morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-02-08
To: Gooch Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We didn't have to travel too far today so we arrived at the Gooch Mountain shelter around 3:30. We are trying to take it easy these first few days until we can get our legs under us. Bobby, the thru hiker we met yesterday was already at the shelter when we got here. He seemed to be in quite a bit of pain and explained to us how he had fallen over a rock and hurt his knee and ankle. He wasn't sure if he would be able to continue with the rest of his hike after just two days. That just goes to show how tough the terrain can be. Even though we didn't travel too far, we did go over some pretty difficult stretches. Jesse and I spent the rest of the evening gathering up any dry wood we could find to start a fire, and we are now sitting out here enjoying it. It's pretty nice outside tonight considering it's early February in the North Georgia Mountains. We will really have to soak it in tonight though because the weather report is calling for a drop in temperature and rain or snow for the next few days. I really hope it's snow because we have a long day tomorrow and I would prefer to not be drenched the entire time. I guess all I can do right now is keep my fingers crossed though.
Date: 2010-02-09
From: Gooch Mountain Shelter

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: snow

Well I must not have crossed my fingers hard enough becuase it rained today. And by rained today, I don't mean we passed through rain a couple of times and got a little wet. I mean it rained from fifteen minutes into our hike this morning until we stopped at 5:00 this evening. What made it particularly uncomfortable was the fact that it probably never got to be much more than 35 degrees outside. Today was the most challenging day I have ever had hiking, or doing much of anything else for that matter. I definitely am a little bit tougher than I was when I woke up this morning. However, I'm sure this is just one of many days that we will have like this. We also put in some serious miles today, nearly doubling what we had done in the first two days. I'm not sure I have ever hiked that far in one day and certainly not in the pouring rain. We had orignially planned to stay in the shelter on top of Blood MOuntain, but because we were so wet and worn out from the day already, we decided to go three extra miles up and over Blood Mountain so we could stay in the hostel at Neels Gap. We felt like it was worth it to push on a little further so we could have our clothes dried and a bed to sleep in for the night. It turned out to be a good decision because Blood Mountain turned out to be an icey, slushy mess and after everything freezes over tonight, it would have been nearly impossible to navigate down those icey rocks on the north side of the mountain. The rain gear woked pretty well considering the lenth of time we were out in the rain. There is not a material known to man that will keep you completely dry when moving around in a constant rain from 9:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the evening. We couldn't even really take a lunch break without risking getting everything soaked by taking off our rain covers so we just quickly gobbled down a salami stick and some naked tortillas while we were on the go. The worst part for me came after I discovered my gloves were not, in fact, waterproof. I had to go the rest of the day bare handed, and the gusts of freezing cold wind and rain beating down on my hands took a toll. I had to spend most of the day with my hands in my pockets and my treking poles tucked under my armpits. Naturally, my legs got a little more worn out than usual without being able to use my treking poles.Nonetheless, we finally pushed on to Neels Gap where we are staying at the Walasi-Yi Hostel. It's a pretty nice place, and we will have a bunk to sleep in for the night. The guy who runs the hostel, Pirate, got some stuff to make tacos and taco slad tonight so we ate a lot! The salami stick and tortillas didn't make up the most satisfying lunch so when I saw the food laid out in front of us I felt like I had never eaten before. Tonight should be a good break for us and our gear should be all dried out in the morning. We are both very sore and we're hoping for snow instead of rain tomorrow, but as they say, "NO RAIN, NO PAIN, NO MAINE."
Date: 2010-02-10
From: Neels Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We got a good night of sleep in the hostel last night and it's a good thing because we needed it today. When we woke up this morning we discovered that there had been a snow storm last night with winds up to 50 mph. We picked up our mail drops and bought a few supplies at the store at Neels Gap and left around 11:00. When we were leaving this morning it was 12 degrees and windy. Yes, you read that right. Twelve degrees with gusts of wind 20-30 mph. I am accustomed to slightly colder weather than Jesse who is from the South Georgia swampland of Camden County, but I can't ever remember being in 12 degree weather in Marietta. We knew we were probably in for another tough, draining day and we were right. It was a little less than 11 miles to the shelter we're at now, but it was a very challenging 11 miles. The fresh snow on the ground was pretty thick and not only slowed us down, but also again left our boots pretty wet. I think Jesse caught the worst end of this setback even though we have the same pair of boots. Either way, by now we both have solid blocks of ice sitting in the corner of the shelter that we will have to put back on our feet in the morning. The most challenging part of the day though would probably have to be the ice. We had to inch our way down many parts of the trail that were completely covered with sheets of ice. There were plenty of arms flailing and hand grabbing for trees or anything that might keep us from falling. We both took our share of spills, but luckily neither of us fell hard enough to