morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-13
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Campsite past Wayah Bald
Miles today: 10.5

(Erin) Today was a bit different then normal. We woke up in a hotel instead of a tent! Sometimes I forget where I am. We have slept in so many places. We still had a lot of things to do before hitting the trail and were going to have to walk to get to them all. The first stop was the laundromat. So we packed up our clothes and walked a few blocks to start that rolling and then walked to the post office a few more blocks away to drop off some film. Then back to the laundry to get that in the dryer and wait the 8 minutes for it to finish. I think we walked a few miles before even getting on the trail. When we got back to the hotel we took showers again, cause we could, and then hurried to get our stuff packed for an 11:00 shuttle to the trail. Its funny when we get in a hotel our packs pretty much explode with all of the gear, clothes and food so we can organize it all for the next stretch of time. We were out by the front desk on time waiting for our shuttle that never came. We were forgotten again, that seems to have become a trend. We got our shuttle out a little while later and were dropped off around noon. At the trail head there were a few people set up with chairs, food, drinks, first aid stuff, etc. Real trail angels!! So we talked with them for a few minutes, had a drink and some chips and then we really hit the trail for the day. While hiking we caught up with a guy name "Herdy Gerdy man". He hiked with us for a while telling us about his knee problems and injuries and when he got sick and that he has taken over 2 weeks of zero days already. I thought he sure has some guts to still be out here after all that. Anyway... later on it starts to rain, enough so that we needed our jackets and put our pack covers on and then we went back and forth if we should keep going or go back to a shelter for the night. We ended up continuing on, and it stopped raining. Along the way we came across an older couple that we had seen at Cloud 9 hostel and they had their goats out on the trail. The two goats names were Cosmo and Buddha and were pack goats able to carry up to 40lbs at least and they were still babies.   I think Will and I need to get us some of those goats!! So we made it to Wayah Bald and then hiked a little further to a camp site that had 3 tents already set up. We met a few more couples and talked about our jobs back home before it started to rain...
Date: 2007-04-14
From: Campsite past Wayah Bald

To: A. Rufus Morgan Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: broken clouds

(Willie)Today turned out to be a much nicer and longer day than expected. The weather called for the noreaster to roll in this afternoon, so we got up early to try to get in as many miles as we could before it started to rain. We ended up leaving camp around 7:30, heading for a shelter that was about 11 miles away. We were actually the first to leave camp (I guess there's a first time for everything). At first I thought that the whole plan was a waste of time, because it started to rain a little around 8:30, but then it stopped and stayed dry for most of the rest of the day. We ate snack at the Cold Spring Shelter and since it wasn't raining yet we pushed up the Wesser Bald. At the top of the bald there was another fire tower, which provided some great views. From the bald it was down to our desired shelter for a lunch break around 1:00. After lunch it still wasn't raining, so we decided to push our luck and go for the next shelter about 5 miles further. Those last 5 miles were harder than expected due to some crazy MUDS (Multiple Ups and Downs) and some knee jarring downhills. If that wasn't enough the approaching thunder storm kept us going faster and faster. We got to the the shelter just in time, because shortly there after the skies opened up. Now we have the rest of the night to sit here and listen to rain falling on a tin roof. Fun, fun.
Date: 2007-04-15
From: A. Rufus Morgan Shelter

