morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-11-08
From: Max Patch Road

To: Cosby Knob
Miles today: 23.2
Weather: broken clouds

Treadway: 4/10Weather: overcast and cool 1/10Stats:23.86 miles8:48:052.7 miles per hour1999 c7073 feet up6581 feet down50900 stepsNarrative:A big day heading into the Smokies.Up at 5:15 am, out the door at 6:05 am after 1 Monster and another energy drink, plus my breakfast mix. I had one more Monster, and I probably would have hurled if I drank that too. I donated it to Chat Cat, who gratefully accepted it.I met Daniel at 6:15 am, and he drove me to the Max Patch Road trailhead. We had a good conversation. Like me, Daniel is Irish. His father came from Ireland so Daniel could become a citizen of the EU if he chose to do so. We both agreed that the famine was not the result of the blight, but instead was the result of British cruelty.Daniel dropped me off at the trailhead around 6:50 am, and I started shortly after that. The first 9 miles were smooth and easy. After that, I hit an exposed ridge with good views of the upcoming Smokies (see photo), but it also was windy. After the exposed ridge, it was rocky all the way to Standing Bear Farm.At Standing Bear Farm, I met Truck, Pepper's boyfriend, and The Artist Formerly Known As James Brown. I also met Baltimore Jack, a fixture on the trail whom Georgia met up in Hanover. I charged my devices while going through my resupply and having a quick lunch break. I also bought and guzzled two Mountain Dews. After 45 minutes, I was good to go and continued down the trail.The trail continued to be a bit rocky and uneven from Standing Bear Farm to Davenport Gap. The uneven terrain caused my arthritic hip to flare up. Not good.At Davenport Gap, I deposited one copy of my wilderness permit and began the long, steady, well-graded climb up to Cosby Knob. I was carrying a fully loaded pack, but the hike was not too strenuous because of how well graded and maintained the trail was. First I passed James Brown, then Truck.I made it to the shelter about half an hour before sunset. Pepper was there, as were a group of section hikers who were very nice and with whom I had good conversations.Alas, it rained that night. And rained and rained and rained . . .
Date: 2015-11-09
From: Cosby Knob

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: light rain

Treadway: 8/10Weather: Miserable, cold, steady rain in the morning, light rain in the afternoon 9/10Stats:20.54 miles7:53:222.6 miles per hour1760 c5351 feet up4130 feet down34746 stepsNarrative:A miserable day due to the weather. Up at 6:00 am, on the trail a little after 7:00 am. It was a cold, steady rain all 7.7 miles to the TriCorner Knob Shelter. I decided to wear only my rain gear, and as I was approaching the first shelter I felt slightly hypothermic and realized I needed more layers. At the shelter, I hydrated, ate, and added hiking pants, hiking shirt and a sweater. Once I started hiking again, I felt fine and was able to regulate my body temperature reasonably well the rest of the day.A quick note on the treadway evaluation. It gets an 8 today primarily because I was hiking in a stream most of the day. The trail was thoughtfully constructed with runoffs every 200-300 yards or so, but if there is enough rainfall, there is a saturation point at which none of the hydrologists will have any solution, and the trail becomes a river. That's what it was like today. Miserable.I made it to the shelter around 4 pm and ran into Diddy Kong and Blue, who made it there at 11:00 am and chose not to go further because of the bad weather. After changing into dry clothes, eating, hydrating and decompressing, I crawled into my sleeping bag and began the recovery process after a very, very bad day.
Date: 2015-11-10
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Treadway: 4/10Weather: 1/10 sunny and coldStats:21.28 miles8:07:082.6 miles per hour1767 c4885 feet up5859 feet down39738 stepsNarrative:A glorious day, with magnificent weather and four major milestones:1. I made it to Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the AT.2. I passed the point at which I have fewer than 200 miles to Springer.3. I passed 2,000 miles.4. Today was my first 10% day. In other words, the distance I hiked today was more than 10% of the remaining distance to Springer.Up at 6:00 am, on the trail around 7:00 am. I was moving fairly slowly today, primarily because I was not pressed for time, and the soggy trail also slowed me down a bit.The highlight of the day was Clingman's Dome. The sky was clear as a bell, and the views were magnificent. Everyone else up there was a tourist. One nice tourist, possibly from Japan, gave me a tangerine, a banana, and two candy bars. Great trail magic.At Double Spring Shelter, I stopped to hydrate and met Fantasy Feet, a section hiker starting from Dalton. I made it to the shelter about 45 minutes before sunrise and met two guys collecting data for the ATC, one of whom was Jabberwocky, a 2013 GAME. Diddy Kong, Blue and Butterbar also made it to the shelter that night.
Date: 2015-11-11
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Treadway: 7/10Weather: Sunny and cold/cool/warm 1/10Stats:24.98 miles9:02:262.8 miles per hour2033 c5026 feet up8057 feet down50783 stepsNarrative:A very, very hard day, but it was satisfying to stay on schedule and make it through the Smokies.Up at 6:00 am, on the trail at 6:46 am. The 6.3 miles from Derrick Knob to Spence Field were difficult and strenuous. It was old school AT, with no switchbacks and rocky straight ups and straight downs nonstop pretty much the whole way.After that, the 2.9 miles from Spence Field to Russell Field were smooth, flat and easy.From Russell Field to Mollies Ridge, the hike continued to be relatively easy and enjoyable. After that, it was rocky and uneven all the way to the Fontana Dam trailhead. It seemed to go on forever, and it was mentally taxing to take step after step in a bed of leaves covering rocks, roots, etc.From the Fontana Dam trailhead to the visitors center, I walked the asphalt road which officially is on the AT, then I hiked another 2 miles or so on easy trail to the Highway 28 trailhead, where I met Butterbar, Ramrod and Spark and got a ride to the Fontana Resort.After checking in and washing my hiking socks and hiking shirt, I bought some trail mix, a Monster and a coke for breakfast tomorrow. Then I went to the dining room and had a house salad with bleu cheese dressing, the pork plate and a 22 oz local lager. As I was still quite hungry, I then ordered another pork plate and another 22 oz beer. As I write, I'm still hungry, but I stopped at the second round.I also lined up my slack pack for tomorrow morning. Hooray!
Date: 2015-11-12
From: Fontana Dam

