morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-03-24
From: Deep Gap

To: Plumorchard Gap shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: broken clouds

Today we walked about 3.5 miles to Dicks Creek Gap and got a ride to Top of the Mountain Georgia hostel and resupply. We wanted to pick up some more fuel for cooking. It was a very clean and organized place. We met a nice lady with the trail name of Kinder. We were both hungry so we ordered a pizza which they cooked for us and ate it there. We left around 1:30. The owner gave us a ride back to Dicks Creek. He said we looked familiar and that he had a photographic memory then, proceeded to tell us, he saw us a few days ago in the grocery store, I was trying on glasses and Tom was waiting for me. Pretty cool he could do that. We hiked another 4.5 miles and set up camp I at Plumorchard Shelter where several of the hikers we met the night before were also staying. I woke up a couple times in the night and heard snoring on both sides of our tent, lol. Zzzzz
Date: 2017-03-25
From: Plumorchard Gap shelter

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke up today and heard there was going to be some trail magic at Deep Gap, there was going to be hotdogs. I have been so hungry the past few days I was going to get some hotdogs. Ha, ha! We hiked a total of 12.2 miles today and also crossed into North Carolina. When we got to Deep Gap some wonderful people were cooking hotdogs for us and they also had cookies, beer, Gatorade and apples for us. Those were the best hotdogs I ever had! After we ate we hiked another mile to Standing Indian Shelter. Cory, Erin, Kaylyne, Kevin, Taylor and her Dad, Curtis were at the shelter again with us along with a nice group of section hikers from Florida. We had a great night sitting around the campfire while each of us told our story of why we were hiking. Rain is definitely happening tonight and I'm not liking the thought of getting up to cold and wet.
Date: 2017-03-26
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Tonight was the first night we actually slept in a shelter because it was supposed to storm really bad. It was foggy and cold when we got there. There was 8 of us packed in like sardines. It was the first night I was warm. We had a lot of fun laughining with everyone. One young man slept on a board under the shelter because he didn't want to get wet and there wasn't any room in the shelter.
Date: 2017-03-27
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Wallace Gap
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we hiked to rock gap shelter but the shelter was totally full when we got there and there were no tent sites so we had to keep hiking. We hiked on a ridge for another mile or so and finally found a place to camp that was an old Forest Road. Some other guys camped there with us we found a beautiful running spring water really close by. We ate our dinner and were in bed by 8:30. We were awoken at 10:30 by pouring down rain, thunder and lightning and the wind was blowing our tent like crazy. After 90 minutes or so it finally calm down and we fell asleep to a constant light rain all night.
Date: 2017-03-28
From: Wallace Gap

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we woke up packed up our tent and got her stuff ready as fast as we could we had run out of food and all we had left were granola bars so we ate those while we hiked the 3 miles to winding stair gap. We were trying to get there by 9:30 so we could catch the shuttle into Franklin. We made it with 5 minutes to spare. When we got to Franklin we had a huge breakfast at Kountry Kitchen. I had been really hungry the last two days. We got a room at Comfort Inn, washed our cloths, showered and went to dinner at Fatz. I was craving a big juicy steak! It was delicious! We are going to stay in the hotel one more day so we can get our supplies ready for the next two weeks. We plan on shopping at Wal-mart and Ingels for food.
Date: 2017-03-29
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today we shopped for supplies. We put together a box for Fontana because there isn't a place to re supply for several days on the trail. We went to Outdoor 76 to mail our supplies but it wasn't working out so we found a ride to the post office to mail them. We went back to Ourdoir 76 because I wanted to ask some questions about my feet and shoes. The owner is very knowledgeable. He helped me find exactly what I needed for my feet. We ate dinner at a place called REL, the pot roast was delicious! Then went back to the hotel to get ready to hike tomorrow.
Date: 2017-03-30
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Today we had a beautiful start with the view of a waterfall. We hiked 11 miles to Wesser Bald Shelter. The tent area was packed with a Boy Scout Troup from Alabama so we went Down the trail another 100 feet and found a place to set up our tent. It was getting cold throughout the day, the wind was picking up and we knew it was going to rain overnight. We cooked our dinner, ate and got in our tent. The Boy Scouts were laughing, hollering and having a blast. It rained and the wind was really strong overnight. I was actually praying no trees would fall on our tent. Early in the morning I heard some of the scouts scream. We found out later they had 3-4 mice in their tent. Lol.
Date: 2017-03-31
From: Wayah Bald Shelter