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: snow

(Joint Effort)Today we followed up our earliest morning with our latest wake up yet. We only planned on going 7.7 miles to next shelter and wanted to time it right to get down to the Nantahala Out Door Center (NOC) for lunch. The .7 miles down to the NOC went by pretty smoothly and we got there around 11:00 and headed right to the Rivers End Cafe for lunch. After lunch we headed straight up about 4000' towards the Sassafras Gap Shelter. The first couple miles rolled along and then as we started to climb uphill the weather went downhill in a hurry. It was neat to be able to watch as the mountains around us were swallowed by the clouds. In no time the heavy winds and snow were right on top of us. The wind must have been blowing hard enough to blow a small child right off the mountain. As if the weather wasn't bad enough, we had to crawl up and over Swim Bald.We finally got to the shelter around 4:30 to find that there were already 16 people in a 14 person shelter. Luckily they were willing to squeeze together to fit in a couple more. When all was said and done, we fit 19 people in that night. Talk about a snug fit. Every one just sort of sat there shivering in their sleeping bags until it was time to go to bed. A lot of the people were jealous of Erin's down booties. I hope she doesn't get mugged tonight!Life Lesson: Listen to your mother, wait 30 minutes before exercising after a big meal. Not a good idea to hit the trail right after a buffet and a chilly cheese burger.
Date: 2007-04-16
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Brown Fork Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: scattered clouds

(Willie)Well, we survived last night. Actually, with 19 people in the shelter it wasn't really that cold. Getting out to pee in the middle of the night was a whole other story! Brrr! Boy was I glad to see the sun when I first poked my head out of my sleeping bag. The wind was still there, but at least the sun was out. Everyone must have been sick of being in their bags because it seemed like Erin and I were the only one's who didn't want to get up early. We were actually the last ones out of our bags at 8:00. We weren't really in too much of a hurry because we decided to take a short day today. With 21 miles to Fontana to cover over the next two days, we decided only to go about 9 miles today. Right out of the gate this morning we shot straight up Cheoa Bald (5062'). We had some great views from the top, but once again the wind chased us down after only a few minutes on top. On the way down, the inch or so of snow on the ground helped me even up the score with Erin. With a slide down a wet rock, my first fall of the trip evened up the score at one a piece. Man, it was a good thing that other rock was there to break my fall.We stopped and took a long lunch at Stecoah Gap with Jim and Peg, two really nice section hikers that we met in the shelter last night. The break was definitely appreciated as we tried to tackle the last 2.5 miles to the shelter. The last leg wouldn't have been that bad if it wasn't for a nice 800' climb straight up to some unnamed cliffs. Once over the top, it was down the to shelter, which is one of the dirtiest shelters I've been in, probably due to the dust bowl effect that wind is having around here. While we were eating dinner, Grizzle, O2, and Big Bee strolled in from the NOC so we stayed up and chatted with them for a while. Tomorrow, it's on to the Fontana Damn.
Date: 2007-04-17
From: Brown Fork Shelter

To: Fontana Damn Visitor Center
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: clear sky

(Erin) Today we got up and got ready slow again, and were the last ones out of the shelter. It turned out to be a really nice day and today I got to use my sunglasses for only the third time. It was still a little windy but not even half as bad as the last few days. As we walked the up hills were making us sweat we started to shed more of our clothes till we were both down to our base layers. The day went on pretty easy with some rolling hills until we reached the next shelter only a few minutes before Peg and Jim. We sat with them and ate our lunch while not intentionally eating a good amount of their food as well. We really enjoyed chatting with them about our "real lives", our families and just when Peg and Jim want to do their thru hike. Maybe if we are still in the DC area in a few years we can come out and hike with them or give them a little trail magic when they come thru. Peg says that she is going to keep up with us on our journal and she says she will most likely cry when/if we summit Katahdin. So we said our goodbyes and we headed up and over the hill to Fontana Dam. When we reached the top of the mountain we could see Fontana Lake down below...unfortunately still 5 miles away. So the whole way down we could see us getting closer and closer to the lake but still taking more then 2 hours to reach. When we made it to the marina where hikers get shuttles to the village we took a quick break to buy a soda at the vending machine....but of course it was a big tease and the machine wouldn't take any of my money! So we kept going the 1.1 miles to the Fontana Visitor Center for free showers before heading back to the Fontana Damn Shelter (Fontana Hilton) for the night. The Hilton can sleep 28 hikers and sits right next to the lake, I wish all of the shelters could be like this one! Tomorrow is our first zero day, much needed and much deserved for both of us before hitting the Smokies!
Date: 2007-04-20
From: Fontana Damn Visitor Center

