morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-03-22
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Betty Creek Campsite
Miles today: 16.2

We had an amazing night of thunder, lightning, rain, hail and snow! It was COLD, but I seem to be a warm sleeper compared to a lot of others who are on the trail and I am still waking up a few times a night (adjusting to camping again) but haven't woken up shivering like some others!Today we walked whilst it was snowing all day, light snow but there was a noticable increase on the ground by the end of the day - it was also much thicker at higher elevations and made difficult walking as previous snowfall had thawed then refrozen making parts icy and slippery.Reached our highest elevation yet today at 5498ft on Standing Indian Mountain, higher than most alpine ski resorts, I'm looking forward to getting back into the Smoky's in a couple of weeks and revisiting Clingman's Dome at over 6200ft!
Date: 2010-03-27
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

Today was a big day at 15.2 miles - and with over 4500ft descent - was tough on the knees! (Not as tough as the 5000ft descent day yesterday) We also had our steepest continous climb! (I'm going to work out the gradient once I find something that will calculate tan^(-1)!We had planned on lunch at a mid way shelter, but I passed the blue blaze without even noticing, I ate lunch whilst sitting in the sun in a gap sheltered from the wind with my boots and sock off - my pastey white body will absorb sun at some point right? It was a nice spot and Peanut Butter and Slapshot caught up a little later after finishing their lunch.I was separated from my group earlier in the week and slept a night a shelter without them - it really doesn't matter, there was that many other poeple at the shelter and I knew we'd meet the next day, I hike slightly faster than our group pace anyway and everyone is going north, so no problem there.Camped at a lovely shelter, Cable Gap Shelter - a small one which sleeps 6 right by a little stream with a small firepit. We had a fire in the afternoon/evening and I cleared the pit - carrying out the cans and aluminium foil which had been thrown in there from past hikers. Aluminium melts at 660 celcius .. think again people!
Date: 2010-03-29
From: Fontana Dam Shelter, FONTANA DAM

To: FONTANA DAM
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

It seems like we have been in Fontana for a long time although it's actually only been 1 night so far!We arrived in Fontana by 10am yesterday having covered a decent distance the day before, leaving just 6.6 miles in the morning and we got that done at a decent pace. Yesterday was pretty much a day off - and today has been a true zero.All the necessary chores of - fuel/food/laundry have been taken care of at a leisurely pace and games of table tennis/pool/DiscGolf (Golf with frizbees thrown into buckets) thrown in between.Fontana Village Resort has been compared to 'The Shining' many times and I'm honestly seeing the similarities, 2 nights here has been enough. Fontana Dam itself is basically a visitor centre, and the actual Dam, then there is a little village resort 2 miles out - all self contained and under the same ownership. Their high season is in the summer so now they are running on a skeleton staff and have mainly ThruHikers staying - it feels like we own the place!The pool is closed, the grill restaurant is closed, the sauna is closed, the menu is half unavailable, the icecream shop is closed, half the cabins are unavailable - ghost town!I've been taking lots of pictures but haven't found a public pc with a card reader that will take xD, nevermind xD M2 - as soon as I find a way to get some pictures up I will do. We've had everything: wind, snow, rain, hail, sun, clouds - and I have the photos to prove them all, as well some some 'trail life' type photos. I think the key is just to photo everything, it's certainly really handy to have it on my belt strap.Looking over my written journal, this section between Franklin and here has had two 15+ mile days, but also two days under 7 miles! The great thing is that the distance doesn't matter as long as you get where you want to go before you run out of food. Our little group is making decisions together for the moment because we enjoy each others company - but should someone want to hike more/less in a day, that is their decision alone.
Date: 2010-03-30
From: FONTANA DAM

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Today we plan on hiking 13.8 miles into the Smokies, the vague plan is to all arrive at the same shelter.Hiking 'with someone' rarely means you walk alongside or right behind someone. Our group has been hiking all at their own pace, then meeting up for breaks/food/evening - or not if they feel like moving on. I've spent a little time hiking and chatting, but I enjoy the solo aspect just as much. It's not really solitude because even though I can go for 3 hours without seeing anyone on the trail, I know that within 30 minutes in front and behind - someone I know will be wandering along - after all, everyone is heading north.Oh, the gradient of that hill in the other entry worked out as a 25 degree average over 0.6miles.
Date: 2010-04-01
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

