morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-04-27
From: nantahala outdoor center

To: sassafras shelter
Miles today: 7.0

Day 16- April 27,2016This morning we woke up at the nice NOC motel at about 7 am. Our plan was to get out by 10. We started some laundry, cleaned up our packs and drank a few cups of the real brewed coffee from the common room. I miss coffee. We had some time to relax before heading out and got on the trail by 9:45. I have my new hip belt that is comfortable but is almost all the way synched tight and may not allow for me to lose much weight before I have a reoccurring issue. Today was more than 5 miles up a mountain and only 2 miles down. We expected it to be as difficult as it was. We stayed at a pretty slow consistent pace from the beginning which worked out really well. And the calories gained from yesterday's gorge on pulled pork and beer really helped. On the way up the first part of the trail we found a black snake and I was so excited! The first snake sighting! Not 5 minutes later, a small lizard rushed towards us and up a tree. What a great start to the day! The reptiles got me pumped up and excited for the day. It was super humid and we just continued to climb upwards. The hike up was very steep at many points but we continued on. Finally we reached the top and walked flat for a bit. Then it went up again... Eventually, we came to a point where we would gradually go down to the Sassafras shelter. It was still early in the day but was suppose to rain so we got a spot in the shelter. We met a few new people and square peg was there too. We hung out in the shelter and ate dinner. More and more people showed up and the shelter got pretty full. Many of the guys warned against their snoring. I'm terrified of tonight's sleep... I plan on loading up on Benadryl and listening to music while praying for rain to hit the tin roof tonight. Side note- the privy here is the worst I've seen. Poo literally piled inches from the seat. Square peg tried to push it down to make space with a stick...
Date: 2016-04-28
From: sassafras shelter

To: cable gap shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: light rain

Day 17- April 28, 2016So last night I didn't sleep... Maybe an hour or two. But the snoring was pretty consistent throughout the night. I tried breathing along with the snores for a few hours but I was still awake. Then I tried music. I played Joni Mitchell "Carrie" on repeat for another two hours or so. Better, but I could still hear the snoring in the background. Led zeppelin drowned it out the best and worked for a bit but I found that I was listening to the music rather than sleeping. So I turned off the music and it seemed to be quiet for about 10 minutes. As I was about to fall asleep, it started again.. Oh well. It's what I expected. I guess I fell asleep at some point for about two hours and woke up again. I laid there until 6am when I could wake dregs up. We got up and got out fairly quick and fortunately the weather forecast for the day had changed. Nice sunshine for the next few days! As we were walking we caught up to a few people. We eventually made it to a gap where someone had left some apples at a picnic table. We had an apple with squarepeg, kilometer, and two other guys we keep seeing Casper and fit. We had some caffeine and candy as well in prep for going up a mountain nicknamed jacobs ladder. It is only half a mile long but is so steep you can stand up straight and touch the trail in front of you. Before we started the climb, kilometer gave dregs some marital advice that apply to us and this journey. He's been married for over 40 years and said " it's gonna get tough but don't be a p**** and keep working through it". Not super politically correct, but good advice in my opinion. As we went up we could see it was a long scary climb. But we powered up the whole way without stopping. Dregs continued to spout off encouraging words to me the whole way up. Once we got to the top we felt amazing. We saw a small garter snake and continued down to a shelter for lunch. There we met Viking and ninja. The rest of the day we had an easy 6 miles that seemed to stretch on for awhile. We made it into camp at Cable Gap shelter and set up our tent next to our old pal cypher. Mr. Squarepeg was all set up in the shelter along with a section hiker named Scott. Kilometer got in not long after as well as ninja and Viking. Later we made dinner at the shelter with the guys and a newer friend named fun fact joined along with Michael and Fiffal. We sat around talking for a bit and now it is time for bed after a 15.2 mile day on little sleep. Tomorrow we hike into Fontana Village and then to the Smokies.
Date: 2016-05-08
From: spring mountian shelter