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: broken clouds

(Willie)After a brief delay at Fontana, we finally entered in to the Great Smoky National Park today, and honestly I don¢t know if I could have asked for a better day! Clear blue skies, mild/warm temps, and a slight breeze. By far our best weather day yet. I can only hope this stays with us for the next week through the ParkThe shuttles in town didn¢t start until 9:00 so we didn¢t get rolling until about 9:30. After some pictures going over the dam it was back to the woods for a nice 4 mile uphill to the top of Shuckstack Mtn. (4020¢). It was only a 2300¢ climb in 4 miles, so it wasn¢t too steep, but we still felt the 6 days of food we were carrying. On the top of Shuckstack we took a .1 mile side trail to a fire tower. The added height and the clear blue skies gave us views all they way to Clingmans Dome, which we will be climbing in a couple of days.After a quick snack and more pictures it was back to the trail. The miles in the afternoon just kind of sailed by until we got to Mollies Ridge Shelter and we said, ¢only 2.5 miles to the next one so lets keep going.¢ At the Russell Shelter we were still feeling pretty good so we kept going the next 3 miles to the Spence Field Shelter. Along the way we passed the 174 mile marker. Less then 2000 miles to go!
Date: 2007-04-21
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

ErinToday was another nice day, weather wise but the trail was pretty hard. There were lots of MUDS and PUDS (mindless ups and downs, pointless ups and downs) that wore me out. We went up Rocky Top (5441¢) and then Thunderhead (5525¢). We actually found a bit of snow and a snow ball on the trail that brought back memories for Will and his last hike in the Smokies when they were covered in 2 feet of snow. We made it to Derrik Shelter and had a lunch with many other hikers. Then we made our way to Siler Bald Shelter which felt like forever! I had to stop and have a snickers break a mile away from the shelter. The final shelter of the day was only another 1.7 miles more so we pushed on and were greeted by even more hikers when we got there.    We settled into the packed gated shelter (gates to keep the bears out) made our chicken lipton dinner, pumped some water and went to bed soon after that. It still gets a little chilly out when it gets dark on the mountains, which makes it nice to sleep.    Tomorrow is Clingmans Dome (6643¢), the tallest point on the trail, I¢m sure it will be a tough day¢¦so wish me luck!
Date: 2007-04-22
From: Double Spring Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: clear sky

(Willie)Wow, what a fun and exciting day we had today. Things started out a little chilly, there was even a little bit of frost on the ground when we started, but I knew things would warm up once we started going up hill. I even added a breakfast bar to my morning Pop-Tarts to get ready for today¢s climbs. The first 3 miles took us up and over Mt. Buckley (6582¢), to the top of Clingmans Dome (6643¢), and to the top of the AT. It took a bit to warm up because Clingmans blocked the sun for most of the trip up, but the summit push was even enough to get Erin down to her base layer. The weather was once again awesome, so we had great views from the tower at the top of the mountain.After a snack and some pictures it was time to tackle the next 2 6000+ foot mountains, Mt. Love and Mt. Collins. Along the way, we even ran in to some snow, which triggered some flashbacks, but it didn¢t last nearly as long as last time. When we stopped for lunch at the Mt. Collins Shelter a couple of runners who were doing 70 miles through the park all in one day passed us. Let¢s see them do that with a 35 lb pack ? I know I¢ve talked a lot about the wind, but this afternoon we got to see just how bad it really has been as we hiked past blow down after blow down. Everywhere we looked there was the underside of a giant root structure. One of the ridge runners told us that here were more the 200 blow downs that needed to be cleaned up in the park. Wow, it sure has been windy.At the end of the day we got to see the return of Trail Angels. When we got to Indian Gap, we saw a car covered in hikers. A couple of past thru hikers had a trunk full of snacks and drinks. That really hit the spot on a long hot day. About 1.7 miles later we were treated to a couple more sodas at Newfound Gap. When we knew that we had gotten everything we could out of the tourists at the Gap it was time to push the last 3 miles to the shelter. When we got there we were glad to see that the shelter was full so we were allowed to sleep in our tents. Thank God, a night with out snorers!200 miles down!
Date: 2007-04-23
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Erin-Today we had a lazy morning and hung around at the shelter till after 10:00am. We hung around talking with some of the hikers that were still at the shelter. We were packed ready to go but just didn¢t feel like walking yet. I guess a 12 mile day doesn¢t seem so bad anymore. I know it will still take about 6 hours but that¢s a short day for us. Once we did finally start walking we only went a mile before stopping for a small detour at ¢Charlie¢s Bunion¢. It was a short walk from the trail to some jutted out rocks with some amazing views. It was worth the walk over to take a few pictures.    For most of the day we walked the ridge line with many stops to check out the views of the mountains. Towards the end of the day we hit some high spots such as Mt. Sequoyah (6000¢) and Mt. Chapman (6250¢), man it was a lot of up hill and now the back of my heels hurt pretty bad, I¢ll have to stretch them out tonight. Tomorrow we still are not sure if we will go the big miles and get to Standing Bear Farm Hostel or a shorter day and get to the hostel on Wednesday.p.s. First night with my ear plugs, lucky me slept above the loudest snorer in all the land!!
Date: 2007-04-24
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: broken clouds

