morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-21
From: Fontana Dam

To: Spencer Fields Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Finally I enter Great Smoky Mountains NP.   Pretty much no matter how far I walked it would be uphill. I caught the first shuttle back from the lodge and was hiking from the shelter area by about 8:45. Walking across the dam was cool, and then after a bit more road walking I entered the park. The first uphill push was about 7 miles and a gain of 2,800'. I slowed down and made good time to the top with strong legs and lungs. Not many views so it was easy enough to just walk. After that it was another 9 miles of up and down to the shelter. I passed over two shelters as it was early and I felt good. For a while I walked with Jingle Butt which helped pass the time. As I pulled into the shelter, it was full meaning I could tent. Found a flat spot set up my tent, had dinner, and cleaned up after a soap bottle blowout. Luckily not too bad. Since I hiked so far today, I am ahead of everyone I knew. I did see a couple of guys from the morning shuttle (Gunner and Beestinger) and met a young couple from CO. Overall today 4,500' of gain in 16.8 miles. My feet are tired but I feel good.
Date: 2015-04-22
From: Spencer Fields Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was all about getting close to Clingmans. Did a lot of mile math in the tent last night and set on a 13.8 mile goal. I'm glad I didn't go farther. It was very windy last night. The winds here seem to come in waves. You can hear them far off and down in the valleys and it gets stronger and louder then dies off and repeats. It is hard to get used to. Another thing that bothers me is that when I am asleep and my tent starts flapping I wake up thinking it is rain. Sure enough about 6am I woke up and it was sprinkling. I got up, packed my things and by the time I was walking it had stopped so no big deal. Relatively flat day, meaning a lot of little ups and downs but overall not much gain. I haven't yet gotten used to little ups and downs. They seem to wear on me more than a steady up. The trail was also rougher today, so pretty tough walking. Not too far out of camp I went up and over Rocky Top. It was rocky which meant no trees and so good views. Kind of cool being able to look west out of the mountains. Not much exciting the rest of the way. When I got to the shelter, there was a forecast for rain, there was space inside, the ground was mushy so I decided to claim an inside spot. Not long after I was settled (about 3pm) it started to rain. I didn't know many people (Campfire and Young Gunz were in their tent) so I talked some with a section hiker from Martha's Vineyard and listened to an audiobook for about 3hrs. It was loud in the shelter and a bit claustrophobic so I knew I wouldn't sleep well. I was also worried about mice in the shelter. Ask any hiker whether they are more worried about bears or mice and they will likely say mice.
Date: 2015-04-23
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Newfound Gap (Gatlinburg)
Miles today: 10.8

Weird and interesting day. Somewhat as I thought I didn't sleep well in the shelter. At least I didn't seem to have mice problems. Again the pros of a shelter include staying dry and not setting up or packing up a wet tent. The cons are they tend to be crowded and you are sleeping a foot away from a smelly stranger. They are also very social places which I see as a con. People are talking late and once the first person is up in the morning they are noisy early. At least I knew there would be commotion in the morning. Several people were planning to see the sunrise from Clingmans. They got up at 4:30 and after they cleared out I got up and moving at about 5:30. I made it to the top about 10 minutes after sunrise. It felt a bit like a CO mountain hike; cold and headlamp on the way up. It was cold and windy on top. My thermometer said 25 degrees. Nobody stayed on the observation deck long. Then it was another 7 miles mostly downhill to Newfound Gap. At the parking lot some guys were providing trail magic. The Coke and Hershey bar and laying in the sun was nice. After that I stuck out my thumb and soon enough two ladies gave me a ride to the park's Visitors Center. I called a shuttle service and they told me I was only two miles from town. I walked down this great easy trail alongside a river which deposited me right in town. Gatlinburg is a tourist town and quite a shock from the previous trail towns. Many souvenir shops and restaurants. I know there are other hikers here but I haven't spotted them. A bit lonely.
Date: 2015-04-24
From: Newfound Gap (Gatlinburg)