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

Amazing Day! Good and Bad.Watched the sunrise from Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the AT after getting up at 5.30 and hiking in the dark from 6. I just about caught the sunrise and was hauling considering it was dark.After Clingman's I skied down the mountain, practically running and points and having a great time for about an hour until the monotony of the snow started to take it's toll. In 4 hour I had covered 6 miles - a pathetic pace! It turns out a tall guy with a heavy pack isn't suited to hiking in the snow. I was post holing (falling through the hard top layer of snow up to my knees/waist) all over the place and constantly stepping up out of holes really is tiring!We wern't planning on going into Gatlinburg but flew in for a quick all you can eat meal at Shonies which was fun! Both ways it took about 25minutes and we rode in the back of trucks both times. The first with Craig and his wife - lovely people, Twigs rode in the cab and was the talker whilst we ate crisps in the back!On the way back it was a little more scary, stuffed in the back with 2 other guys, so 6 in the back, 2 in the front. The people who gave us a lift finished a 12 pack of beer in the time we got back to the Gap (I'm pretty sure the driver was drinking). Anyway - we all got off alive and continued on 3 miles to the next shelter.We tented - my tent was pitched under a sign "NO TENTING" - I had no choice. The ranger gave us a 'verbal warning' but it meant nothing as they understood we had no choice, they were just following the rules I suppose.Smoky Mountains so far have offered stunning panoramic views but the hiking has been tough!
Date: 2010-04-02
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: clear sky

A day of hiking in the snow - I HATE SNOW!Seriously though, I alone weigh a lot more than some people and their packs combined. Constant post holing - soaked boots, cold feet - I trudged on to reach TriCorner Knob at about 4.30Half the group continued to the next shelter putting their total for the day over 20 miles, James convinced me to stay there even though I was keen to continue. That was a good move - it turned out that the 18 miles on the next day was a great day, and pushing a further 7 that afternoon would have been really tough. We met up with all the group again at The Standing Bear anyway.
Date: 2010-04-03
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Painter Branch Campsite
Miles today: 20.4

Long day today, but a great day. We hiked out of the snow after the first hour or so and descended around 4000feet over the day. The fauna changed a lot and the spruce/fir forests that dominate the high terrain all buy disappeared - back into the wintered hardwood trees.Spring is definitely coming, saw what looked like large daises today another with buttercups and a purple flower. The weather got better over the day and we were in bright sunshine by midday. Lower down it was really quite warm - and yes, my nose is still red from the sunburn the other week, I'll buy some suncream.We crossed under i40 and over a big river (I forget the name) where we saw a couple of 6 man rafts playing in the currents. I'm currently at The Standing Bear hiker Inn/Hostel/something .. Amazing little place run on a honor system. You use whatever you want, take any food you want, use the computer for a long as you want and everything has rates - you write them down yourself on the back of an envelope - total it up and pay when you leave. Fantastic! And I think it probably works really well with the hiking community - everyone appreciates the pays accordingly.What a brilliant day.
Date: 2010-04-10
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Uncle Johnny's, ERWIN
Miles today: 16.4

This section from Hot Springs to here in Erwin has flown!It turns out that a waterproof camera is also incredibly good at keeping water inside the case as well as keeping it out. My Olympus 850SW has been wet for 3 days now and despite my best efforts to dry it during the days of bright sunshine - it's still wet. Currently it's up against a 60W bulb and I'm hoping that will do the trick.We took a zero day at Hot Springs and enjoyed doing ... whatever we want. We had a few drinks in the bar the night before so it was enjoyable to be able to relax and not worry about hiking. I swam in the French Broad river, then enjoyed the natural hot springs (which are piped into individual hot tobs (that feels a little less 'natural). It wasn't quite a true zero, we hiked about 0.1 across the river and slept the next night looking back at the town - I hiked that .1 in crocs with a shopping bag in my hands.The following day was 31 degrees C as we hiked out the switch backing trail that ascended the rock face - that is simply too hot for me to function properly - I was complete toast!The next day was a little cooler then a storm front came through and we hiked in the rain for the whole of Thursday. I actually enjoyed the day a lot more than the 31C day - but others didn't have such a great time getting wet and cold. I do get wet - but it takes a lot longer, I'm sure the key is to hike a little slower to minimise sweating and wearing long sleeve layers under raingear. If the hiking is hard though, you get soaked either way!Yesterday was a nice day - perfect weather, and a good walk at 18.9miles. We were on the top of Big Bald mountain, and stayed at Big Bald Shelter which is the highest shelter on the AT. It was a chilly night, but not our coldest - I can imagine the conditions there being HARSH if the weather dictated a cold night.Today we covered 16.4 miles into Johnny's Hostel on the edge of Erwin.How many kids with A.D.D. does it take to change a lightbulb?Wanna ride bikes?We rode the free bikes into town and ate far too much! Resupply done for the next 3 days, and we'll be leaving here tomorrow morning. My packages are slowly arriving in the states apparently but I am yet to pick them up - hopefully I'll be able to get something at Roan Mountain later in the week.Over 300 miles hiked now, this is flying by and I can feel myself on the edge of starting some big mile days/weeks. Soem things to change gearwise but that can wait until Damascus in 10 or so days, then the terrian gets flatter and I will fly north!Hope everyone is well in the 'real world' Send me an email, I do like hearing what other people are up to whilst I wander the woods.__Prime Minister
Date: 2010-04-11
From: Uncle Johnny's, ERWIN

