was a cloudy day, I did see the tower at Clingmans Dome. I had lunch at 12:30 PM. Shortly thereafter it started to rain and did so for the next couple of hours. Needless to say the trail was wet and sometimes running like a stream. As much as I try to avoid stepping in the water it was impossible to do and by the time I reached camp at ice Icewater Spring shelter my boots and socks were pretty saturated. On the hike today I came across a couple of wild hog containment bridges constructed so that a portion of the Appalachian Mountains was restricted from wild wild hogs that are not originally part of this country. My next big landmark to determine my location was newfound gap. At one point I thought I had arrived and was excited about that but it turned out that I was still short by about 1.3 miles. When I did reach newfound gap I saw a tour bus that had unloaded its occupants of Indian youth that were enjoying the weather although it was misty and quite cool. Upon reaching my destination of ice water spring shelter I caught up with Lotus, Cruces Mark(he is from Las Cruces NM), no name, and another hikers initials I wrote down but don't know what they mean now. For dinner I had Mountainhouse chicken and rice.
Date: 2014-04-15
From: Icewater Spring shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: moderate rain

Today for breakfast I had some instant grits with hot chocolate. At the shelter were hikers by the name of toasted toad, who Cruces mark, Lotus, and unknown. I left at 8:50 AM. It was raining when I left and then shortly thereafter it started sleeting at 10 AM. Following that it snowed all day, 2 inches total. although I was first to leave Lotus spassed me then Crucis did also. My hands started getting really cold and so I put on my gloves. I caught up with Lotus at about 11 AM. She was getting her gloves, unfortunately one was in her sleeping bag! We walked together from about 11 AM until we arrived at Tricorner at 4 PM. In the shelter was a fella named beans that had collected wood and made a nice fire. today's high seems like we walked most of the day on the windy Ridges. Snow was blowing horizontal. Occasionally we did get to the Leeward side of a hill which allowed for less wind. My socks were wet but my feet were not numb. For dinner I prepared lasagna noodles, spam, and hot chocolate. Today's lunch was jerky, cereal bars, health bar, and candy bar. My water hose from my Camelbak back froze but I did have some water back up in my platypus which remained liquid. Today I will try walking 18 miles to standing bear farms hostle. From there I will then have only 30 miles to Hot Springs, my next destination for a couple of zero days. Tonight I slept with my shirt on and kept my vest in the sleeping bag. I was able to stay warm enough during the night. We estimated the temperatures that night at about 18°. Because of the snow and ice the shelter that sleeps 12 was quite full.
Date: 2014-04-16
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing bear farm hospital
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: clear sky

Today was a long day. It started with frozen boots and socks. I was glad the snow had stopped but there was no melting overnight and the trail was quite slippery. I managed to fall completely down twice without any injury. Following behind me was a Hiker named Toaster Toad. We hike at about the same speed but as it turned out he didn't quite have the juice necessary to keep up during the last half of the 18.4 mile day's hike. He came in a little later than I did two standing bear farm hospital. Long day. The highest point during today's hike was 6330 feet. By the time I reached standing bear farm hostel the elevation had decreased to 1,500 feet, or about 4800 feet. It was a long hike down hill. Today completed my five-day hike through the great Smoky Mountains national Park. The trail through the park is 72 miles. Standing bear farm hostel was interesting. You could wash your clothes if you knew how to use a washboard and a ringer. The rollers on the ringer were mostly deteriorated and the dryer was old and quite slow in drying clothes. I only washed socks and underwear as I expected to arrive in Hot Springs in a couple of days. At the hostel there were seven bunks, all of the lower bunks were occupied by the time I arrived so I slept on one of the top bunks. At the hostel there was a self check out the store for trail essentials. The person in charge was named rocket. I expect he had some interesting stories but after the scrub board, broken down ringer, and slow dryer there was not much time for conversation.
Date: 2014-04-17
From: Standing bear farm hospital