To: Tri Corner Shelter
Miles today: 15.6

So the rest of my night in Gatlinburg was good. Met up with some fellow hikers for dinner, then a good nights sleep. Next morning walked out of town and after about ten cars was picked up by a day hiker. So I was back on the trail by 8:30. Also saw my first bear (from the car about a mile out of town)Great views walking along the ridge line. I leapfrogged Nick most of the day. Made it to the shelter in time to claim a spot. Shelter was packed. Nameplate said twelve and we had seventeen plus four on the floor. Every time I rolled over a new brand of B.O. (Sometimes my own)
Date: 2015-04-25
From: Tri Corner Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 18.4

Although it rained overnight it mostly stopped by the time I was walking at 7am. Mostly downhill all the way out of the park. Even though it had rained the trail was mostly solid. Despite some of the shelter hassle the trail through the park was great and very well maintained and drained. One I was out of the park I had to follow a nice river trail then a steep and hot uphill to the hostel. The hostel looked like a rough/rustic place but it was comfortable. Good hot shower and a hand laundry station with a clothes wringer. They sold beer and there was a lot sold. I only had two, and not surprising I was the first one out the next day.
Date: 2015-04-26
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Kale Gap
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: overcast clouds

So the first one out of the shelter for a big day. Quite a bit uphill then rolling for a while. I heard of trail magic ahead so picked up the pace. A burger, coke, chips, and a moon pie later I was back on the trail. It started raining shortly after and for the rest of the day. I had to go up and over Max Patch but there were no views. I could barely see the posts in front of me. I wanted to push as far as I could, and ended up at a campsite with no water but a level site. About the time I was set up Professor and Walking Home showed up. It was nice to have company Rained overnight.
Date: 2015-04-27
From: Kale Gap

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 12.8

I slept well in my tent and got up early with the other guys. It was cold overnight and started out cold but no rain and sunny so I warmed up fast. Mostly downhill into Hot Springs. I wanted so bad for a quick day but I need to realize that twelve miles will never be super quick. Hot Springs is a cool town, the trail goes right down the main road. Hikers everywhere and very friendly. Most are taking a zero mile day tomorrow but I need to press on to make it to Erwin in four days. So I hustled to get all my chores done. Trying to nurse a blister on my pinkie toe but otherwise feel good. Sorry for the short entries. Poor internet.
Date: 2015-04-29
From: Jones Meadow

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 19.9
Weather: broken clouds

I didn't sleep well last night. I was in an unlevel spot where I tended to both slip toward my feet and roll off my pad. Additionally I hung up my Advil PM in my bear bag. Ugh!Early on in the day was a fun rocky ridge. If not for my hurting feet it would have been fun. There were a few spots that I had to face in on the down climbs and use my hands on the ups. Then the day got long and I didn't enjoy it. Again I was tempted to stop at a hostel but pushed on another six miles to a shelter. Again got in late and not much time to prep and unwind before dark. At least I had a level tent and my Advil PM. General Musing - The Food Struggle Food is central to success on the trail and we're all doing it wrong (at least I am). I will use the trail between Hot Springs and Erwin as the example. I knew I needed to do that stretch in 4 days, so I figured I needed three breakfasts and dinners, four lunches, and the appropriate am/pm snacks. I dutifully made my list and filled it with what I thought I would like. As an afterthought I bought a 1lb jar of peanut butter and narrowly avoided leaving it behind. Well, here I am in Erwin with an empty food bag and you can see what became of my peanut butter. The mistake I made was thinking in terms of meals versus calories. Once in Erwin I added up all my food and it came to 7,420 calories. Most people estimate about 200 calories per mile of walking (obviously more or less) so that calorie load equated to about 37 miles. The only problem is that it is 68.5 miles of trail. 68.5 miles multiplied by 200 calories per mile is 13,700 calories. Although I thought I was being diligent about food planning, I was only carrying about half of what I needed. Fortunately this early on the trail I have body fat to supplement. If body fat is 3,500 calories per pound, I lost about 1.8 lbs on that section of trail. At some point if I don't balance my intake with my output and I don't have body fat left, I will hit a wall. Certainly this isn't exact, and town pizza and beer help to balance, but I need to think more in terms of miles and calories versus days and meals. The upside of that is I should have more strength each day; the downside is carrying more calories is carrying more weight.
Date: 2015-04-30
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: No Business Shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: few clouds