To: Deep Gap Campsite
Miles today: 12.1

Finally leaving Uncle Johnny's at 4.30 we somehow pulled 12 miles out!Hiked like hell up Beauty Spot to catch the sunset - watching sunset should not be that hard and brought back memories of hauling up Clingman's in the Smokies.Arriving into Deep Gap we headed towards the fire down a ridge, guided only by by our headlights. The people in camp said we looked like a proper troop snaking down the mountain with our lights all in line and equally spaced.
Date: 2010-04-15
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: Laurel Falls Campsite
Miles today: 16.8

I'd set off earlier than others as I find morning hiking comes a lot easier than in the evening. It's fairly normal for me to hike for 4/5 hours then stop and take a decent break to join back up with the others that I hike with, but today was a little different...After having a long lunch at Laurel Falls with Sonic and River Dog I had a nap laid out on a rock in the river. 3 hours had passed since I arrived, making it 8 hours since I'd seen my group .. but after 5 hours at the Falls I started to wonder. Hiking up to he shelter to check the log was fruitless as there was no log and that opened a gap that they could have passed in, I looped back down to the falls and back up the STEEP other side .. waited some more - and looped round again (today was actually 20+ miles, just not 20miles of progress on the AT).Hiking back towards the road, (so now heading SOBO) I found them wandering along merrily - the gits had been into town but did have beer and cake with them. We camped down beside the water and had a great evening.Turns out the survival situations I was running in my head weren't needed today! But it does make you think ....
Date: 2010-04-16
From: Laurel Falls Campsite

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: clear sky

Since the last decent update in Erwin it feels like a lot has happened even though the days haven't been huge in terms of milage.Today we spent 2 hours at the beach of Watauga Lake that the AT passes by - we couldn't miss an opportunity to do nothing for a while! The weather has been fantastic up to now but we did get some rain in the night going into Sunday.I saw a flash of a bear today about 200 yards away across a winding section down a valley. It was far enough away that I couldn't make out it's head - but a large black ball that moves FAST straight up the mountain couldn't be much else. Also saw a deer all of 30 yards in front today, we both startled each other and it bounced high in the air and disappeared off, it's bushy tail vanishing over the hill.
Date: 2010-04-23
From: Hurricane Mountain Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: overcast clouds

The past few days have been epic, truly epic!The wild ponies on Wednesday and Thursday in the Highlands just seemed right. They wander the balds at their own free will and are not afraid of people, people = food, I suppose. The baby pony was fun to play around with and it was really interested in eating my shorts! I didn't see any in the woods but other hikers talked of hiking north and finding a pony heading southbound on the trail in the woods and being forced off. I would love to have a photo of the sign (which we've seen hundreds of) saying "AT National Scenic Trail - Closed to Vehicles, Horses + Packstock" with a pony in the background.Today for lunch I had BBQ baby back ribs, peach cobbler and icecream! I had been against the idea of going into town but the group wanted to (to be honest, it always is more fun to go into town and I'm glad we did) so we hitched the 3 miles into Troutdale.A man had wanted to give us a ride, but drove by because he didn't have the room. He stopped at Jerry's and told him there were some hikers trying to get a ride and he proceeded to drive up to Dickey Gap in his truck and ferry us back to his place, his wife gave us a ride back up! The whole return trip took 3 hours so we still had plenty of time to hike which turned out to be a great thing ... That evening we arrived at Partnership Shelter to find PopPop, Sonic, and Castor (all who we hadn't seen in a while). They had hung out at the shelter that day having hitched into town and brought back all sorts of food/drink for a leaving party for Jam! It was a really fun evening and great that people had remembered Jam was leaving and went out of their way to have a send off. We stayed up late (for hikers) round the fire and all slept in the shelter (with permit of course, and THERE IS NO TENTING) that evening.We had covered 19.7 miles of trail, spent 3 hours hitching and enjoying Jerry's Restaurant and Goods in Troutdale, AND had a party - quite the day!
Date: 2010-04-25
From: Groseclose (i-81)

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

I went through numbers in my head today .. pretty boring really, but we were passing through stunning scenery, changing between woods and green hills, looked just like home a few times.This is what I came up with:367 steps in 3 minutes3670 in 30 minutesAt 3 miles an hour thats 3670 steps per 1.5miles2445 steps per mile2,445,000 steps over the course of my trip from GA to PA.Over 1 million, two hundred thousand steps taken at this point!
Date: 2010-04-27
From: Laurel Creek Campsite

