morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-03-08
From: Springer Mountain

To: Justus Creek
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

The hiker hostel served us a great breakfast this morning and then shuttled us up to Springer Mountain. We hit the trail around 9:45 and reached the southern terminus a few minutes later. Bonnie, a girl from Great Britain who also stayed at the hostel, snapped my picture and we signed the log book to make the thru-hike official.I ended up hiking most of the day with Collin, who just graduated from University of Vermont and is also an Eagle Scout. The first 8 miles were easy and fast as we arrived at the first shelter quicker than expected. Since we knew that shelter site would be crowded with many thru-hikers that we passed along the way, we decided to head for Gooch Shelter, which was another 8 miles.These miles were much tougher as we had several large ascents. After the last large ascent, we ran into Darrel, another Eagle Scout, and his dad who also stayed in the hostel the night before. They heard the Gooch site was slammed too. So, Collin and I decided to camp next to Justice Creek, just short of Gooch. A couple from Michigan also liked our idea and decided to camp with us.Tonight was my first time bear bagging (hanging my food in the trees to keep the bears away from my tent), so hopefully my food is still there in the morning.
Date: 2013-03-09
From: Justus Creek

To: Lance Creek
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: clear sky

I am glad Collin and I booked it the first day to get ahead of the huge crowd of thru-hiker starts. I took it easier today and met a lot of section hikers on the trail. They always ask if I'm heading to Maine and then say "Good luck" with an expression like "You're crazy."I also experienced my first trail magic when a guy named Fresh Ground served me hot soup and coffee at one of the road crossings. That was much better than my peanut butter and bagels I had planned to eat for lunch. I actually met him at the hiker hostel the other night and was surprised to see him since he told me he was heading further up the trail to provide trail magic. Fresh Ground is referred to as a trail angel who cooks and provides food to thru-hikers for free.Tonight I'm staying at Lance Creek which is the last stop before bear canisters are required for overnight camping in the Blood Mountain Wilderness due to the increased number of bear incidents. About 20 other thru-hikers are staying here tonight as well. Since thru-hikers don't carry a canister due to the increased weight, we will have to hike through the section in one day. It's only 5 or 6 miles, but it's uphill most of the way.I'm going to bed tonight at 7 pm as are the other hikers so we can get an early start tomorrow.
Date: 2013-03-10
From: Lance Creek

To: Neel Gap
Miles today: 7.4

The other thru-hikers and I got up early this morning and started packing up. We were all dreading the 1,500 foot climb up Blood Mountain, but it actually wasn't nearly as bad as we thought it would be and the views were amazing. Going down the mountain to Neel Gap was the really tough part. That section of the trail was tough on your feet and knees and wasn't very well marked. I had to backtrack several times to make sure I was still on the AT.I arrived at Neel Gap, which has a hostel and an outfitter, around 1:00 pm. After I resupplied my food at the outfitter, I debated going further since I knew heavy rain is expected tomorrow and my legs were exhausted. Joel, Charlotte, and Brenna (thru-hikers from Mississippi and Tennessee) asked if I would be willing to split a 4 person cabin just down the road from Neel Gap. I gladly accepted and got to take a shower for the first time in 3 days and wash my one pair of clothes. I'm going to head out early tomorrow and try to make it to the next shelter before the rain starts.
Date: 2013-03-11
From: Neel Gap