(Willie)Boy, just how far will Erin go for a shower after 5 days without one. Well today the answer to that was to push our longest day yet, at our fastest pace yet. Today, our options were to go 14.8 miles to the last shelter in the park, or go 18.1 miles to a hostel with hot showers. So long Smoky Mountains National Park, Standing Bear Farm here we come. Since it was going to be a long day, we got up at 6:45 and hit the trail by 7:25. After about an hour of walking we decided it was time to eat breakfast while we walked, which saved a bit of time because it takes Erin forever to get through her breakfast! For the first 4 or 5 hours we were socked in the clouds and it sprinkled on and off so there weren¢t any views to slow us down, we just kept on trucking. Oddly enough the first thing to slow us down was a prolonged downhill. We had a 6 mile downhill to get out of the park. Eventually our feet demanded a break so we stopped for a quick lunch. Then just like that we were out of the park. The cruel part was that we still had 3 hard miles to go. We even picked up a friend along the way. A nice dog followed us to the hostel. Where he came from or where he went when we finished I have no idea.At the Standing Bear Farm hostel we enjoyed hot showers, frozen pizza, fish and cheese sandwiches, rib sandwiches, popcorn, and sodas. What a meal! Is it possible that I was still hungry?Life Lesson: No matter how hungry you are, remember to blow on your food when it¢s hot. Maybe two burnt mouths will be enough to teach us that lesson.
Date: 2007-04-25
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Max Patch campsite
Miles today: 14.1

Erin After a lovely night at Standing Bear Farm we decided to take it slow getting ready. I didn¢t even hear people getting packed with my ear plugs in so I may use them more often. We packed up and then found some FREE eggs in the fridge, so I cooked them up while Will got online. I was also finally able to check my email and even write a few. Many people started to arrive that had stopped at the last shelter in the Smokies (Davenport Gap Shelter) and came to the hostel for a shower, re-supply or pizza and soda¢s. We chatted with everyone and then we were hungry again so before leaving we had one more soda and another bag of popcorn.    We started out around 11:00 and went up hill for a good 5 miles! We stopped at the shelter to use the privy and decided to keep going. We walked so far that we ended up having to go bit farther to get to a campsite. It was a longer day then expected but we got to hike up Max Patch just before sunset. Max Patch is a true bald mountain top, there we could see for miles¢¦very pretty views from up there so it was a nice end to the day. At least now I don¢t have to look forward to climbing Max Patch tomorrow!
Date: 2007-04-26
From: Max Patch campsite