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: heavy intensity rain

It was cold all day. We hiked through several areas of burnt forest and mountains. It was really sad.   We came across to huge lookout tower and climb to the top of it. The views were amazing. You could see where some of the mountains were burnt and some were not; there was no pattern and it made no sense, the wind must have blown the fire in several different places. There were only a few people at the shelter where we stopped for the night. We set up our tent, cooked dinner, filled our water and went to bed at 8 pm.
Date: 2017-04-01
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Grassy Gap
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was a crazy start we basically climbed mountain ridges with only a few feet on each side before you could fall off the edge. I actually had to sit down to go down some of the rocks, it was so steep. Most of the dangerous sections were where the fire had burned away the trees. The weather was phenomenal it reached above 70° today. We walked down the mountain to the Natahala outdoor center. It is geared to kayakers. We decided to get something to eat while we were there. Today I saw a lot of beautiful flowers starting to bloom on the trail and I saw my first Trillium in full bloom . After we ate we decided to hike further before setting up camp it was up hill for 3 miles before we found a nice little spot to camp which also had a spring so we could fill our water. We made a small fire and cooked our dinner tonight. The warm weather was a real treat for us today.
Date: 2017-04-02
From: Grassy Gap

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we didn't start hiking until 9:30. 5miles of our hike was up so it was taking almost an hour per mile. We knew we couldn't make the shelter because it was over 13 miles away so we ended up camping on another service road by the highway. Today was rough.Thomas said it killed us, lol! Aside from all the uphill climbs it was over 80 degrees today and we were sweating like crazy. We also applied sunscreen at least 10 times because we kept sweating it off. We saw a lot of people who were sun burnt. We were really hungry for ice cream today. It was a very beautiful day.
Date: 2017-04-03
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today became a rainy day as we started out hiking. The the rain became a downpour and we didn't have our rain pants on so our pants were soaked. We reached the shelter around 2:30 but decided to stop hiking for the day so we could get our clothes somewhat dry before morning. We slept in the shelter because it was supposed to continue raining through the night. One hiker, Zeus. Started to tell us about a guy who played an April fools joke on him. He said as he was hiking by this guys campsight , the guy said "hey I'll have bacon and eggs ready in a minute", then Zeus said REALLY? The guy then said, "no, I'm kidding" so Zeus said, "Ihate you and I'm going to burn your Steeler hat!" Thomas and I instantly started laughing because it was Thomas who teased him and he didn't recognize him without his Sterlers hat. We are definitely meeting some great people. We also met Texas Ranger, Mitch and Wife today.
Date: 2017-04-04
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: broken clouds

Today we hiked to Fontana Dam and got a ride to Fontana Lodge. We are picking up a resupply package and staying for the night. I bad thunderstorm hit there the night before and knocked all their phone lines out and also effected the cellular service. We stayed at the Fontana Lodge and it was beautiful! We did our laundry and had dinner at the grill. We plan on heading back on the trail tomorrow even though there is talk of a bad storm and cold weather. Tomorrow we will be in the Smokey Mountains.
Date: 2017-04-05
From: Fontana Dam

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

When we got married 20years ago today, I never would've dreamed we would be hiking the Appalachian Trail. Today we are hiking in the smokey mountains, it was required to stay in a shelter unless the shelters are full. We hiked a lot of up hill today. We started at Fontana Dam and I Took some beautiful photos there. The weather was getting colder and it was raining. The hiking path in this area is worn down and we were hiking through a lot of cold mud. We got to the shelter found a spot for our sleeping mats and bags. This shelter had a tarp over the open side which was great because it was facing the direction the wind was blowing. Thomas developed a couple blisters today and I could tell it was hurting his feet to walk. We were hiking with Texas Ranger today and also Cubs Win and 7 Beers. Before we all fell asleep I told everyone this was the biggest Anniversary party we ever had!
Date: 2017-04-06
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: moderate rain