do more damage than a few bumps and bruises. Trying to get up with a 45 pound pack on your back looks similar to a turtle trying to flip itself over after being turned over on its shell. It's not the easiest thing to get up from and I'm sure it would look pretty ammusing to an outside observer. Right now we are in the Low Gap shelter. Since we are the only ones here tonight and the wind is blowing a lot of snow into the shelter, we have our tents set up inside to keep us a little more dry tongiht. I have stayed in this shelter before and I am always reminded of a story about a hiker who once woke up to a bear straddling him in the middle of the night here. I know it's a little cold for bears (and smart humans too for that matter) right now, but I still can't help but imagine a snout poking its way in between our two tents and sniffing the food we are cooking at any moment. Tomorrow we will crank out about 10 miles in the morning and hopefully be in Helen by early afternoon. Helen is a cool town and I look forward to being out of this cold for a while and enjoying the night in town.
Date: 2010-02-11
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning was cold and pretty hard to get going, but once we finally got moving the hike was not too bad. A few parts were a little tricky because of the ice, but it was not nearly as bad as yesterday. The sun came out pretty early on and the wind was not nearly as bad as yesterday either. We passed the Blue Mountain shelter and decided to check it out since neither of us had ever been there. It was apparent that somebody had just left there from the coals that were still burning in the fire pit so we knew we had to be right on the heels of some other hikers. About a mile from Unicoi Gap we ran into an older day hiker. He didnt exactly make the best impression on me because before even introducing himself he told us that we needt to just turn around and go home because we would never make it through the Smoky Mountains as bad as the weather has been this year. We let him humor us with some horror stories about the Smokies for a little while, but finally told him that we would send him a post card from Katahdin and moved on to Unicoi Gap. There we found the two guys who had been at the Blue Mountain shelter earlier. They had been trying to hitch a ride back to Blairsville where one of them was from for about an hour. After talking to them for a few mintues and sharing with them our plans to stay in Helen for the night, one of them, Kevin, decided to come with us and split a hotel room to save money. It only took about fifteen minutes to thumb a ride into Hlelen where we hit a Wendy's pretty hard immediatly after checking into our hotel. We didn't even take the time to get cleaned up before going into Wendy's so I'm sure we were probably pretty offensive to at least several of the 5 senses of the other people there, but real food for a change was amazing. We're staying at the Super 8 Motel right now. There is both a laundry mat and restaurant serving 35 cent wings and $1 drafts until 7:00 within walking distance so we will get oursleves cleaned up and then go stuff our faces once again. It should be a pretty solid night off the trail.
Date: 2010-02-13
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was another pretty tough day. There was a lot more snow on the ground after last night so progress was very slow. We had to dance around a lot more blown down trees and brush and in some places the snow drifts came up to our knees. I knew we would be in a hotel tonight so I didn't really worry too much about trying to keep my feet dry. We met my dad at Dick's Creep gap and after taking us to get some all you can eat ribs in Hiawassee, he ended up getting us a room there too at the Holiday Inn Express for two nights. There is a hot tub here that will help ease the sore muscles and very nice rooms where we will be able to relax and take a zero day tomorrow. I am very thankful for such a nice surprise because it really has been a tough week with all the weather and poor conditions of the trail. We definitely needed some time to rest our bodies. However, on top of the room my dad brought with him a new Marmot Zero degree sleeping bag and sleeping pad for me. I had been using a pretty old and inexpensive zero degree bag that I have had for a long time. It kept me from freezing, but was still leaving me pretty cold at night. I really am grateful that my parents have been so supportive of me on this trip. They have gone well above and beyond in helping me and I really am lucky to be so blessed. After just laying in the new sleeping bag in the hotel room I know it will definitely keep me a lot warmer at night. I am looking forward to taking a much needed zero day tomorrow before heading up into North Carolina.
Date: 2010-02-26
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Wyah Shelter
Miles today: 11.0

This Morning we got a free shuttle from our hotel in Franklin to the trail and were hiking by 9:30. The first few miles were perfect. It was chilly, but the sun was out and there was not much snow on the ground at all so we could actually see what we were stepping on. After a quick lunch we started to run back into that all too familiar shin deep snow. However, for the most part, it was only for short sections and in some spots it was packed down decently enough to walk on without too much trouble. I still can't wait for the day that we can just walk all day on solid ground without our feet slipping and sliding all over the place through the snow. We might still be quite some time away from that though. Late this afternoon we made it to Wayah Bald where there were some great views. There was a stone observation tower that was kind of creepy in the bottom but had a tremendous view up top. We are staying in the Wayah shelter tonight and if the trail is in decent condition up ahead of us, we hope to make it over 16 miles all the way to the Nantahala Outdoor Center tomorrow.
Date: 2010-02-27
From: Wyah Shelter