To: Deer Park Shelter
Miles today: 16.1

(Willie)Things to do today, 1: Set ourselves up to go into town for breakfast tomorrow. Check. Today was one of those days where every step we took was one less that we¢d have to take tomorrow to get into Hot Springs. Mission accomplished. 16.1 miles down today and only 3.4 to go tomorrow for a hot breakfast. It definitely wasn¢t the most exciting day on the trail that¢s for sure. We woke up to some windy conditions on the exposed ridge of Max Patch, packed up our things and headed to the next shelter to stop in and use the facilities. We spent about an hour there chatting with Sven and Uff-da before deciding to move on.After our morning break, with the exception of 2 climbs the trail just sort of wandered aimlessly through the woods. We stopped at the next shelter for a quick lunch and then moved on in the mist of a drizzle 9.9 miles further to the next shelter where we called it quits. We could have pushed into town, but that would have meant paying for another night in a town so spending the night in a shelter with a confessed snorer will have to do. We thought about tenting, but since it was raining when we got there the shelter won out. I can¢t wait for breakfast tomorrow!Erinp.s. Its gonna be another ear plug night with the snorer and I can already hear the mice running overhead!!
Date: 2007-04-28
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mountian Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: overcast clouds

(Willie)Ah yes, I remember now, it¢s not very easy to get to sleep at the Hot Springs Campground. Trust me, the train rolling through town blowing it¢s whistle a couple of times a night isn¢t nearly as annoying as the rooster that starts crowing at 2:00 am! Good thing I can fall asleep pretty easily and Erin has earplugs. When we finally got out of the tent it was time to get our running around done. Our chores included going to the post office, doing the dishes, shopping, running back to the campground to get the tent down before it started to rain, and of course eating. It¢s no wonder why both of our stomachs hurt a little when we started hiking. During our day and a half in town we managed to polish off biscuits and gravy, a breakfast burrito, French toast, a chicken biscuit, a bacon egg and cheese biscuit, 3 orders of hash browns, 2 ice creams, a box of Triscuits, a cheese burger, a small pizza, a plate of wings, cookies, and 5 hot dogs. Yeah, we both wanted to get to a shelter with a privy today. Unfortunately, both the shelter and the privy were full to the brim! Not only was the shelter full, but at last count, there were 17 tents in tent city. Man, we needed to find a way to spread this group out or camping will become pretty interesting. We¢ll have to see what happens.
Date: 2007-04-29
From: Spring Mountian Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: broken clouds

Erin,After a night in tent city we got up around 7:00 and we were on the trail by 8:12. The trail was mostly downhill until we came to a sign posted on the trail. It was directions to a house close to the trail where they were offering us pecan waffles, beef stew, ice cream and a whole lot more. We stood there discussing the pro¢s and con¢s of going to get free food¢¦and the food won!! Trail Magic here we come!! We walked a little bit down the road and then turned at a ¢Welcome to North Carolina¢ sign, then saw the very steep and very long driveway. We took our packs off and laid them next to the other packs lying at the end of the driveway, and started our way up. We walked up to the house, took off our shoes and walked inside. We were very warmly welcomed by Fal and her husband Hercules. We washed our hands and sat down to a ¢family style¢ breakfast with a table full of other thru-hikers. I had a coke and a huge, amazing waffle, then some beef stew, then I split a brownie sundae with Uff-da with a cherry on top. It was a great treat to get some great food and it was even harder to have to leave. We still had 12 miles to go, so we had to get moving.    The hiking went well wandering thru the woods and up to the first shelter. We took a quick break and then started up the big mountain and over the white rock cliffs. After the cliffs we got to the ridgeline where we climbed over rocks for what seemed like forever, but had some great views. After the rock scramble it was only another mile to the shelter.   We decided to stay here tonight and not push on and to try to do a big day tomorrow to get out of the crowd we are currently hiking with.