morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-24
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 7.8
Weather: moderate rain

Rain, Rain, Rain and we arent even close to Maine. This is our first day on the trail as we climbed up to Springer Mountain it started to mist. We met our first fellow thru-hikers Jeff and Dave who have 60+ pound packs. We know ours are heavy at 40+, so they must be really hurting. At 4pm we reached our destination totally soggy and shivering, only to be told that the shelter is full. It is now pouring down, so Martial (walking stick) and I have to figure out how to set up our tent without getting all our belonging totally soaked. We sit on the edge of the shelter shivering while we try to focus. 4 other section hikers were also told that the shelter was full and also had to set up tents. Once they were set up, we were able to set our tent up in the shelter vestibule and then carry it out to our tarp on a campsite. Then we both crawled in and stayed there during a torrential downpour that lasted all night. Luckily our 3 inch sleeping pads kept our sleeping bags dry, because with the wind and the rain, there was an inch of water in our tent the next morning.We crawled out of our tent at around 6am after 14 hours, we didn't have the energy to cook dinner last night so we were starving. Luckily we woke up to a beautiful sunny day. As walking stick made coffee and breakfast I started breaking down our campsite and hanging up items to dry.We were shocked that we were not welcomed into the shelter the night before since we found out that it was a 12 person shelter and there were only 9 people in it. Shame on you!! for turning away soaking wet hikers and you know who you are!!! Karma will catch up to you, so watch out.In the morning we met Casey and the Narrator who went home with a weekend hiker and his daughter so they could dry out all their camping gear.We also found a nice pile of poop next to the shelter, someone was too lazy to go to the privy or dig a hole. The Narrator was kind enough to find a stick and bury it.
Date: 2010-04-25
From: Hawk Mtn Shelter

To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: few clouds

What a difference a day makes! No rain today. However shoes and clothes are still a little soggy. So we are carrying that extra water weight. Tried to dry them but had to get moving to the next shelter.On the way to the shelter we met Lint. He is a thru-hike who hikes over 20 miles a day with a 20 pound pack and he smokes a pike. GO LINT!We arrived at Gooch around 5pm and found out that the privy was overflowing - NOT GOOD. Lots of flies and gnats buzzing around.The people at this shelter were much more welcoming. We set up our tent at a campsite and then went to the shelter to have dinner at the picnic table. We met Papa Bear who had just acquired a camp chair from Dave & Jeff (the 60+ pound packs guys who are starting to toss all their extra weight).   They had set up a nice campfire and we wanted to sit and chat, but we were exhausted, so we headed back to our tent.We packed toooooo much food. We read the journals about people starving on the trail, BS. You are too tired to eat. We haven't had a lunch yet and only one dinner. So we left 2 pounds of food at the shelter for the other hikers to take. We eat our trail mix when we stop to rest, but that is it.In the middle of the night Walking Stick wakes me up by slapping the sleeping bags, somehow a mouse had gotten into our tent, he was finally able to scare him out, but he stayed in our tent vestible the rest of the night crawling around. He didn't do any damage, just ate a hole in my garbage bag that I use to cover my packback to keep it dry at night.We had the best night sleep - we must have gotten at least 5 hours - thank goodness for Tylenol PM.We heard that Lint went over 26 miles today. Wow.
Date: 2010-04-26
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Woods Hole Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: broken clouds