To: jerry cabbin shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 28- May 9, 2016Today was tougher than advertised. I was told yesterday that today's 15 mile hike would be super easy with only one challenging section up a mountain. With that in mind, this morning I was in no hurry to wake up. I didn't get to sleep until about 4am cause I had to pee but didn't want to expend the effort to climb out of my warm sleeping bag, get shoes on, find my headlamp, and go out into the cold dark world to use the restroom. Eventually I did and was able to get some sleep after. In the morning, I didn't want to get up and dregs let me sleep in until about 7:30. Once awake we slowly got ready for our easy day. As dregs was putting away his sleeping bag, the pull string came all the way out of the stuff sac. I couldn't help but laugh as he looked distraught. I fixed the bag for him so that I could justify my laughter. we didn't know our easy day that looked like small ups and downs on the map were a bit more dramatic than led on and the one challenge was extremely steep and long. In addition to that, our easy part after the big climb was a rocky ridge walk that was treacherous in my crocs. Yes, I wore my crocs all day today which was good on my blisters but not so great with getting a solid footing on jagged angled rocks. Before that though, we had a nice lunch at a small shelter with a few other hikers. Our meal consisted of tortillas with peanut butter and Nutella and our breakfast mix ( dry oats, brownie mix, and honey bunches of oats cereal). Delicious. After eating we set out for our big climb. It felt like it would never end but obviously it did. At the top, we had cell service so dregs ordered us warm weather blankets to replace our sleeping bags. Funfact joined us for a good part of the rest of the day. The ridge walk had some beautiful views but it took us probably an hour to go a little over a mile on it. I got to walk by myself for a bit while the guys were off on side trails, which was a nice change of pace for a time. They caught up again quickly and hiked the last few miles. We got into the jerry cabin shelter at about 5pm. We have officially passed the 300mile mark as well. Dinner was made; mountain house lasagna thanks to my mother, which was delicious, and are now getting ready for bed.
Date: 2016-05-11
From: bald mountian shelter

To: No Business shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 31- May 12, 2016Right now some guy is chopping up a skinned rattlesnake he killed and is planning to cook in front of us because it was on the trail... But I'll get to that in a bit. I'll start with the uneventful morning where we woke up early and got on the trail. We planned on another 10 mile day as we stalled for getting packages in town tomorrow. It was mostly down hill and quite pleasant. The only tough part was a really steep hill that we powered up and a not so bad mountain that looked worse than it was. That mountain was cool because a waterfall followed most of the trail and had neat pools at each level. Dregs made silly jokes to motivate me such as " the ferns say you're doing a fern job!" Those jokes make my day sometimes. We were getting close to the shelter and looking for the water source that was suppose to be .3 away from the shelter down a steepish hill. The shelter had no other water source so dregs wanted to get 5L of water to carry up. We passed a few springs that seemed to be listed on the map before the main one and then got to a small waterfall/spring that looked to be the source we wanted. Dregs filled up the water and we began to hike, only .3miles to go. Or so we thought. The trail kept going and going and then we came to the marked spring for the shelter... dregs was carrying so much extra weight for about a mile and a half. Then we went uphill. Finally we made it to the No Business Knob shelter that had no easy water and no privy. Only 12:30 and we were the only ones there. We set up and red dragon showed up, then Daria and and the South African guy with difficult name arrived.Two others showed up and then funfact. Not long after, a guy I won't name, came up and said he had killed a rattle snake that was on the trail. He chopped its head off and planned to cook and eat it because he killed it. He truly believes he was saving someone else's life by killing it rather than going around. Some people at the camp had very strong feelings about him killing it which is understandable. But he went back down to the stream far from camp and dressed the snake and cleaned it up to bring back to cook on the campfire. Ironically, this guy was supposed to go to the vegan festival today until his snake ordeal. Anyways, Dregs wanted this guy to be cool with us cause he would be sleeping next to us tonight...so he helped him build the fire and gather wood for the cooking. The guy cut up chunks of the snake and began to roar it over the fire. He used our tony chachere's Cajun seasoning to flavor it. The guys boiled it for a long time and we all hung out until it was done and we all tried a little meat.
Date: 2016-05-12
From: No Business shelter