To: N.O.C.
Miles today: 16.3

Last night I slept pretty well although it was very cold. Our goal was to make it to the Nantahala Outdoor Center tonight so we got going early and were hiking by 8:45. It was pretty tough to get my muscles working, but after about a mile I was warmed up and moving pretty well. The best part of the day happened about 4 miles into the hike. A Trail Angel named Apple brought us to his camp site where he had a large, heated tent set up. He gave us cookies, hot chocolate, and made us a couple of hot dogs a piece. It was a great treat since we had only planned on beef jerkey and trail mix for lunch. Apple styas at the tent all month from 9:00-5:00 to take care of all thru-hikers that come through. I'm thankful for people like him whose kindess make the trip so much more enjoyable. This afternoon we made it to the observation tower and Wesser Bald which had an amazing view of mountains in every direction, including the Smokies which we are headed toward next. They looked pretty intimidating, towering over the other mountains around them. I can only imagine how cold and snowy it is up there now, but I guess we will soon find out first hand. The N.O.C. was still 6.5 miles from the observation tower and we were pretty tired already, but we really wanted to push on and sleep indoors. We probably over did it a little today though. The last couple miles of the day before you stop are always the worst, but today the last couple were particularly agonizing. Nonetheless, we finally made it to the N.O.C. around 6:30 only to discover everything was closed. We were told by the people cleaning upo the restaurant that in order to get a bunk for the night you had to get there before the offices closed at 5:00. However, they pointed us in the direction of a common dining room that had showers and a kitchen. We came up here, showered, and ate some dinner from our packs. Nobody seems to have a problem with us being here so I guess we will just be sleeping here in the dining room on the floor tonight. I'm so tired that I could probably fall asleep standing up with my eyes open so it doesn't bother me at all. I'm just glad to be out of the cold for a night.
Date: 2010-02-28
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center (N.O.C.)

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

We decided to take a Zero today at the N.O.C. since we are still pretty worn out and didn't get a chance to check out all the N.O.C. had to offer last night. We ended up sleeping in the dining room last night where there were some people studying for an outdoor medical treatment course pretty late into the night. They were friendly and Jesse even knew one of the girls who was also working on her masters in Biology at West Georgia. They were good company and didn't have a problem with us staying there, plus we didn't have to pay for a room for the evening so I can't complain.The N.O.C. is a really great place. We had a tremendous lunch at the River's End Restaurant after checking out the outfitter next door. The Appalachian Trail crosses right between the two buildings, then leads you accross a bridge over the Nantahala River and through the rest of the facilities. The cabin we are staying in tonight is only a couple hundred yards away from the AT. There were some kayakers out earlier today that I watched from the bridge for a minute. I have no idea how they are out in that river right now. I stuck my fingers in for just a second to check the temperature and half expected them to come back out frost bitten and black. Other than the rediculously cold water, it looked like it would be fun though. I would definitely like to take a weekend to come up here and try it when I get doen hiking this summer and the weather is warm.
Date: 2010-03-06
From: Fontana Dam