To: Low Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Heavy rain was forecasted to start around 12:00 pm, so we checked out of the cabin around 6:30 am and headed back to Neel Gap to get an early start on the trail. Joel, Charlotte, and Brenna wanted to stop at the next tent site since they needed a low mileage day. I wanted to make it to the second shelter before the rain started and before the shelter filled up. However, we walked about 50 feet on the trail with our headlamps on and realized we couldn't see more than 20 feet in front of us due to fog. We decided to wait an hour for some daylight and finally hit the trail about 7:45 am.About a half of mile down the trail while it was still very dark, I saw the figure of a very large owl staring right at me on a low branch hanging over the trail. I came within about 15 feet of him before noticing him. I stopped immediately and started to slowly walk backwards. Fortunately, he just looked at me for a few seconds and then flew away.It was a pretty miserable hike today. The fog never lifted and I never could see more than 100 feet in front of me. Plus, the wind was blowing about 20 to 30 miles per hour. Fortunately I made it to the shelter before the rain started at about 11:30 am and nabbed the first spot in the shelter. Within an hour, the shelter was full and everyone else that arrived later was forced to tent outside.It's only 4:00 pm and I'm already in my sleeping bag. The rain is expected to last through midnight, but the next few days should be clear.
Date: 2013-03-12
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: clear sky

I'm glad I got a spot in the shelter last night. The rain continued until 2:00 am this morning. Since I was in the shelter none of my gear was wet except for my hiking clothes. Putting cold clothes on in freezing weather this morning was not fun at all. I waited until 9:00 am before getting out of my bag hoping the fog would lift and my clothes would dry some but that didn't happen.As I climbed just a few hundred feet in elevation from the shelter, I noticed a lot of the rain from the night before had frozen on the trees. When the sun finally warmed things up, the wind picked up and ice started falling from the trees. Chunks of ice pummeled me for about 30 minutes, but I didn't mind. Better that than cold rain.After a few hours in the sun my clothes dried out and it was a really nice day. I hiked most of the day with 4 other thru-hikers (Oz, Jacob, Brent, and Pound). Our goal was to hike 13 miles to the cheese factory campsite. However, we decided to hike 2 more miles to the Tray Mountain shelter to set us up for an easier day tomorrow to get to Hiawassee early for real food and a shower!
Date: 2013-03-13
From: Tray Mountain Shelter

To: Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We had a cold night camping on top of Tray Mountain, but I stayed warm in my bag. The view from the campsite was incredible. Oz, Jacob, Brent, Pound, and I dusted the frost off our gear and hit the trail by 8:30 am. All of us are pretty sore from the big day yesterday so we took it easy today with a lot of breaks. However, the breaks were short due to the cold wind, and we had to keep moving to stay warm.We made it to Dick's Creek Gap by 2:00 pm where a shuttle picked us up an hour later to take us to the motel in Hiawassee. We took showers and then hit up the all you can eat Chinese buffet next to the motel. I had 3 plate fulls. The locals in the restaurant were very nice to us and helped with some directions around town. We then ordered pizza and wings a few hours later. I'm so hungry I could eat at Arby's.I think Brent, Pound, and I are going to take a zero day tomorrow in Hiawassee and get some rest.
Date: 2013-03-14
From: Hiawassee, GA

To: Hiawassee, GA
Miles today: 0.0

I took my first zero day today in Hiawassee, GA to rest and clean up my gear. Most of the other hikers took a day off as well. We have been exploring the town and eating at all of the restaurants. I also went to the library to print off my permit for the Smokey Mountains. I'll get back on the trail tomorrow and hopefully finish my first state.
Date: 2013-03-15
From: Hiawassee, GA

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

After a huge breakfast in Hiawassee at a local cafe, Oz, Jacob, Pound, and I took the 9:00 am shuttle from the hotel back to the trail. We had to say goodbye to Brent though. He's having to take a few zero days in order for his foot blisters, including one the size of a baseball on his heel, to get better. Everyone except me has gotten at least one blister, and the other hikers are in disbelief that the accountant is the one with tough feet. I'm sure my day is coming though.We had a tough day ahead since the first 9 miles were mostly uphill with some very steep inclines. We wanted to make it at least 12 miles to the Muskrat Creek Shelter to get us off to a good start on the 3 day hike to Franklin, NC. When we finally got to the Muskrat Creek Shelter by 4:30 pm, we were pretty tired but noticed the next 5 miles looked fairly easy in our guidebooks and would make our 3 day hike even easier, so we decided to keep going. That was a big mistake. The next 5 miles had some minor inclines and some boulder fields which weren't mentioned in the guidebook. By the time we arrived at the shelter at 6:30 pm, we were exhausted and the other thru-hikers already there said we looked like death. They couldn't believe we had gone 17 miles with all of those inclines. We are going to have to take it easy the next couple of days.Also, I completed my first state today (Georgia) and I'm now in North Carolina. 13 more states to go!
Date: 2013-03-16
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Betty Creek Gap
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