Today was very difficult to hike. It had snowed in the early morning and Thomas's blisters were bothering him. The mud was getting sloppier and deeper and was mixed with snow. We were moving slow because with every step our feet were sliding, especially on the downhills. We arrived at the Shelter and shortly after the ridge runner named Chloe arrived as well. She asked us not to cook inside the shelter because it could draw the bears inside. It was difficult cooking outside because it was so cold so we cooked dinner and ate it very fast. All 19 people in the shelter where in their sleeping bags by 8 pm
Date: 2017-04-07
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Today there was more snow on the ground and our feet were soaking wet. As long as we kept moving they warmed up despite them being wet. We pushed ourselves today to go further. We desperately wanted to get out of the Smokies with more snow on its way. Chloe stayed at at our shelter again and let some hikers build a fire since it was so cold. We had a mom with two sweet girls 7 and 9yrs old in our shelter. When we got there there was a small space for us on the top row of the shelter so we set up our mats and bags. Since we were so cold we didn't eat dinner but climbed in our bags to get warm. Someone saw a mouse climbing on the shelter beams. Lol! We were supposed to meet our friend Rick and his buddy the next day at Clingmans dome and hike with him but Thomas text him to say we really needed to get off the trail. You just know when your body needs a break.
Date: 2017-04-08
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: fog

We woke up today frozen shoes, they were like blocks of ice. One hiker poured hot water on his shoes so he could get his feet in them. It was a painful experience for sure. The snow that had fallen the night before had turned to ice on the trail making it difficult to hike on. The last two days Thomas and I both fell about 3 times. Texas Ranger was hiking with us with the plan to go to Gatlinburgh for a couple days to let the trail melt and dry up. We reached Clingmans Dome today which is the highest point on the Appalachian Trail, 6,667 ft. The views from the dome were amazing and the wind was bitterly cold. The road to the dome was closed so we walked another 8 miles to the main road. The sun was out and it was a lot warmer. Thomas got us a ride into town because he noticed a young man with a Pittsburgh Pitate shirt and started talking to him. He grew up near Pittsburgh. He graciously gave us a ride and would not except any money what a great young man! It took us a while but we did find a room in Gatlinburg, got our clothes washed, ate a great dinner and got a good nights sleep.
Date: 2017-04-09
From: Newfound Gap

To: Gatlinburgh
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We stayed the night in Gatlinburgh and met Texas Ranger for breakfast. There was a car show and Cheerleader competition in town so it was busteling. We found out 7 Beers and his Dad (Cubs Win) were in town also so we planned to meet them for dinner. Thomas and I visited the outfitters to resupply our food and snacks and buy more Feul for cooking. Thomas found a field and stream hat in the hikers box and took it to wear on the trail after he washed it. We had a fantastic dinner then stopped at a store ( I believe it was called Dad's) across from the NOC. We found some great snacks and the clerk there said if we stopped by in the morning we could get sandwiches to take on the trail with us for lunch so that was our plan. We found a ride back to the trail for the morning.
Date: 2017-04-10
From: Newfound Gap