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Treadway: 4/10Weather: Rain in the early morning, clear the rest of the day 4/10Stats:20.77 miles8:27:442.5 miles per hour1680 c7280 feet up4760 feet down44005 stepsNarrative:Up at 6:00 am, met Jeff at 7:00 am at the Fontana Resort, sorted through my resupply box and was ready to go in 10 minutes. Jeff dropped me off at the trailhead at Highway 28 at 7:20 am and I started hiking right after that. It rained the first two hours or so, but it was a relatively warm rain so I stripped down to my hunting vest during the steep uphill out of Fontana Dam, then added my rain jacket as I hit higher elevations, then took that off when the rain stopped.The trail was mostly smooth during the slack to Stecoah Gap. I got there around 1:15 pm and called Nancy and hung out with two hikers, one of whom thru hiked northbound this year. He summitted in August but I can't remember his trail name, Salt Dog or something like that. After Nancy arrived with my gear, I left the gap and found a place about .2 above the gap on the trail which was sheltered from the wind.As I was taking my break above the gap on the trail, I ran into a northbound section hiker who told me he killed all the mice at the Sassafras Gap Shelter.I left around 2:00 pm and hiked the rest of the 6.7 miles to Sassafras Gap, arriving at the shelter around 4:40 pm. Diddy Kong, Blue and Tennessee Jed made it there well after dark, good for them!
Date: 2015-11-13
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Wayah Shelter
Miles today: 23.2
Weather: broken clouds

Treadway: 4/10Weather: Sunny and cold 1/10Stats:24.01 miles8:38:072.8 miles per hour1953 c6528 feet up6250 feet down39506 stepsNarrative:Another big day with a partial slack.Up at 6:00 am, on the trail around 6:45 am. It was mostly smooth to the NOC except for the rocky stretch around the Jump Up. I rolled into the NOC around 10 am and lined up a slack from the NOC to Tellico Gap while getting a new dry sack for my sleeping bag, new liner gloves and a new fuel canister while chugging 3 20 oz cokes to fortify myself for the rest of the hike.I left the NOC around 11:20 am and made it to Tellico Gap around 2:15 pm. On the way, I went to the top of the Wesser Bald Observation Tower and enjoyed the spectacular views.I met Steve at Tellico Gap and thanked him for slacking me on very short notice. He was extremely nice and I was very impressed with him.I left Tellico Gap around 2:50 pm and hiked as fast as I could to make it to the shelter before sundown. At Wesser Bald, I met SoBo JB and at Cold Spring Shelter I met SoBo HoneyBear. At the NOC I also ran into Diddy Kong, Blue and another thru-hiker named Oil Can, who flip flopped from Waynesboro.I made it to the shelter just at sundown and had a nice conversation with a section hiker who was also staying the night. Diddy Kong, Blue and Tennessee Jed made it the shelter that night for a second night in a row well after dark, good for them!
Date: 2015-11-14
From: Wayah Shelter