After the long day yesterday, Oz, Jacob, and I decided on a late start this morning and didn't hit the trail until 10:00 am. We had great weather and an easy day of hiking with most of the hiking along the mountain ridge or downhill.We arrived at the Betty Creek Gap campsite around 4:00 pm and decided to call it day. The campsite was probably the best campsite we have had to date, and it had a nice stream nearby where I was able to take a hiker bath.Tonight Hot Dog, Whistle, and Griff also decided to camp with us. They are also thru-hikers who we met at the shelter last night. We had a good time talking amongst each other until we went to bed at 8:30 pm, which is hiker midnight on the AT.
Date: 2013-03-17
From: Betty Creek Gap

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: broken clouds

We got off to an early start this morning with the goal of hiking to Winding Stair Gap in order to catch the shuttle to Franklin, NC. The first 2.5 miles were challenging as we had to hike up Albert Mountain, where the last 0.5 mile required the use of your hands. After that climb, the rest of the day was fairly easy. Last night's group from Betty Creek Gap stopped and had a long lunch at the newly constructed Long Branch Shelter. My lunch consisted of bagels, cheese, combos, and a snickers bar.Ron Haven, the owner of the Budget Inn in Franklin, met us in his shuttle at Rock Gap and offered slack packing service to Winding Stair Gap, where we were originally scheduled to meet him (slack packing is offloading some of your gear thanks to off trail support). We got to hike the last 3 miles of the day with nothing but our water bottles. You really get to enjoy the trail so much more when you aren't hauling a 30 lb pack.We finally made it to Franklin around 4:00 pm. Thanks to Ron's shuttle, we got to resupply at Walmart and a local outfitter. We were then shuttled to a local Mexican restaurant for a great dinner.Severe weather is forecasted tomorrow so we may take a zero day.
Date: 2013-03-18
From: Franklin, NC

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

LIke most of the other hikers, we took a zero day in Franklin to avoid the severe weather. Brent's blisters healed, and he managed to catch back up with us today. Joel and Charlotte, who i haven't seen since Neel Gap, also caught up with us. We all plan to take the 9:00 am shuttle back to the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2013-03-19
From: Franklin, NC

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

After over a week of not receiving any trail magic, the First Baptist Church of Franklin, NC picked up all of the hikers at the hotels around town and then fed us an all you can eat pancake breakfast with bacon. The breakfast was great and so were the people. Apparently the church does this breakfast 4 weeks out of the year during hiking season and this was the first one.We also heard a rumor that Fresh Ground was going to be 6 miles down the trail at Wayah Gap with free hotdogs and soup. As we got off the hotel shuttle and back on the trail, Brent, Oz, Jacob, and I had extra motivation to make the climb up Siler Bald and down to the gap. When we arrived, Fresh Ground had a whole spread ready for us. I had 4 hotdogs, 2 cups of soup, 2 cups of hot chocolate, and an apple. It was the best lunch I have had on the trail to this point.We had great food and great weather and ended up hiking 16 miles to the Cold Spring Shelter. The shelter is kind of cool looking and was built in 1933, which I assume makes it one the oldest on the trail. We all chose to stay in the shelter instead of pitching our tents. Hot Dog, Tommy Hawk, Goat, and Whistle stayed at the shelter as well.Also, I'm glad we took the zero yesterday. According to the other hikers, there was a quite a bit of hail mixed in with the rain on the mountains.
Date: 2013-03-20
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 11.7