To: US21 - Senior Citizens Centre
Miles today: 6.9

Hiked an impressive 6.9 miles today, and it took over 3 hours! My right hip started hurting yesterday and got worse and worse over the day, I ended up hiking 23 miles (planned 20) because a short section had been rerouted and was very sore by the end. I hoped the pain would go away but it was there in the morning and by the junction to Bland, VA 6.9 miles into the day - the decision to finish there was already made.The day wasn't all bad though, Connie who runs the Senior Citizens Centre in Bland invited us in (the centre is right beside the AT) as it was raining and she had leftover lunch. It felt like gourmet dining compared to eating tuna in a tortilla huddling under a shelter and the meal of hotdogs, beans and coleslaw was wonderful. Connie invited us to stay a while, enjoy the piano, the warmth of the wood burning stove, and shelter from the rain. It was most appreciated!She was finishing her shift and ran Samurai and myself into town - further kindness but I've saved the best for last .... she was happy for us to stay the night as long as we locked the door on leaving! What?! She had only known us for 30 minutes?! It would have been criminal to pass up on that offer and we came back and watched Rambo on the cable TV! All 5 of us were on the same page when it came to how to treat the centre and although we did spread out and dry out wet things, use the kitchen and bathroom - we left it immaculate the following morningI bought brownie mix in town and with a couple of eggs made chocolate brownies in the evening and then croissant in the morning to have with eggs, it was somehow quite satisfying to cook, even if it was just from a premade mix. 'Cooking' for the past 45 days has meant adding boiling water to something, either rehydrating or cooking pasta/rice - I'm pushing the boat out with brownie mix, I measured the water and everything! (1 icecream scoop worth is the equivalent of 1 tbsp right?
Date: 2010-04-30
From: Sugar Run Gap, Woods Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Last night I stayed at Woods Hole Hostel having hiked over 20 miles to get there feeling terrible. I spent the last two days on ibuprofen and listening very carefully to my hip, and had been disregarding the stomach pain and nausia that was getting worse. On the plus side, my hip had not got worse, but was feeling tense, similar to my knee when I started which was definately a good thing.Sonic had had the same signs and symptoms to me, but was hit a lot harder. He's gone to the clinic and need diagnosed with bacterial (the bad kind) giardia and given antibiotics to clear it up. I decided that my body would take care of it but it wasn't pleasant. Hiking is tiring, I'd maybe go as far as saying it's physically exhausting, and feeling ill at the same time makes it plain horrible.I hiked out of the hostel that morning to cover the 10.4miles to town and it was a bad day, despite the great views from the ridgeline going down into Pearisburg. I did my resupply, visited the post office etc. etc. and met Nefis, Dipper and Castor who had zero'd at Woods Hole and come into town with Micheal (runs the hostel).He offered me a ride back to the hostel as his wife Neville would be heading into town in the morning and could give me a ride to the trailhead. I couldn't resist and spent a second night there. I'd still be carrying the $2 bill Neville gave me two weeks later, I haven't decided who to pass it onto yet, she gave it to me as change after I helped out around the hostel to pay my way for the evening.
Date: 2010-05-05
From: Cambell Shelter

To: Daleville
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

Stats and milage updated, journal entry to come.I've added my journal from the 2nd, crazy day - read it hereI don't know whether it is since this new hiking group has formed, or whether it has something to do with our old group falling away, but the average milage has really picked up these past few days. I think it's because since becoming fully independant, I have started hiking earlier, leaving by 6.30 is fairly normal and I like getting a good 10+ miles done by midday.The past few days hiking have had some phenominal views, Dragon's Tooth, McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs all offered spectatular views and I have some good photos to prove it. I ate breakfast on the top of the Tooth and had supper that evening on McAfee Knob, I have the classic AT photo too and it will be the photo for this journal entry once I get some more photos uploaded.I went into Catawba to pick up a pot that Nefis' friend was sending, but it turns out it hadn't arrived, (who would have guessed that from the USPS?) and I did a brief lunch and soda pick up at the local store before being given a ride back up to the AT trailhead by the same man. THis man was coming out of the woods whilst I was hitching so I approached him, turns out he was an ATC life member and member of the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club who looked after the upcoming shelter.Little did I know that Frank Haranzo actually plays a much bigger part in the 'looking after' of that shelter than he let on. After leaving Frank at the gap, we got to Johns Spring Shelter 3 miles in and read the story of Frank's son, John Haranzo to which the shelter is dedicated. Frank's son died after hiking the full AT and had also attempted the PCT, he was a big fan of the trail and Frank wanted to give something back to the trail in his son's memory. There was an old boy scout shelter that needed some serious work and Frank was able to donate more than $3000 to have the shelter refurbished into what it is now, an AT shelter. Frank, it is people like you that make the Appalachian Trail the special journey that it is - thank you.