To: Russel Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

We got a good start to the Great Smokey Mountains today. Mike drove us back to the dam this morning and we saw some cool scenery along the way. One place we drove by was the dam that Harrison Ford jumps off in "The Fugitive" which was pretty cool to see in person. Again, I am so grateful for Mike and Morrie's hospitality. It was truly an amazing couple of days at the Blue Waters Mountain lodge. The view from Fontana was great and the weather was actually very nice for a change. We certainly picked a great day to head into the infamous Smoky Mountains. I even got to hike the first couple of hours of the day in a T-shirt and shorts before we got into the higher elevations. Within the first couple of miles there was not very much snow on the ground and as I turned the corner of the first mountain we were climbing today, there was a deer standing in the middle of the trail ust staring at me. He didn't seem too concerned with me being there and let me get within about 20 yards of him. I think that is the first real wildlife I have seen and it was definitely cool to get that close to it. The rest of the day was not too bad. The snow gradually got deeper but never consistantly got higher than shin deep. We ran into a ridge runner named Carl who is out for a few days maintaining the trail. He was very helpful and informative about the conditions of the trail. It was only a little after 3:00 when we got to Mollie's Ridge shelter so we decided to push on to Russel Field shelter where we are now. There are quite a few bear tracks around the shelter, but it has a chain link fence accross the front so we should be fine. We've heard there are some spots tomorrow where the snow gets pretty deep so we should have our work cut out for us.
Date: 2010-03-07
From: Russel Field Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Life is a lot easier with temperatures in the 40's rather than the 30's or lower. The sun was out today and it was pretty again for a little while today. Within the first two miles, the snow was very well packed and was a breeze. That section of the trail has quite a few horses coming through so I'm sure that helped to knock down and pack some of the snow in pretty well. The snow started getting deeper after that short section and the rest of the day was straight up and down in around shin deep snow so it was a pretty tough hike from then on out. Still the weather made it a lot more pleasant. The view from Rocky Top (5,440 ft.) and Thunderhead (5,527 ft.) were absolutely beautiful. With the clear sky, you could see mountains for miles in every direction. After the tough weather we have endured already, it was really refreshing and reminded me why I am out here. After getting off to a pretty good start we had hoped to make it about 15 miles to Siler's Bald shelter, but the amount of work it had taken to get us through the snow all day had really taken a lot of energy out of us. Maybe even more influential on our decision to stop for the day was the fact that when we got to the Derrick Knob shelter there were three Spring Break hikers there that already had a nice fire going. We were were pretty soaked from the knees down from all the snow so we figured a night with a fire to dry our stuff out would be in our best interest. Two more thru-hikers came strolling in after us and then another pair of Spring Breakers came in after them so we have a full house in the shelter tonight. It is nice to see other people for a change since we have seen so few other hikers to this point. This fire has also been a lifesaver tonight, and I'm grateful they had it burning strong when we arrived here. Tomorrow we have about 14 miles we are hoping to cover including up and over Clingman's Dome, which is the highest point on the AT at 6,643 ft, so we have another long day ahead of us
Date: 2010-03-08
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a very long day. We woke up and started our long journer through quite a bit of snow all day long. Six of us that stayed in the shelter were headed North and we all left around the same time. I was feeling pretty good today and was pretty far out in front of everyone for a while, but the climb up Clingman's Dome slowed us all down quite a bit. The two Spring breakers stopped at the first shelter so Will (Sonic), Nick (Rocker), Jesse, and me headed up to Clingman's pretty late in the day. It was about 2 miles of straight up through deep snow so it took us a long time to get to the top. It was almost 4:30 by the time we reached the observation tower, but it was still very clear outside and the view was incredible. After spending a little time at the top, we decided to move on since we still had four miles to go to get to the shelter before it got dark. As soon as we got back on the trail, the snow got thicker than anything we have gone through yet. It was so steep and the snow was so thick that it was extremely difficult to even keep your feet, let alone find the trail. Nick and Will decided to turn back after about a half a mile and pitch a tent, but Jesse and I decided to push on. We eventually scaled our way down the side of the mountain (probably not anywhere near the trail) where it spit us out at a road. We used the map of the Smoky's to figure out that the road we were on ran parrallel to the AT so we followed it for a little while until we could get back onto the AT. It a little while after the sun had set before we found our way to Mt. Collins shelter and we are exausted from a long day. We will be taking a much needed break in Gatlinburg tomorrow. The Smokies have been pretty tough so far.
Date: 2010-03-10
From: Fontana Dam

To: Out of the Smokies!!!
Miles today: 0.0

Dave and Jesse (JB) left Fontana Dam on 3/5. They made it to Gatlinburg (40.7 miles) on 3/9. They did not take showshoes. Dave said the conditions were bad especially Clingmans Dome. Dave also said "there ain't no smoggy smoke on Rocky Top, but there sure was a lot of snow". Mother Nature has really given them a lot of trouble over the last month, but the more of a challange she throws at them the more determined they become to keep going. They both have great attitudes.They left Gatlinburg this morning and made it to Peck's Corner Shelter (10.4 miles) this afternoon. They will have a tough hike tomorrow to Cosby Knob Shelter (12.9 miles). After that it's all down hill for 8 miles and then they will have The Great Smoky Mountains in their rearview mirror.Dave hopes to update his journal soon. I'm sure he'll have some good stories to tell about the Smokies. For instance, the other night they heard some sort of big cat scream near their shelter that he said made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Please continue to leave messages in their guestbook. They really enjoy reading them.
Date: 2010-03-13
From:  Standing Bear Farm Hiker Hostel

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Dave and Jesse (JB) made it through the Smokies yesterday. They believe they were in the first 10 hikers this year to get through the Smokies. They spent last night at the Standing Bear Farm Hiker Hostel. They got resupplied and hope to get to Hot Springs (33.4 miles) in 2 to 3 days. They are looking forward to getting there because JB's dad is going to meet them and hike with them for about 2 weeks. There, they will take a zero day and catch up on their journals about their experiences in the Smoky Mountains. Their 7 day hike through the Smoky Mountains was very difficult because of the deep snow at the high elevations. Thursday, Dave said that it rained so hard that the trail was like walking in a stream that was ankle deep. The weather next week in Hot Springs is suppose to have temps durning the day in the high 50's and high 30's at night. After what they have been through since they started on February 7th, they will want to break out the tee shirts, shorts, sunglasses and sunscreen. They are really looking forward to the weeks ahead of hiking on dirt and being able to see what they are stepping on.