We woke up to a very cold morning at the shelter with temperatures in the 20s.   Despite the cold weather, we still managed to get off to a fairly early start since we wanted to get to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) before 5:00 pm so we could check into the hostel and run by the outfitter before they closed.We thought today would be fairly easy as we only had 11 miles to the NOC with about 9 of those miles being downhill. Those downhill miles beat the crap out of us though since they were steep and the trail primarily consisted of rocks and roots. I didn't think we were ever going to see the end of that stretch of the AT. When we finally saw the NOC and the river, we ran the last mile.I haven't been to the NOC in almost 20 years. I think they have added a lot of buildings since my last visit, so it seems bigger than I remember it being. I'm not sure if I want to come back though because we had a terrible experience checking into the hostel. The guy who checked us in at the general store didn't provide us any information (how to get towels, do laundry, etc.) and wasn't very helpful. We had to do a lot of walking between buildings to figure things out. On the other hand, he was very helpful to the girls (Whistle and Hotdog). I plan to give the guy an earful when we leave tomorrow.On a positive note, we did have a great meal at the restaurant, which we had been looking forward to for the last 3 days.
Date: 2013-03-21
From: NOC

To: Locust Cove Gap
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: clear sky

After a huge breakfast at the NOC, I headed to the outfitter to look for some warmer gloves as the weather was forecasted to be much colder and 2 inches of snow had fallen overnight along the mountain ridges. Unfortunately, they were sold out. However, I did buy some hand warmers and scored some expensive freezes dried meals that someone dropped off in the hiker box (Most outfitters and other places have hiker boxers where you can drop off extra food or gear that other hikers may want.)After checking out of the hostel, Grim (formerly Brent), Oz, Jacob, Maniac, and I started the 3500 ft ascent out of the NOC, which I have been dreading since before I started the trail. The climb was tough but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I could see where it would break some people though. Halfway up the mountain, we flew by an older lady attempting to thru-hike the AT. I asked how she was doing, and she quickly responded "I'm done with this!"We had a long lunch at Sassafras Gap Shelter. Further down the trail at Cheoah Bald, that same lady managed to catch back up with us, and she made a phone call to make arrangements to be picked up at the next road crossing. I felt bad for her but she was in good spirits and snapped some pictures for us on top of Cheoah Bald. She also let us rummage through her food bag for anything we wanted.We wanted to go 15 miles to the Brown Fork Shelter in order to make it to Fontana Dam in 2 days but stopped short at the Locust Cove Gap campsite since the earlier climb had worn out our legs. Plus, another big climb would have been needed to make it to the shelter.The weather wasn't too bad today but it's very cold. I'm not sure if it got above freezing on the mountains, and there's still a little snow on the ground. It's currently 27 degrees at 8:00 pm but I'm warm in my bag.
Date: 2013-03-22
From: Locust Cove Gap

To: Fontana Dam, NC
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

After the short day yesterday, we needed a long day to make into Fontana Dam. The last weather forecast that we saw at the NOC predicted some bad weather on Saturday, so we wanted arrive before then.Despite the really cold morning, we managed to get off to an early start and started to hike as fast as possible. We had some really tough climbs though, which included a section called Jacob's Ladder. That section was only a 600 ft climb but may have been tougher than the 3500 ft climb yesterday due to the steepness of the trail and the lack of switchbacks. I'm sure the people who designed that section of the trail were laughing the whole time during construction.After the tough climb, which slowed us down considerably, we booked it the rest of the way and made to the Dam at 5:00 pm, where a shuttle picked us up and took us to the Fontana Lodge.The forecast doesn't look good as rain and heavy snow are expected over the next couple of days. We may take a couple of zeros to avoid the weather before entering the Smokies. That will also give us a few days to recover. Fortunately, the Fontana Lodge is very nice, and today is the start of its "Hiker Haze" week so we'll get to participate in some of the activities.
Date: 2013-03-23
From: Fontana Dam, NC