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 26.9
Weather: clear sky

Treadway: 4/10Weather: 1/10 Sunny and coldStats:27.41 miles9:42:212.8 miles per hour2275 c5918 feet up6085 feet down51541 stepsNarrative:The big milestone today was finishing with less than 100 miles left to Springer.Up at 6:15 am, on the trail a bit before 7:00 am. I took more breaks than usual, and that slowed me down.I made it to the shelter just as it was getting dark and needed to hike with my headlamp for only 20 minutes or so.I had the shelter all to myself, as there was a big group of kids camping nearby for the weekend. The highlight of the day was going up and over Albert Mountain. There were good views up the firetower, but the observation deck was closed, which was disappointing. Going down Albert reminded me of Maine.
Date: 2015-11-15
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Dicks Creek Gap
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Treadway: 4/10Weather: Sunny and cool 1/10Stats:24.54 miles8:39:122.8 miles per hour2023 c4947 feet up6794 feet down47234 stepsNarrative:The big milestone today was entering Georgia, the fourteenth and last state of the trip.Up at 6:00 am, on the trail at 6:45 am. I stopped to take two 20 minute breaks and made good time.The trail was rooty from miles 2-3 and was rocky miles 8-10.5, then was mostly smooth until Buzzard Knob. After that, it was off and on rocky.At Dicks Creek Gap, a nice couple drove me to Top of Georgia Hostel. After checking in, I took a glorious shower, did laundry and caught up on my trail journal. Honey Bear also made it to Top of Georgia that night, and we both had frozen pizzas. We also met flip floppers Star Trek and Saffron.
Date: 2015-11-16
From: Dicks Creek Gap

To: Unicoi Gap
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: broken clouds

Treadway: 3/10Weather: Sunny and cool 1/10Stats:16.75 miles6:04:442.8 miles per hour1397 c5042 feet up5387 feet down32971 stepsNarrative:A highly enjoyable and relatively easy slackpacking day.I forgot to mention that the couple who gave me the ride from the trailhead yesterday were 2014 NoBo thru-hikers. The young man was Turbo and the young lady was PoHo, short for Pocahontas.Up at 6:00 am, breakfast at 7:00 am, Bob got us on the road around 7:30 am and I was on the trail around 8:15 am. There was an interesting plaque at the trailhead, and Bob explained to us that the Georgia hiking club put it there to, among other things, nudge the hiking clubs in other states to get going on blazing the trail.Today was a lot of up and down, and I took it easy on the climbs, many of which were steep, to avoid straining my Achilles tendon.I made it to Dicks Creek Gap at 2:09 pm, and it was a real treat to finish this early in the day. Tomorrow will be a longer, harder day to Neel Gap. After the hike, I took the shuttle into town and had a big burrito and chips with guacamole at the Mexican restaurant. After that, I bought some Monsters at the Food Lion before taking the shuttle back to the hostel.
Date: 2015-11-17
From: Unicoi Gap

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Treadway: 3/10Weather: Overcast and cool 1/10Stats:20.67 miles 7:09:392.9 miles per hour 1684 c5177 feet up 5410 feet down 42041 stepsNarrative:A relatively easy slackpacking day. Up at 6:20 am, breakfast at 7:00 am, shuttle at 8:00 am. Enjoyed meeting Stank, and also enjoyed the company of Tennessee Jed, Oil Can, JB and Honey Bear and running into Two Braids, whom I met for the first time at the Peru Peak Shelter in Vermont. I said goodbye to Wayfarer as Bob dropped him off at Dicks Creek Gap. I started hiking from Unicoi Gap around 8:30 am. The trail was mostly smooth and surprisingly there was not as much up and down as I expected, so I made good time and rolled into Walasi-Yi before 4:00 pm. In the hostel, I hanged out with Honey Bear and Splitter, whom I met for the first time at the Hexacube Shelter in New Hampshire. In the store, I checked in for 2 nights, bought a ham and cheese sandwich, a Philly cheesesteak sandwich and a barbecue rib sandwich, which I enjoyed with some Fritos and the rest of my Cytomax. Then I sorted through my gear and took a glorious shower.
Date: 2015-11-18
From: Neel Gap

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Zero on a windy, stormy, miserable day. It felt luxurious to be holed up in a nice, cozy, warm hostel and not on the trail on a day like this. Enjoyed hanging out with Splitter, Honey Bear, Stank, Oil Can, Birdy, JB and Quiet Earp. Further enjoyed the jam session by Splitter (vocals and guitar), Honey Bear (vocals and trumpet), Stank and Quiet Earp. Rain was heavy into the night. I look forward to getting back on trail early tomorrow morning.
Date: 2015-11-19
From: Neel Gap