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: broken clouds

After three days of a cool wind, rain then sleet and snow it suddenly turned very warm. As a result of frozen boots and socks and the long miles my feet started to complain. By mid-day Mr. blister had made its presence known. The affected areas where my right heel, bottom of left foot and top of big toe on left foot. The heel blister is attributed to the wet conditions and hiking uphill. The blister On the bottom of my left foot came about from walking on a trail that slanted downward from left to right. The top of my big toe blister resulted from the crease in my shoes above that toe when each step was made. The results of these blisters has everything to do with the previous days wet conditions. As usual, it seems that most hikes from the nights camp is uphill and no exception at standing bear, the first thing out of the box was a climb of 2700 feet over a distance of about 6 1/2 miles. Fortunately, at the top of this climb there was trail magic. A fella called Apple was alone there offering sodas, chips and honey buns. I had some of all and thoroughly enjoyed the reprieve. What goes up must also come down so from the top of where the trail magic was received was the mountain was called Snowbird. it is a grassy bald. it was downhill for a while and then the trail gently climbed to my next destination of roaring fork shelter. One of the most interesting trail experiences was reaching the summit of Max patch bald. The mountain itself is at 4629 feet. there are absolutely no trees on the top of it and therefore offered a 360° view of the surrounding hills. fortunately it was a clear day. The water source at the shelter was .2 miles down the trail. Does not seem like much but after 15.1 miles it was a long walk. I did gather 3 L of water and treated it with the aqua Mira. For dinner I had my least enjoyable meal yet which was Ramen and in it I added a pack of tuna. Oriental Ramen and tuna do not make for a great dining experience. Soon after eating and cleaning dishes, I climbed into my sleeping bag and was ready for a good nights rest. Tonight five slept in the shelter. More slept in tents. At this campsite there were six females and six males and two dogs, Clyde and Zima.
Date: 2014-04-18
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 18.0

The best thing about today's hike is that there were only two big climbs and after the second hill it was mostly downhill into Hot Springs North Carolina. The fact that Hot Springs was at the end of the trail helped keep the discomfort in my feet at bay. My original intention was to camp at Deer Park Mountain shelter about 3 miles short of Hot Springs. But the thought of a hot shower, a good meal and a soft bed were inspiring. I arrived in Hot Springs at about 5:30 PM. The town is a Hiker town and was quite full of hikers. I did not find lodging until my third attempt. I stayed at the iron horse station inn which was very enjoyable but also a little pricey. The alternative was to tent camp but rain was threatening, Another of the reasons why I did not camp at Deer Park Mountain shelter. Enjoyed today was the hot shower and the chicken tenders dinner at the Iron Horse Station inn with hand breaded onion rings. Oh yeah, I also took advantage of the accommodations to practice a little blister doctoring which turned out to be pretty good. Right now I am Wondering now how much longer I want to stay on the trail. Good night.
Date: 2014-04-19
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Today was my first day since standing bear hostel to wake up in a real bed. I started the day with washing clothes of which all were in need. I had a wonderful breakfast at the smokehouse restaurant. I really enjoyed becoming reacquainted with bacon and eggs and hashbrowns. The iron horse station inn where I slept last night was fully occupied so I changed from its location to the Alpine Court. The price was much more affordable and still conveniently located. I repacked my pack and moved there shortly after noon. Today there was an Easter parade in Hot Springs. The theme was Easter oriented. Nearly all banners in the parade acknowledged our risen Lord. For the last couple of hours I have brought my journal up-to-date at the ironhorse station Inn where there is good Wi-Fi reception. I verbally record the entries and later when time is available i edit what Siri just does not understand. Earlier today I called Peggy and had a nice conversation about hiking and my intentions for staying on the trail. I have decided, in conversation with Peggy, to leave the trail. I have made arrangements for a shuttle from Hot Springs to Greenville, South Carolina where I can catch a southbound Amtrak to New Orleans. After an overnight in New Orleans I will take the train to San Antonio and should arrive on Thursday at 12:05 am. The trail once again has been a very enjoyable experience. Last year I hiked 300 miles in Virginia and this year 275 miles from Springer Mountain to Hot Springs. I must say this 275 miles was much tougher than the 300 in Virginia. A lot of it had to do with the great Smoky national Park. besides for the beauty of the mountains and the serenity of the trail I will certainly also miss all the wonderful people that I came to know while hiking! If you ever have any questions about how to do this hike let me know.
Date: 2014-04-13
From: Parking Lot

To: Springer
Miles today: 0.9
Weather: few clouds

First day on the trail. Decided to drive up to the parking lot at Springer Mountain and hike the 0.9 mile up to the top of Springer. Signed the thru-hiker journal and spoke with Betsy and Zach. Betsy is a Trail Maintainer and Zach is a Ridgerunner. They have hiked the Appalachian trail as thru-hikers. Zach's trailname is "Blue Eyes". I'll let you guess at how he got that trailname.Decided to look for some burner fuel in Ellijay but couldn't find. Had to go with Sterno for the first few days of the hike. We tried to go to our favorite restaurant in Ellijay, Charlie's Italian, it was closed. So we had to settle for Longhorn. Now it's time to get ready for tomorrow's hike.
Date: 2014-04-14
From: Parking lot at Springer Mountain