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: broken clouds

Today was the most beautiful day of hiking so far. Most of the snow had melted and the trail was rapidly drying. We came across many outstanding views. One was Charles bunion, it was a huge rock with beautiful views of the mountains and valleys below. The weather was also fantastic! We saw a wonderful sunset at the campsite and at the same time and almost full moon rising in the opposite direction. Texas Ranger hiked with us again today. Thomas is still nursing his blisters but was able to hike the full miles. Since the shelter was mostly empty we decided to sleep there because it would be faster than taking down the tent in the morning.
Date: 2017-04-11
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was another beautiful day. We came across an old plane wreck just off the trail. It looked like an old was plane. I don't know the story behind it but it was great finding it in the mountains. The flowers are starting to bloom and I saw several trillium, violets, forget me nots and mini Iris's along the trails. I am anxious to get to the next town to buy some new pants or shorts because my pants no longer fit and I have to tuck my shirt in to keep my pants up. 7 Beers and Cubs Win caught up with us today and showed up at our campsight tonight. They started farther down the trail than us when we left Gatlinburgh. It was a great night so we put the tent up. Thomas and I are not looking forward to tomorrow because we have more than 5 miles of down hill climbs. The down hill climbs seem to be harder on our legs and feet.
Date: 2017-04-12
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we woke up to a beautiful sunrise it was a pretty nice day. Texas Ranger and I hiked an extra 1.2 miles to a fantastic old lookout tower (Mount Cammerer Lookout),it was built in 1937 by the CCC and operated until the 1960s. Thomas his blisters were still bothering his feet so he hiked ahead of us. Our hike ended at standing bear hostel. It was a very rustic place but even had a general store with a few items to purchase. There were outside showers, but believe me, even these were very refreshing. Texas Ranger Cubs win and seven beers all got a bed in the bunkhouse while Tom and I rented a tree house for the night. We had a great time there. Several people played the guitar and we all sang along. We ran in to Muffit and Johnny Walker there again.
Date: 2017-04-13
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

Today was one of our longest days hiking we wanted to hike a few long days so we could get to Hot Springs earlier. It was also a beautiful day and the most memorable part was the hike to Max's Patch. It was once cleared for grazing cattle but now was a glorious place to be a little closer to heaven. The cutest couple gave us some trail magic of Snickers bars when we reach the top. A lot of hikers were planning on staying there for the night so they could watch the sunset but we were afraid it might be too windy so we set up camp at roaring fork shelter.
Date: 2017-04-14
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Deer Park Mt Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

Today we planned to hike another 15 mile day so we would only be a few miles from Hot Springs. We wanted to get to Hot Springs because we had a resupply package waiting for us there. It was another beautiful sunny day. We came across a cute little lizard while we were hiking and he graciously posed for some photos. He would not let me get a photo of his sapphire blue belly. We had a great day hiking with Seven Beers, Cubs win, and Texas Ranger.
Date: 2017-04-15
From: Deer Park Mt Shelter

To: Hot Springs NC
Miles today: 3.2

Today we got up early got our stuff put away I took down our tents and we're headed to town by 7:20 AM we only had to walk 3.2 miles before arriving in Hot Springs. Thomas and I stayed at an old historical house called Sunnybank Inn which was built in the 1840s. Supposedly the first AT Hiker stayed there. A very nice man named Elmer lived there, owned, and managed the Inn. He had the cutest dog named Jimmy Carter and two adorable cats named Pearl and Earl. Thomas and I both were amazed of his extensive book collection. The Inn was situated across the street from a lovely diner where we had an enormous and delicious breakfast when we arrived. We found a laundromat, did our laundry then visited the outfitters and Dollar General to resupply our food. Later we had dinner at the Grill across from the outfitters. After dinner Thomas and I took a walk down past the laundromat across a beautiful old red bridge. We saw a lot of people in Hot Springs that we knew from hiking the trail.
Date: 2017-04-16
From: Hot Springs NC

To: Hot Springs NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Today we had a delicious breakfast at the Sunnybank Inn. The owner, Elmer made breakfast and we had eggs with ramps, granola, grits, gravy and biscuits, blood oranges, and cantaloupe. After breakfast Thomas, myself, Seven Beers, Cubs Win and Texas Ranger attended church for Easter Sunday. It was a small congregation and the church was happy to see us. When they passed around communion a whole loaf of bread was split in half and I could see Thomas's eyes light up as he tapped me on the shoulder and I told him stop because I knew he was going to tell me he wanted a big bite that big loaf of bread. Lol! We went back to the outfitters for resupply and ended up spending the next four hours there sitting on the bench out front because that was the only place in town that had Wi-Fi. Later we met up with the rest of our crew and had dinner at the Grill across the street from the outfitters.
Date: 2017-04-17
From: Hot Springs NC