My feet aren't getting any better and I'm sure twenty mile days aren't helping.There have been signs along the trail indicating trail magic at Sam's Gap on the 1st. Shortly after leaving camp I crossed this gap a day early. A coke would have been nice. Had good views on top of Big Bald (this is where I finished my peanut butter). Then a long day downhill eleven miles to the shelter area. My problem was there were no good spots between mile 14 and 20 and I wanted an easy day tomorrow. Once again I made it to camp late, tired, and hurting. There were thunderstorms overnight; kind of an eerie feeling experiencing lightning and thunder from a tent. Fortunately no wind and it didn't rain much. General Musing - Trail Philosophy You may all have heard this one already. If you google driving directions from Amicalola SP to Baxter SP it comes out to about 1,400 miles while the trail is 2,189 miles. The extra 800 miles seems to take us up and over every mountain and always the long way around. Hikers even have a name for it; Pointless Ups and Downs (PUDS). Today I found my proof. You might not see it in the photo above, but after going around up and over Big Bald the trail came back down and to my left I could see the markers for the up trail not thirty yards away. Granted the view was good, but probably a quarter mile that could have been thirty yards. Seriously, I need to slow down; I am pushing too hard. Granted I was trying to get to Erwin to meet Emily but for the past week this has been a job and not fun. I can probably average about two miles per hour on average trail, so a twenty mile day is going to take ten hours of walking. If I start walking at 7:30am then without breaks I am walking until 5:30 and with breaks more like 6:30. So I am still putting in an eleven hour day. If I consider setting up and breaking down my camp as work, I only have about 1-2 hours per day of "free time". Until the trail gets easier and/or I can walk faster, this means sore feet, injuries, and a daily obsession and panic over making miles and hitting camp late. I think for the next stretch of trail I need to take more breaks and look for camp around 3 pm instead of 5pm. Stopping at more hostels and towns would accomplish the same thing, but either way I need to relax and enjoy this more.
Date: 2015-05-01
From: No Business Shelter

To: Erwin
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Finally an easy day. Six easy "AT Downhill" miles to town and 1.1 off the record miles to the hotel. AT Downhill means generally downhill but still several multi hundred feet climbs. Off the record miles are not "on the trail" but walking to/from the trail. Since it rained overnight my tent was wet. I'm glad to be staying in a hotel; it is chilly tonight and I get to dry out my gear. There was a guy and his dog tenting next to me last night so I kept my food bag in the tent and was grateful not to have to make the cold walk to retrieve it. There were good views of town on the way down and the mile road walk was pleasantEmily gets in late tonight and a zero tomorrow, no hiking!General Musing - Town LifeTowns (at least for me) consist of shower, laundry, eating, and resupply. People may do this in various orders but the above is generally mine. Bonus if I can have a soda and chips while I do laundry. As I get to town I become very aware of how I smell. Once I am settled into the hotel/hostel I look for the shower. Believe me a shower feels good. Then I look for laundry because once I am clean then my clothes seem filthy (because they are). After that I will look for a place for lunch. Then to the store for food and maybe an outfitters for gear. Then back to the hotel to relax, air out gear, update my journal, etc. Then back out for dinner, catch up with Emily and off to bed. In the morning, either breakfast in the room or restaurant depending on how early I need to be back on the trail. Of course, and unfortunately, towns are usually low elevations so I walk uphill out of town with a full pack. Consistent with my mistakes thus far, leaving town early eating a pop tart in the room makes the overall town visit a bit rushed. It is amazing how quickly time flies in town. Maybe more "zeros" or at least spend a bit of the morning and making an easy day of the exit.
Date: 2015-05-02
From: Erwin