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

We started out from the lodge at Amicacola State Park. Bill, my brother, drove Linda and I up to the Springer Mountain parking lot. I got out, we said our goodbyes, and I took off. It started raining at about 11:30 that morning and stopped at about 3:20 PM. I had a couple of guys on on the trail ask me how old I was because they wanted to know if they could still hike when they were my age. That didn't make me feel TOO good but maybe that gave them something to shoot for. They were talking about thru-hiking the trail again for their 25th anniversary. So, I wish them good luck. The first real hiking day--I hiked from Springer Mountain parking lot to Gooch Mountain Shelter.Got my tent up without any rain and turned out the lights at about 9 PM. The shelter was full and I didn't feel like going up there to cook. And so ended the first full day of hiking.Tomorrow, I will get up and hike from Gooch Mountain shelter to Neel's Gap to meet up with Linda. She is renting us a cabin at Blood Mountain Cabins.
Date: 2014-04-15
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Neel's Gap
Miles today: 15.9

It rained off and on again all night long. Rain started at about 11:30 PM and continued on through the night. I had to pack all my stuff up in the rain. It rained on and off until about 11 AM. Terrific winds! When I was passing through the gaps, it sounded like a jet engine was blowing. I was concerned that the high winds and rain might cause some old trees to be blown down; or, at least some dead limbs. I did see a tree that had blown down while on Blood Mountain. It was pretty fresh, you could tell by the dirt. I'd say it happened within the last 24 hours. Wind + rain = downed trees. By the time I got to Blood Mountain, which is the highest point of the trail in Georgia, it was really cold. The winds were probably blowing 30 mph. I don't know exactly how cold it was but, when I got on top of Blood Mountain, hoarfrost was falling from the trees. It looked really neat. You don't see that type of stuff in South Texas. It looked like bird feathers made of ice. Anyway, I got down to Neel's Gap at about 5:50 PM. I walked right by Linda. She was at Neel's store. I went down to the cabin; it was locked. So I decided I better go try to find her. We met each other on the path to and from the outfitters. Everything turned out well and we ate pizza for dinner. The cabin looked like a laundromat once I had finished hanging all my gear up to dry.
Date: 2014-04-16
From: Neel's Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

First day for Linda to hike! When we got up, we had to stuff all of my belongings back into the pack. We had a good breakfast of oatmeal and protein powder and snacked throughout the day. After we arrived at Low Gap Shelter, we set up our tents and went down to eat at the table at the shelter. I started the Jetboil, opened the valve on the fuel and some of it escaped before I could get the ignition to light... singed all the hair off my left hand. It's pretty windy and cold at Low Gap. It could be 29F tonight. The hike was pretty tough today, but had beautiful weather for the most part. It was a little cool starting out but that was okay. We got to low gap and hung all of our food bags on the bear cables, climbed into the tent and tried to stay warm.
Date: 2014-04-17
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: clear sky

Last night was a tough night for the weather. It got down to about 28 degrees. Winds were steady at about 25 mph and gusting at about 35 mph. During the night, I kept thinking that they needed to cut down all these trees and start a windmill farm like we would in Texas. I got up at about seven thirty and had to make a hike to the privy... If you weren't ready when you started, you were when you got there. If someone is there before you are, the consolation prize is that the seat is warm. We had our regular breakfast of oatmeal and protein powder. It's very important to get your energy levels up in the morning. If you don't, with all these hills, you'll run out of energy quickly. Met Mike and Mark from Florida today. They were finishing up a five day hike. We also met Linda and Tracy; they started out as thru hikers, but Linda's husband became sick and had to leave the trail and go to the hospital. They are now trying to get off the trail so someone can pick them up and take them home. It was so cold last night that when we got up this morning our fingers weren't working right. The hike was pretty uneventful today. This was the same section of the trail that we covered last year in the rain for eight hours. So, compared to last year, this was beautiful. We are now at the Holiday Inn in Hiawassee, Georgia. We ate a buffet supper at Daniel's Steakhouse. We called early to get a ride from Sally and Joyce's Shuttle Service. These people helped us out last year on the trail; they are great folks. I'll get a ride back out to the trail at 8AM. I'll be slack-packing while Linda is relaxing. Tomorrow, I'll slack pack from Unicoi Gap to Dick's Creek Gap.Also, I received everyone's trail journal messages. I really appreciate the support. It really is beautiful out here and y'all are welcome to get out here and join me for a section of the trail. P.S. - Happy early birthday to Brenda Granberg!
Date: 2014-04-18
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