Today started out nice, but then rained off and on. We would put on our rain gear and then climb a mountain and it felt like we were wearing sauna suits. So we would have to take them off- quick or we would spontaneously combust. Then when you climb down the mountain you get a chill again. UGH!At 2:30 we got to Woody Gap and Walking Stick wanted to camp for the night, but the ideal of being in a tiny tent for 14-16 hours would drive me crazy, it would be different if it was a sunny day and we could sit outside, but if it was going to be miserable, I'd rather walk and get to the next shelter.So I won out and we walked - good thing because it stopped raining after 30-40 minutes. We got to Woods Hole shelter at 7pm, and it was cold- in the low 40's. We were welcomed into the shelter this time by Endo. Very nice guy with a machete and hachet for his protection. It was a tiny shelter only for 6 people, but only 4 people were there, the rest had set up tents. We were glad to stay at the shelter tonight, since we knew it was going to rain tonight and didn't want to mess with breaking down a tentsite in the morning.As we walked to the food hoist cables we notice a chewed up food bag. A few days ago, a bear had climbed up the tree next to the cables and snatched the bag, leaving only the top. Hopefully our food would be safe.Maybe sleeping in the shelter wasn't the best ideal, it did rain, but not for long, mostly it was just cold and windy. We should have laid our tarp on the shelter floor because that wind came right up thru the floor boards. Burrrr! The only way I could keep warm was to totally close up my sleeping bag, but I was afraid of asphyxiation, so I had to open the top of the bag every few minutes. Needless to say, did not sleep well at all. Got a few hours sleep in the morning when it got warm enough to stick my face out of the bag. Sorry to everyone for my snoring!In the morning I stayed in my bag while Walking stick made coffee and his oatmeal. I had a little cereal, but really wasn't hungry. We met our other shelter mates, Becky, Josh and Mark (Eric). They are highschool buddies who are doing a section hike. We also met Aardvark, who had been walking with Endo the last 2 days, but he camped out in his tent last night.
Date: 2010-04-27
From: Woods Hole Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 3.7
Weather: light rain

We walked over Blood Mountain to Neels Gap. What a beautiful sight. Lots of boulders to climb over, but we managed. Walking Stick and I have agreed that we need to do a pack shakedown. I am carrying around 40lbs and his pack is 45lbs. We are taking a break while our new gear comes in. We need better clothing to keep us warm at night, especially when we get to the Smokies. We need to lose 15+ pounds from each of our packs. When this is completed we will be ready to go again.
Date: 2010-05-08
From: Neels Gap

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: few clouds

Back on the trail again. The trail is very narrow, varies from 12-20 inches wide, but it is well maintained. Bear sightings = 0, Chewed up food bags by bears = 3. Water sources =0 Just couldn't find them today. Trail signs were knocked down so we didn't know how far things were. White blazes were at a minimum.Saw some day hikers and section hikers, but not a sole after 2pm. We ran out of water around mile 8, so it was little scary until we got to the shelter. Which had a great water supply.We got to the shelter just a few minutes before a father and son arrived (Owl and Deer). We were the only ones at the shelter tonight. Very cold night again!
Date: 2010-05-09
From: Low Gap

To: Blue Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.2
Weather: few clouds

Happy Mom's Day!Very cold this morning, but heated up by the time we left the shelter at 9am! That is a record for us. Lots of water sources today, I wish I would have know that when we started since I filled up my entire water blatter--too much weight to carry all day. Oh well.Only saw 1 person on the trail today, his name was Razor who is a Ridge Runner for the Georgia AT trail. Very Nice man, advised us to do a flip flop when we get to Harpers Ferry since we started so late. Sounds like great advise. Got to the camp at 2pm, glad it is an easy day, since I didn't get much sleep last night, I was dragging today.Best part of the day- Walking Stick made the best campfire.
Date: 2010-05-10
From: Blue Mountain Shelter

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up to a beautiful sunrise at blue mountain Shelter.Met Professor Longlegs along the trail.Got to Tray Mountain shelter at 2pm (7.8 miles)but felt good, so we decided to push on. Bad ideal! It started to sprinkle at 3pm, then drizzle at 4pm, then downright rain at 5pm. We got to the shelter around 6:30 soaking wet. 3 section hikers (Sam, Kathryn and Austin) were up in the top part so we took half of the bottom.Our good day turned even worse when our Burton stove stopped working - Ugh! No hot dinner to warm us up tonight. I was freezing again, but luckily someone left a bunch of camping supplies in the corner of the shelter. One of the item was a big sleeping bag, so I stuffed my mummy bag inside it and got warm and toasty in no time.
Date: 2010-05-11
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Dicks Creek Cap/Hiawassee
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up to a rainy cold morning. Very foggy. Decided to walk to Dicks Creek gap and get a shuttle to Hiawassee to get a replacement camp stove. Got to Dicks Creek, but no phone reception.Tried to hitchhike, but no one would stop. Finally a man in a Blue SUV pulled over, but he just wanted to stretch his legs. So we tried to hitch some more. Then the man walked over to us and said that he would drive us to Hiawassee. Thank you BILL!!! He drove us to the Hiawassee Inn and we checked, ate at Subway, then walked to the local Hardware store, no luck!! We stopped by the Library to update our journal and then heading to rite Aid to pick up some protein bars so we can make it to NOC without having to cook any meal.We will wash clothes and have a hot shower and then have a warm night in a clean bed. Oh the sweet pleasures in life!
Date: 2010-05-12
From: Dicks Creek Cap/Hiawassee