To: super 8 Erwin, TN
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 32- May 13, 2016Today we planned on going 6miles down a mountain to Erwin. We got up around 7:30 and it was still raining. Last nights storm was pretty intense. The three of us, me , dregs and funfact, slowly got packed up, in no hurry to be in the cold rain, and got ready to leave. As we started walking, the rain dwindled down to nothing. The rain stopped completely and the sun came out. It was supposed to be all down hill but instead it seemed to roller coaster up and down small mountains for the first few miles, then it turned into never ending switchbacks all the way to town. We walked into town and continued down a road that no cars passed down for a log while. We were getting concerned we would have to walk the extra few miles but eventually we got picked up by an old couple with a boxer dog. They told us to hop into the bed of their truck and drove us to a pizza buffet. It wasn't the fanciest place but we ate a lot. We needed to get to our super 8 motel 5 miles away after the pizza so Dregs causally asked locals in pizza place who were talking to us where we could hitch at to get to the super8. They offered us a ride there. We rode in the bed of truck to motel and checked in. Dregs had discovered that one of his trekking poles was broken so he called Black Diamond who makes his poles and they are sending him a new pair. In the meantime he only has one pole. Dregs has also been having shin pain which could be shin splints and a possible hike ender of it gets too bad. My feet have been itching really bad. It looks like tons of bug bites but is blistering in some places which could mean poison ivy. In addition to all of that we needed to sort out some credit card issues that we were unaware of because we have been on the trail and not receiving mail. Dregs got that all situated and we walked over to Walgreens for anti itch cream for my feet and a leg wrap for his shin. Then we went to the post office and picked up two packages we have been excited for. One was our new blankets for warmer weather to replace our 15 degree bags and the other was from our church, Living Stones. They had sent us Kind Bars which we have been looking forward to. First time trying the maple flavor and they are fantastic! We went back to get funfact and then the three of us walked a few miles to get a texmex diner. On the way there, we saw a quail in someone's front yard running around, I was excited to see it. At dinner, we all got fajitas and it was super good. Afterward, we walked over to resupply at food lion. It was going to be a long walk back to the motel and it was getting late but then a man pulled up to us in car and offered us a ride back to motel. We got back and sorted our foods for the week. My feet are still unbearably itchy but hopefully the swelling and itch will go down by tomorrow. Ibuprofen, Benadryl, hydrocortisone lotion and bed. Looks like Big Bang Theory is on again. That should take my mind off my feet until I can fall asleep.
Date: 2016-05-15
From: camp site

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 34- May 15, 2016This morning we woke up to brutal wind, fierce cold and my mouthpiece to my water bag chewed up by mice. We had decided to wake up late in hopes of it warming up a bit, but by the time we left at 10:45am, it was still freezing. Our first bit of the day was right up a mountain which got the blood flowing but didn't quite warm me up completely. Dregs had his base layer on but I was sure it would be too warm for it soon. It never really got warmer and I never gave in to putting on a warmer layer. The day was fairly uneventful. Dregs focused on his stride to help with his leg pain and I decided to listen to an audiobook, Mistborn. The day was full of climbs but it didn't seem too tough. We kept flip flopping with another hiker, bubble head, who we've seen a lot for the last few days. Eventually we made it to the shelter and set up camp. We made dinner and finally after 34 days, our fuel canister that we started the trail with ran out of fuel. It lasted much longer than expected as we made dinner every night with it. Many of our more recent friends showed up to the shelter, Bombay, wallet, blue sky, and bubble head. From there we just settled in for another cold night. It's supposed to be the last really cold night for a while, but we'll see about that. Tomorrow should be a bit warmer.
Date: 2016-05-16
From: unnamed camp site

To: over mountian shelter
Miles today: 15.6

Day 35- May 16, 2016Dregs here,Today was another good day. We woke up in our tent at 615 am and got ready and packed up by 715. It was warmer but still cold and we were happy to be back to waking up early. The day started with a small up and down before starting the big climb of the day, Roan mountain.The climb was gradual and long but the terrain was beautiful and varied. The higher we got the prettier it was. There were no open vistas but the trees slowly changed to pines and then very little pines. It got colder and mossier the higher we got. We saw lots of ice and icicles in mid May in the south. We got to the top at over 6000 feet and there were no views other then the terrain. The path became noticeably rockier and harder to walk on. Not to much later we passed the highest shelter on the AT. We didn't stop but pressed on hoping for a warmer place for our lunch. The trail descended and continued to greener. It was almost like being in the smokies again. We got to a road at Carvers Gap and climbed on to an open sunny bald. We sat on the grass with great open views of the surrounding mountains and had a satisfying lunch. As we sat a college class with packs on headed past us up the trail. There were enough of them that we were afraid the shelter might fill up. We hurried past them and enjoyed an open expanse of mountains all around. From there there was a steady down hill. My legs started to tire because I'm still trying to adjust the way I walk to try to alleviate my shin splints. I have seen steady improvement over the past 3 days so far. We arrived at the famed Over Mountain Shelter at about 2pm, we were the first ones here. It is an old barn converted into a shelter that says it sleeps 20. It could likely sleep 40. Lots of new thru hikers as well as some of the ones we have been seeing like Bombay, Wallet, Blue Sky, and Bubble Head are here. There is also a bunch of section hikers and the college class is tented out. It should be raining by morning so it could get crowded.Chicken Hawk is headed to bed early as we want to wake up at 6 again. We resupply tomorrow and possibly hitch hike to a restaurant. After just less than 10 miles. We would then hitch back and find a camp site. It is supposed to rain all day. We did 15.6 today and the terrain ahead looks like it is getting easier for a while. Let's hope.
Date: 2016-05-22
From: woodchuck hostel