To: Fontana Dam, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Grim and I decided to take a zero day to recover and to wait on the weather to improve. Oz and Jacob headed back out since some their friends came up for the weekend to hike with them. They are planning some very short days though, so we should catch back up with them in a few days.We may take another zero tomorrow depending on the weather.
Date: 2013-03-24
From: Fontana Dam, NC

To: Fontana Dam, NC
Miles today: 0.0

We decided to take another zero day to rest. Rain is forecasted for today and tonight and then switches to snow. We plan to hit the Smokies tomorrow and hope we only have to deal with a few inches of snow. In the meantime, I have been cleaning my gear and hanging out with the other hikers in the hotel's game room.
Date: 2013-03-25
From: Fontana Dam, NC

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 1.2
Weather: moderate rain

I woke up this morning to about an inch of snow on the ground and an updated forecast for the mountains. 5 to 8 inches of snow is expected, which is not a big problem. However, the winds are expected to be 20 to 30 mph including gusts up to 50 mph on the mountains.Knowing that, I decided to stay another night in the Fontana Lodge, and so did most of the other hikers. A few did choose to leave, including Grim. Grim is from New York so this is normal weather for him. I did manage to slack pack 1.2 miles from the Fontana crossing to the actual dam so I should have a head start on Tuesday morning.I have been hanging out at the lodge with Joel, Charlotte, Tommy Hawk, Goat, Hermes, Fidget, and Foxy. This place is nice but we are all ready to get back on the trail.
Date: 2013-03-26
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 0.0

I woke up this morning to about 4 more inches of snow at the lodge. I was still planning to head out in it, so I had a huge breakfast and checked out of the hotel. As I was about to get in the shuttle with Tommy Hawk, Goat, Fix, and Foxy, the snow was coming down even harder. Northern (a retired Army officer) told me that this is when dumb decisions get made because people are restless. So, I decided at the last second not to get on the shuttle and checked back into the hotel.The snow was forecasted to stop by noon but it never did. We heard reports later this afternoon that the rangers had to rescue several hikers in the Smokies and that two and half feet of snow were on the ground in some areas of the mountains. I sent messages to Oz, Jacob, and Grim but I haven't heard back from any of them yet.The forecast looks to improve starting tomorrow, but I may wait yet another day.
Date: 2013-03-27
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

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

Once again I packed up my gear and checked out of the hotel this morning. I waited around for 2 hours trying to get trail updates and weather forecasts before making the decision to hit the trail. I called my cousin who hiked the AT in 06, asked other hikers, and researched on whiteblaze for any advice.Fortunately, one of the ridge runners for the Smokies arrived at the hotel and gave us the information we needed. He kind of looked me over and looked at my pack. Then, he told me to go buy some gaitors at the outfitter and I should be fine. He would be a day behind us if we needed help.I hit the trail around 10:30 am and started making the long ascent into the Smokies. The snow was light at first but quickly became a foot deep with 3 foot deep snow drifts. The snow on the trail had been fairly packed down by previous hikers though, so the hiking wasn't too bad. Also, there were no clouds in the sky so I have a ton of great pics.I am staying in the shelter tonight with Northern, Davis, Yardsale, Mud Mouth, and Java. They had a fire going in the shelter when I got here, which was really nice. I soaked two pairs of socks today but I was able to dry them out over the fire. It's going to be really cold tonight.
Date: 2013-03-28
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

I tried to get an early start this morning but it was too cold. I finally started around 9:00 am thinking today would be much easier than yesterday. However, as we hiked further into the Smokies the snow became deeper and was less packed down. I originally wanted to make it 16.5 miles to the Double Spring Shelter, but it took all day to get to the Silers Bald Shelter. I think I went 15 miles over 9 hours which is extremely slow. It definitely felt more like a 20 or even 25 mile day.The shelter is full tonight and includes some southbounders who started in August. They've traveled through some bad weather but admitted what they've encountered in the Smokies has been the worst so far.