To: Allens Gap
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

We left Hot Springs today around 8am. Thomas grabbed a breakfast sandwich and coffee and tea for us at the diner. We met up with Texas Ranger, seven beers, and Cubs win and headed out of town. The temperature was in the 70s and the sun was shining. We saw some beautiful views of the river in Hot Springs as we climbed up the mountains but after that there weren't many other views and it was kind of a boring day of hiking. It was really hot and humid. Seven Beers went ahead because he is younger and faster than the rest of us. Texas Ranger saw a black snake on the trail today. My feet were hurting today and I noticed they were both swollen. I don't think I drink enough water while we were in town. I was happy when we got to camp around 430. We saw a little store called Mom's down the road which was an experience in itself to visit. There were a couple of coolers of drinks and ice cream and candy bars at the counter. In the middle of the floor was a huge pile of firewood right next to an old beat up couch and chair. We got a cold soda and an Ice cream sandwich and went back to our camp sight. We set up our tent, Texas Ranger made a fire, and Thomas cooked dinner. When we finished eating, it started to pour down rain so we grabbed our stuff and hurried into our tents and we didn't come out for the rest of the night. It hailed a little at first. The peepers (tree frogs) we're happy and we fell asleep to their songs.
Date: 2017-04-18
From: Allens Gap

To: Jerrys Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 12.1

This morning when we woke up there was a light drizzle of rain but we managed to get our tent down and stuffed into the bag and eat some breakfast. It wasn't really cold but there was a drizzle of rain all day long. It was foggy outside so there were no scenic views when we got to the top of the mountains. Seven beers and Cubs Win left before we did and we spent most of the Day with Texas Ranger trying to catch up to them. We had plans to meet them at Jerry's Cabin Shelter 12.1 miles away. We finally caught up to them about 2 miles from the shelter and seven beers had fallen and and wasn't feeling well. Texas Ranger and I (Curls), my trail name both slipped and fell on some rocks today also but didn't get hurt. Cubs win was having problems with his Achilles tendon and said he may have to go into town tomorrow to get it checked out. Thomas (Pima) that's his trail name, was the only one who didn't fall or have any problems today. It is 7:17 and we are already in our sleeping bags ready for bed.
Date: 2017-04-19
From: Jerrys Cabin Shelter

To: Devils Fork Gap
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we woke up in the rain and struggled to take our tent down while it was raining. We had to stuff our wet tent in the tent bag. We had planned on hiking to Hogback Ridge shelter today but saw there were severe thunderstorms in the forecast so instead we got off the trail at Devils Fork gap, and called a shuttle to take us into Erwin. 7 Beers, Texas Ranger and Cubs Win took a shuttle while Thomas (Pima) and I got a shuttle with Johnny Walker and Muffit. We got a room at motel 8 and planned our next few days out. We decided to keep our gear dry and slackpack the next few days.
Date: 2017-04-20
From: Iron Mt Gap

To: River Road Unaka Springs
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we went up the trail several miles and decided to slack pack from iron Mountain gap to Unaka Springs road. We got a ride from 10K (Tom) and J-Walker (Marie) who will shuttle hikers pretty much anywhere. You can find them in the AT Guide under Shuttles by Tom. We hiked 20.2 miles. We started at 8am and finished at 5pm. This was the longest distance we have hiked. At the top of Unaka mountain the forest was full of green moss it was gorgeous and looked like an emerald forest. On the other side of the mountain was a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments to honor a young man. Part of the trail coming off the mountain was really rough. Aside from it being downhill, it had tons of roots with sand and broken sandstones making it hard to stabilize each step. My ankles and the bone above my instep were taking a beating and my feet were really sore. At one point we both took off our shoes and socks and soaked our feet in the ice cold stream that ran along the last half of the trail. Once we got back to our room we ordered pizza because we didn't feel like walking anymore, lol.