Tough climb out of Unicoi. It was just a bunch of ups and downs. Went over Tray Mountain today. Found a camera battery on the trail but couldn't tell who it belonged to. Fortunately for me, it fit my camera.Got to Dick's Creek around 4:15. I saw a guy standing out in the rain trying to hitch a ride. He introduced himself as Don. Our shuttle driver got to us around 4:40 as it started to rain. These guys in Georgia get their weather forecasts all mixed up. Earlier in the week, it was supposed to by sunny but not now. We'll just have to wait and see. Don is originally from Toronto, Canada. He's been in England for over 25 years and lives in Liverpool - went to eat supper with Don at Daniel's steakhouse. While we were eating, I asked what he had been eating out on the trail. He might as well have been eating from my foodpack! It's interesting to see how much in common people have out here.On the approach to Tray Mountain, I heard something moving in the leaves on the side of the hill. I looked over and saw two black round fuzzy ears. I thought "Crap! A little bear!" Any place there is a cub, there is a momma bear close behind and I didn't want to encounter that. I went to bang my sticks together and saw two butterscotch colored ears. When my sticks hit, four wild hogs took off running down the mountain. I'm glad they were as afraid of me as I was of them! Tomorrow, I will be hiking from Dick's Creek Gap to Deep Gap tomorrow... In the rain. I will be slackpacking.
Date: 2014-04-19
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

I crossed into North Carolina today. Goodbye, Georgia mountains! I'm still slackpacking. Linda, as always, has been a tremendous help on this trip. Lots of ups and downs today - developed two new blisters on the outside of my right heel. I'll have to take care of them in the morning. I experienced my first Trail Magic today. About a mile from the Muskrat Shelter I passed a southbound couple that told me a group of people were handing out BBQ at Deep Gap. I got to Deep Gap and found the Trail Magic. Trail Magic is a term used to describe the act of receiving an unexpected benefit (usually food or drink) from a Trail Angel. Of course, the Trail Angel is the person providing the benefit. There was pulled pork, brisket, BBQ chicken, beans, soup, coleslaw, and potato salad. I shared half a chicken with an old hound dog, a cup of bean soup, and a slice of pumpkin bread. I topped it off with a cup of black coffee. First Trail Magic and it was A+! It's probably spoiled me for all other Trail Magics. How can any Trail Magic get better than that? What a great experience! Today, a bunch of thru-hikers wanted to know if I was thru-hiking with my load-reduced pack. I had to explain that I was slackpacking. I had supper with Linda and Don at an Italian food restaurant in Hiawassee.
Date: 2014-04-20
From: Deep Gap

To: Mooney Gap
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Happy Easter! Today was a tough day. I stubbed my toes a lot and am still caring for blisters on the outside of the right heel. I lanced them and am hoping they'll get better. Every morning, I have to get up and take care of my feet to make sure they don't get torn up anymore than they are. Our new friend, Don, got a ride with us out to Dick's Creek Gap. It past where we needed to go, which was to Deep Gap. Trail Magic was still going strong at Deep Gap! I got out of the car, got my pack, and started hiking. The first mountain to climb was the 5,499 ft. Standing Indian Mountain. I had very nice weather; it was clear with a high of about 72 degrees. I saw plenty of springs today. I was able to take some pictures and eat a big lunch. I took my Jetboil, which is a camping stove, with me today. Seems like most of the hikers were taking this day off. I got to Mooney Gap at about 3:30PM and started my Jetboil for a cup of tea. Joyce, the shuttle driver, arrived while my tea was brewing. On the way back to Hiawassee, Joyce pointed out several recreational areas in the national forest. There was even a place for horse riding. The scenery was pretty nice. I was told that I got the Cook's Tour. The plan for tomorrow is to go from Mooney Gap to Winding Stair Gap. I will climb Albert Mountain - it was the end of our trip last year. I really can't wait to get after it. On a sad note, I heard Clint Barsh passed away after a long battle with cancer... just too young. Arthur Bowen is in the hospital for heart repair. My prayers go out for everyone suffering.
Date: 2014-04-21
From: Mooney Gap

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Got to Mooney gap about 9:30 a.m. By 10:30, I had made it the mile and a half up to Albert Mountain fire tower. I met a couple of guys I had seen at the Trail Magic event. Also, a local young lady was there and she took my picture for me. I took hers for her as well. There were plenty of ups and downs again today. I got to Rock Gap Shelter at about 1 p.m. I talked with four older folks who were inspecting the shelter. They were brothers and sisters from England now living in the states. I ate lunch at the shelter; got to Winding Stair Gap by 3:10 p.m.   The worst thing on me right now are still my feet. I also got poison ivy somehow, but it's not too bad. Tomorrow will be a fifteen miler in the rain.