To: Muskrat Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: light rain

Today we woke up to a sunny day as we waited for Sally Smith from the shuttle service to take us back to Dick's Creek. She was great if you ever need a life to Hiawassee call 706-896-9339. Got off the shuttle with Matt and Josh and kept crossing paths most of the day until their young legs left us in their dust.We met alot of day hikers including Goldberry and Sherpa Dave who taught us that he tree with orange flowers is called a flaming Azalea. Very pretty. Also saw some pink lady slippers. They were very friendly and have been helpful to other thru-hikers visiting the area.We finally go to the shelter arount 5:30, but their were people everywhere! The shelter was full and tents were everywhere. There weren't any bear hoists but Walking Stick hung our food bags with our rope like a pro. (or we will find out differnt in the morning). We set up our tent, but found out that it was too slanty with all the blood rushing to our heads, so after a big laugh, we just picked it up and turned it around. We were surprised how easy it was considering we had all our supplies inside and set up already.
Date: 2010-05-13
From: Muskrat Shelter

To: Rock Gap
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: clear sky

We walked our first two miles with a wall of gnats attacking us, then the next two miles we climbed over rocks, but at least the gnats were gone, then the next 4 miles we walked along the Kimsey River. Very good water source! It was too cold to just lay there and soak our feet, maybe in a few months we will be able to do that when we pass a nice stream. We almost talked ourselves into skinny dipping, but decided not to, not only because it was cold, but we had just passed a group of senior lady hikers.We went to the Standing Indian Campground to get a lunch and hopefully buy a camp stove, but the camp store was closed and they didn't even have a vending machine. A nice lady did give us 2 pepsis. I don't even like Pepsi, but it was the best drink I had in a long time. We got to the shelter around 3:30, but Matt from LA soon after but hitched a ride to Franklin for resupply. Then 2 girls showed up, John Boy and Giggles and then came Johnnie and his dog Shug. The dog is amazing, he like to pick up logs like throw toys.
Date: 2010-05-14
From: Rock Gap

To: Wayah Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

We started at 8:45am and finished at 7pm. This was a very long hard day. We climbed our tallest mountain so far, Wayah Bald at over a mile high. We got some trail magic from an unknown angel right at wayah gap. Just before our climb. What a blessing. Someone left snicker bars and Strawberry Crystal light in a cooler for the hikers. Yum! Yum! We might not have made it up the mountain without it.We met Jack & George who are day hikers from Georgia and then ran into Ranger and Puddle Jumper who were waiting for a ride home.Spent most of the day with a wall of gnats walking on a trail full of rocks and tree roots, but the white blazes were plentiful and the Trail Magic a blessing!
Date: 2010-05-15
From: Wayah Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

Our feet were still tired from Yesterday's walk. We got to the shelter around 4pm, but could not go the extra 6 miles to the NOC. tomorrow will be a short day and we will get our Resupply box and a new stove. I see a pizza in my future. We stayed at the shelter so early due to an impending storm. We are out of clean clothes so we are very smelly. We have one other person staying at the shelter. An old guy named 2 dogs. He wouldn't tell me what his name meant - it is a bad joke- since I am a lady. I think it really means man who snores louder than 2 dogs. Luckily there was a really loud thunderstrom to drown out his snores.Matt from LA tented by the shelter and came by in the morning to say hi and dry out some of his things.
Date: 2010-05-16
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: scattered clouds