To: pond campsite
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: few clouds

Day 41- May 22, 2016This morning I tossed and turned on the squeaky cot in our huge tent at the hostel. It was 6am and I checked my phone for the time. I did not need to be awake this early but there I was, awake. I looked over at dregs starting to stir as well. I closed my eyes and tried to take in a little more rest before dregs would wake me for breakfast. The woodchuck hostel provided a large breakfast for the hikers between 6-8am and I was sure dregs wouldn't miss that. We both got up not long after and went straight for food. There was a lineup of homemade blueberry waffles and hash browns, hard boiled eggs and chopped bananas. And coffee, amazing hot coffee. I helped myself to two large plates of food and about 5 cups of coffee while enjoying morning conversations with the other hikers around, mogaly, false top, charge, dregs, and Bombay. We hung out for a bit and then dregs disappeared for a while to pack up his stuff. We planned on hiking out and getting some miles in. I found myself playing the role of dregs, talking to friends for hours instead of getting ready to leave. By about 11, dregs informed me we had only a few minutes to remove our stuff from the rented tent so I hurriedly packed up and moved out. We said our goodbyes to the rest who planned on zeroing and headed out. We stopped on our way through town to replace some socks and get some shorts and a tank top from the dollar general. The trail lead through town and we saw some old friends at the outfitter, C sharp, jack rabbit, second shift, and 2.0. We chatted and I had begun to get a headache from not wearing my glasses. Unfortunately I just sent those home seeing as how I haven't worn them in 3 weeks... I took some ibuprofen and felt better soon after. We picked up subway for later and got on the trail. After hiking for a bit we talked to some locals who want to do the trail and then we caught up to a hiker named Goner who we talked to for a bit. We went up a long mountain and caught up to slim and Lt. Dan. They stopped at the shelter at the top of the mountain and we continued on for a little longer. About two miles later I stopped and told dregs I didn't want to hike anymore today. I just didn't feel like hiking for much longer. It was already a 12 mile day and we left late. I wanted to make camp before rain at 8 and be able to relax so we hiked to the next water source a mile further and set up camp not far from there by a pond. We ate our subway dinner which was fantastic and then went for a walk around the lake. We saw a bunch of frogs and one sat on a log and looked the size of a frog shaped grapefruit. Biggest frog ever. We got back from our walk and got into our tent and dregs read the first chapter of the New Testament out loud. He asked if I got anything out of it and I said that I just realized that Jesus is not related to David cause he's on Joseph's side of the family... Anyway, we settled in and the rain began promptly at 8:00. Loud frogs tonight. Better than loud snoring.
Date: 2016-05-24
From: camp before grayson highlands

To: trimpi shelter
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: clear sky

Day 43- May 24, 2016Dregs here. We woke up in a beautiful campsite just south of Grayson highlands. The tent was completely soaked on the inside. It was actually raining inside the tent when we moved around. We later figured out that we forgot to open the vent windows and that's where all the condensation came from. We packed up on one of the coldest mornings in a while and headed into the Grayson Highlands state park. Our 5500 foot elevation accounted for the cold. We entered the park through a gate and immediately saw wild ponies. They didn't come over to say hi this time but that was ok, we had hiking to do.I was really excited for the park because the land leading up to the border was some of the most beautiful of the trail. The actual park wasn't quite as nice in my opinion as the land surrounding trail just south of the park. It was not the easiest walking despite the relative flatness of the highlands it was covered with rocks and water. There were long stretches where the trail was more like a creek and instead of hiking it was like rock hopping. Later in the day after many fence crossings we came to a stretch of forest that looked more like traditional eastern woodlands. We were on a side hill flat stretch when I heard chicken hawk yell "bear!" I was about 50 feet behind and caught up to see a mother bear at the base of a tree with two tiny Cubs. They were cat sized. We quickly kept moving not wanting to scare the young bear family too much.Towards the end of the hiking day we met two hikers wearing only blankets. They also had really heavy packs and foraged for mushrooms while stopping to talk with us. His name was Gemini and she was Flow. As we talked with the Honey Badger and a hiker named Sassy showed up. We hadn't seen Honey Badger since the first shelter in North Carolina. After chatting for a bit we wanted to go make camp. We were planning on staying at a campsite in the book that was down a blue blazed trail. We walked and walked but never found the trail. Finally we ended up at the Trimpi shelter making it a 22.8 mile day. We finished setting up camp and eating in the almost dark but still it was a good day.