To: Hawk Mountain
Miles today: 23.6

Treadway: 5/10Weather: Sunny and cool 1/10Stats:23.91 miles 8:58:292.7 miles per hour 1951 c5879 feet up 5882 feet down 44090 steps Narrative:Long, hard day. The last 5 miles or so from Justus Creek to Hightower Gap were particularly rocky with plenty of up and down. Set myself up for an easy morning jaunt to Springer. It was misty starting from Neel Gap, but within minutes I climbed above the fog and the weather was marvelous the rest of the day. I had excellent views on top of Blood Mountain. Throughout the day I ran into local hikers who were very supportive and who congratulated me on making it this far from Katahdin. It was a shot in the arm to be meeting them on the trail. I made it to the shelter about half an hour before sundown. Honey Bear already was there, and Vicious and Skywalker showed up a few minutes after I did. They told me Rivet already had summitted, and they needed a ride from Springer. They were delighted to learn I had one already lined up at 11:00 am tomorrow morning. A nice young lady named Snow met Honey Bear at the shelter. She hiked with him before getting off the trail in Connecticut. Quiet Earp, Oil Can and Stank all rolled in after sundown, and all of them except Oil Can joined Snow and Honey Bear for an excursion into town. When Stank and Quiet Earp returned to the shelter, they launched themselves into a hilarious duet rendition of Rick Astley's late 1980's cheesy and formulaic hit song, "Never Gonna Give You Up." They had me in stitches. Honey Bear also serenaded me with The Godfather theme song, the original Star Trek anthem and the Star Trek:TNG anthem. When Honey Bear was playing Godfather, I yelled out, "Leave the gun, take the cannoli!" When he played Star Trek, I yelled out, "Full impulse Mr. Sulu!" When he played Star Trek:TNG, I yelled out "Make it so, Number One!" and "Tea, Earl Gray, Hot!" It was my last night in a rodent infested shelter, and we were all in good spirits that night knowing that we had only 8.1 more miles to Springer.
Date: 2015-11-20
From: Hawk Mountain

To: Springer Mountain
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Treadway: 3/10Weather: Sunny and cold 1/10Stats:8.31 miles 2:58:542.8 miles per hour 712 c1784 feet up 1151 feet down 19422 stepsNarrative:Easy hike up to Springer and done!!! Up at 6:00 am, and at 6:30 am, to everyone's delight, I blared Richard Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries to fire everyone up for our last day on the trail. I was on the trail at 6:45 am. At Three Forks, Vicious and Skywalker passed me, and they summitted about 20 minutes before I did. I reached the summit around 9:40 am, and Vicious took my photo. On the way down, I met a couple who met each other thru-hiking northbound earlier this year. Before getting down to the parking lot, I also ran into Star Trek, Saffron, and Oil Can. At the parking lot, I ran into Honey Bear. As Vicious and Skywalker and I were waiting for Richard to arrive, I began to snip some of my beard off with the tiny scissors in my tiny Swiss army knife, which were not up to the task. Richard arrived on time, and after a brief stop in Dahlonega, where I shipped my poles, we were on our way to the airport, where I said goodbye to Vicious and Skywalker. Once in the airport, I went into the mens room and spent about 55 minutes chipping away at my beard with a safety razor until finally I was clean shaven. Then I ate a four-piece meal at Popeyes with a coke. Then I went through security and to my gate. Then I got on my flight, which landed about half an hour early at LAX around 6:00 pm. Then I took the Flyaway shuttle to Union Station, where Donna met me and we drove back to Pasadena and had dinner at Saladang before going home. Then I took a glorious shower and enjoyed sleeping in my bed for the first time in over 4 months. The highlight of the day was not finishing at Springer, it was meeting Donna after finishing Springer.
Date: 2015-04-19
From: Swag of the Blue Ridge

To: Dick's Creek Gap
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiked in heavy rain. Young lady at the gap offering trail magic in downpoor. Started walking the 1/2 mile to Top of Georgia Hostel for mail drops. Just like last year only unsolicited an older gentleman from the Atlanta area stopped and made me get in the car. I declined, he demanded. Stopped at TOG,got boxes, no rooms, then he gave me a ride to the Holiday Inn and would not leave until I confirmed I had a room. Great conversation with him. I love Georgians. Next day I hitched back to the trail. Local picked me up. Neither of these gentlemen would accep money.Very nice hike today.
Date: 2015-04-21
From: Beech Gap