We started our descent to the NOC, but it is deceiving, there are alot of uphills before you head down. Great views from the top of the mountains. We were above the clouds today, with only a few mountain peaks popping through. No gnats, but lots of slippery tree roots. Who waxed those?   DR. EVAL?!?Met Geek who is a ridge runner assessing the damage after last nights storm. We saw and had to climb over 2 downed trees.We made it to the NOC at noon and ordered a large Pizza and Coke, but we could only eat half of it. Walking Stick will have the leftovers for dinner with an Ice cold beer. It is great to have a full belly again. Ran into Venado (deer) and Tecolote(owl) at the NOC community Center and Josh and Matt (from Hiawassee). I gave them our Peanut Butter and Ritz crackers. Too heavy for us to carry.While we were waiting to check into the bunkhouse a guy came over to us and gave us 2 snicker bars. He was a thru hiker in 2006 and his trail name was "nice guy" and he was! He liked the NOC area so much that he moved within 12 miles after his hike. He was very nice and encouraging to us. We are going to save the snickers for tomorrows hard climb out of the NOC.
Date: 2010-05-17
From: NOC

To: Sassafas Shelter
Miles today: 6.9

The first 3 miles were a breeze so we thought we could go on to Brown's Fork which is 9 more miles from Sassafas, but the last 4 miles kicked our butts. We just got our resupply at the NOC so our packs were HEAVY. We met up with Matt from LA at the shelter still trying to dry some clothes, but he didn't stay long, he has to hike if there is still daylight. We met a section hiker named Mike with sore knees. We also caught up to Josh (hiawassee), he had to leave Matt behind due to a foot injury, they will rejoin each other at Fontana Dam
Date: 2010-05-18
From: Sassafas Shelter

To: Brown Fork Gap
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: light rain

Started the day off feeling really bad- had back spasms. Thank goodness for Advil. Luckily we will only do 9 miles today. Lots of rocks on the trail as we climbed over Cheoah Bald. No Switchbacks so the steepness was crazy hard! The last 2 miles to the shelter were a killer. We didn't know whether to laugh at the ridulous grade or cry over the pain.We were glad to get to the shelter at 4pm. We meet section hikers Jeff and Larry and Mustard and Ketchup(a mother/daughter team) who were all going south. Josh was already set up at the shelter. He took his time getting there since he has to wait for Matt to get to Fontana dam. But he still kicked out old butts by getting to the shelter an hour before we did.
Date: 2010-05-19
From: Brown Fork Gap

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: broken clouds

Happy Anniversary Walking Stick!!Thanks for being my hiking partner as well as my life partner! I love that you wait for me to get to the top of the mountain and help me climb over giant boulders. You also lead the way and clear the trail of silk worm webs, as you call out "Why, Why?" That just cracks me up!Suppose to be all downhill to the dam, but it wasn't. It is never always downhill or uphill. Never! Woke up this morning around 2am with a pain in my left side. Then I threw up around 6am. Kidney stone, ugh. I have had them before, but not for many years.This is my second night without hardly any sleep. I was dragging today. Lots of rocks scrambles, tree roots, fallen trees and mud!Got to the Fontana Marina and took the shuttle to Fontana Village to have an anniversary dinner with my honey! We had burgers and the best onion rings on earth! Then we got to the shelter that had hot showers in a building up the road. The bathhouse was dirty and filled with spiders and creepy crawlies, but it had a hot shower!   I finally got to use my 16x32inch camp towel, which worked great and dried fast. I'm the only woman in the shelter, so it is like having my own bathroom and shower. There is a nicer bathroom with showers at the Visitors Center, but it was 1/2 mile away. Oh well.
Date: 2010-05-20
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up again with Kidney stone pains, only got a few hours sleep.We are entering the Smoky Mountains! long uphill first 4 miles, then up and down. Lots of rocks, roots, and gnats. Climbed up shuckstack tower. Very rickety and many of the bolts were missing on the ladder rungs. Even a handrail was missing. Very scarym, but a beautiful view.Saw 3 bears today. We saw a small bear clawing up a tree, but when he saw us, he ran down the hill. The second one was watching Walking Stick fill up the water filter by a stream, but the biggest one was walking right towards us. He was down the hill, but 60 ft away from us. I did try to take some pictures, but we got nervous when he kept walking towards us, so we got the heck out of there.Very nice shelter. We met Storyteller, Relic chaser and his son Chuck. We just missed Matt and Josh, they went onto the next shelter.
Date: 2010-05-21
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