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: light rain

Nice hike.Hitched a ride from some Spanish speaking guys. They would not accept gas money. Stayed at the Microtel and had a hot bath. Nice recovery for long hiking days.Walked about 1.5 miles in the morning to hitch a ride to the trail from a High School drivers ED teacher.
Date: 2015-04-22
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: NOC
Miles today: 27.5
Weather: few clouds

Lots of Hikers.I like my hot bath after a long hike. A lady overheard me asking some young gentlemen about local motels. She offered me a ride to Bryson City. I accepted. These were two ladies from the Atlanta area. Dropped me at the Sleep Inn and refused any money. Starting to feel guilty about all the charity but it is also called trail magic.Nice motel, excellent staff, good rate.
Date: 2015-04-23
From: NOC

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 21.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Got a shuttle back to the NOC. Picked up my mail drop. Had extra food so I gave a pack of Beef Jerky to my shuttle driver before he left. Met hiker Zipper from Georgia and we hiked together off and on for the day. Nice guy from Georgia. Tough climb out of the NOC then there was the climb up Jacob's Ladder. Just great fun. I am thankful to be able to hike like this at 56 years young.Hiker Foo, from Maine, was at Cody Gap as I passed by. He passed me quickly and we hiked his fast pace and chatted most of the way to Cable Gap. I let him go when he started running down hill. Too far to Maine to run, let alone downhill. He had his hammock hung before I got to the campsite.I hung my hammock and tarp for the last time. Tomorrow is Friday and I will pick up my legatee Notch Tarp Tent and mail the Hammock home. The post office is not open on Sat and closes at 3:45PM tomorrow, part of my rush to get to Fontana Village.I have a few blisters on my toe but all else in spite of the high miles.
Date: 2015-04-24
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 6.7

There were about a dozen hikers at the campsite last night. Several left before me. Very nice morning for hiking. The big change in hiking to the lower elevation at Fontana is all the trees have leaves on them. This was not the case at the higher elevations the previous 160 miles, which allowed for better views on days it was not raining.Got a shuttle to the lodge where I had a reservation. Got my tent and food and mailed my hammock home. Yea! Ended up sharing my room with zipper and Bull. Ate lots of food. Life is good.
Date: 2015-04-26
From: Fontana Dam Shelter ( Lodge)

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 23.1
Weather: light rain

I could see the mountain tops at 5:30 from my room but fog rolled in before 6:30 when I started walking the 2.5 miles to trail. A ridge runner gave me a ride the last 1/4 mile. Long climb out of Fontana. Passed many hikers the last few miles prior to the shelter, some having a hard time with the climb. The trail was quite muddy today. Full shelter and about 20 tents. Light rain.
Date: 2015-04-27
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: clear sky

Packed up wet tent. Foggy morning. Muddy trail. Good climb to Clingman's Dome where the skies were clear and tourists were aplenty. There was ice on the trees at the higher elevation.I stopped for lunch at a trailhead parking area just off the trail and put my tent up to dry. This was on the road to Clingman's Dome. Every car slowed to look. I felt bad for being an eyesore to the tourists but it was nice to get out of the green tunnel and lunch in the sun.Newfound Gap parking lot was packed. I resisted the very strong urge to go to Gatlinburg. Saved at least $100 by staying on the trail.Icewater Spring Shelter was just another 3 miles uphill. Spent the night in the shelter. The renters had to shake heavy frost off of their tents in the morning.A mouse chewed up a small empty plastic bag that I left in an outside pack pouch.
Date: 2015-04-28
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Mile 239.2 (stealth campsite)
Miles today: 28.9
Weather: clear sky

Trail was somewhat muddy but rocky in more places.Excellent weather today with lots of great views.Saw lots of hikers and two running the trail.Made it out out of Smoky Mountain NP at 7:30 pm. A personal goal of mine. I only stayed 2 nights and a total of 60 hours in the Park. Found a nice stealth campsite about a mile from Interstate 40. Best night of sleep since starting my hike.
Date: 2015-04-29
From: Mile 239.2 (stealth campsite)

To: Bluff Mountain
Miles today: 24.5

Great weather day. Long climb up to Snowbird Mtn. Stopped by Standing Bear Hostel. There were dozens tented along the stream on the way to the hostel. The hostel grounds was very crowded with hikers. Got my boxes, sorted my food and headed back to the trail. Good trail conditions today.Ran into trail magic just before Max Patch Summit. Brats and beer. I had a Root Beer.Hiked until 7:45 pm and watched the sunset fr atop Bluff Mountain.Very nice hiking day.