It rained all night and we woke up to a very misty and cold morning. Lots of rocks on the muddy trail. Also lots of horse annd some bear poop on the trail. It was another long day. Got to the shelter around 5pm and 5 minutes later it started to rain. It was so cold that I immediately got into my sleeping bag and stayed there the rest of the night. I even ate in my bag (I know- a big no-no).Relic chaser and his son beat us to the shelter, since only 4 thru hikers have the right of way, they wanted to make sure they were 2 of the 4 hikers. We were the other 2!Some people woke us up around 10:30, it was 4 hikers and they just laid their pads and bags on the floor and passed out. After they woke everyone up.
Date: 2010-05-22
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mt Collins Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: light rain

It rained most of last night. But was warming up by time we were ready to go around 8:30. The first 6 miles were a breeze, we even stopped in at Double Springs Shelter for a lunch break. We met Paul from Raleigh NC who was finishing up his Harper Ferry to Springer Section. When we left there things started to get harder. We got most of the way to Clingmans Dome, but made a wrong turn and went 1/2 mile out of the way, for a total of 1 mile extra walking. Ugh! We were now 4 miles away from the shelter and it was 4:30. We had to hustle and we did! We still had to climb Mt Love, but after that it was mostly downhill, but very rocky and muddy! We got to the shelter around 7pm. This is the first shelter in the Smoky's with a privy - I would rather use the woods! Matt from LA is here, he hurt his foot and had to slowdown. The 2 hammock guys from Mollies were there too, they are now sleeping in tarps with emergency blankets. They are warm, but they have no padding so they are uncomfortable. They wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning and leave the shelter.
Date: 2010-05-23
From: Mt Collins Shelter

To: Newfound Gap / Gatlinburg
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: clear sky

Started around 9am to walk the 5 miles to Newfound Gap. Walking Stick is alway slow on town days, it just drives me crazy. Once we get to the gap we are going to take a shuttle to Gatlinburg, but we have no cell reception. So we try hitchhiking. We must look like criminals, because no one will pick us up. They even go in the far lane away from us and then move over to go to Gatlinburg at the last section, just to avoid us.We decide to walk over to Matt from LA, when we see Matt and Josh (hiawassee) getting out of a van. They call us over to say hi, when the driver of the van asks if we need a ride to town! YES SIR. It is a van from the NOC, they just opened up a new store in Gatlinburg and they offer free shuttles to thur-hikers! Sweet. They gave us a mape of the town and told us of a cheap hotel that was only a block away.We checked in and then went to KFC and got a bucket of chicken- move leftovers for dinner. Washed our clothes and went to a little store got me some Cranberry juice for my kidney stone. We wanted to go to a real grocery store to get more items for tomorrow, so we started to walk. We did the first half of the map in 15-20 minutes and the second half was shorter, so we continued to walk. Well the map is NOT TO SCALE. The second half was 3 1/2 miles long. Ugh! We kept thinking that the store would be around the next bend, but no. We finally got there and got our stuff, but decided to take the trolley back. We waited for over 20 minutes when we saw the blue trolley, but it was turning into the post office across the street instead of coming to the store. So we ran across 5 lanes of traffic and slid down a grass hill and landed on our butts right in front of the trolley. We picked up our groceries and climbed on the trolley, picking the grass off of each other. Then the bus driver told us that the grocery store was her next stop and we didn't need to try and kill ourselves. We broke out laughing. The two guys in the back of the bus must have thought we were crazy. We couldn't believe that we just hurled ourselves down that hill for nothing.After 3 hours we finally got bakc to our hotel room at 9:30, so we ate dinner. We tried to update our journals but the computer was busy.