To: Erwin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Enjoying the end of a zero day. Emily got in really late last night. Good breakfast today, then a haircut and then we got foot massages. It really hurt but my feet are feeling better. After that we did some shopping and a few other chores but mostly relaxing. We'll have the morning tomorrow then back on the trail. Great day.
Date: 2015-05-03
From: Erwin

To: Indian Grave Gap
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: clear sky

Yeah, it was a tough day. Emily didn't leave until 11am so hanging out with her in the morning was great. My allergies must have been bothering me as my eyes were watering a bit as she drove away. It seems the trail was conspiring against me. Not ten minutes into the hike I saw a train go by and it stopped where the trail crosses. I sat and waited about ten minutes and then walked back into town and around the front of it. Then not too far up the trail there was a little snake that didn't want to give way. It kept slithering off my pole then coiled up to strike. Although I was several body lengths away it still made me jump as I walked by and it did strike. It was probably a site to see me hobbling with a full pack trying to get away. After about 4-5 hours and 8.4 miles I stopped for the day. I need to back off my mileage so quit early. It was hard setting up camp with 4 hrs of daylight left, watching hikers go by but I need to recover. Soon enough, HVAC and Lorax set camp nearby so I chatted with them until bedtime. A few drops of rain to put me to sleep.
Date: 2015-05-04
From: Indian Grave Gap

To: Iron Mtn Gap
Miles today: 11.8

I slept well overnight. Flat tent site. It was a bit warmer; soon I'll need to get rid of my winter gear. The trail was steady uphill the first half and I noticed the beginnings of two new blisters. I guess favoring the one blister caused two more. I hobbled over Unaka Mtn and then down to Iron Mtn Gap where I was picked up by Roan Mtn B&B. I will be staying with them the next few days and slackpacking to try to heal my feet. Dinner at Bob's Dairyland.
Date: 2015-05-05
From: Carver's Gap

To: Iron Mtn Gap
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: few clouds

I hiked backwards again today. Since I am slackpacking I figured I may as well do my miles downhill. Essentially I started at the top of Roan Mountain and walked back to where I stopped yesterday. I get funny looks from the hikers that recognize me but it is a good way to see fellow hikers. I probably saw eight to ten people I knew that are now officially ahead of me. That is somewhat comforting knowing people both ahead or behind. Another positive is that my first blister appears to be healing, it didn't really bother me today. One of my new blisters was pretty painful but it is on the side of my ankle so hopefully it will go away soon. My third blister was in a normal spot so not too bad. I'm glad to be slackpacking to rest up. The downhill was relatively easy and I finished up around 3pm. Relaxing now at the B&B. Another 3-4 days of this to try to heal while making miles. We'll see. Oh, I found this hat in the hiker box. What do you think?
Date: 2015-05-06
From: Carver's Gap

To: Roan Mtn TN
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

My 2nd day of slackpacking and waiting on my new shoes to arrive. Got dropped off at Carver's Gap (near the top of Roan Mtn) and aside from my feet had a great ten mile walk along a bald ridge line (bald means no trees). The last bit was about a 450' climb winding through rocks and was pretty fun. I stopped for lunch near a plaque indicating a push to relocate the trail to the Roan Highlands. While I enjoy the views, I'm skeptical of a push to make us walk up and down more mountains. A short walk down the bald brought me to an especially hard and rocky stretch and my dogs were barking big time. I was in misery. I hobbled the rest of the five miles to the road. We stopped by the post office, but no shoes yet. Hopefully tomorrow. Oh yeah, Emily will appreciate that I have left North Carolina. Two states down.
Date: 2015-05-07
From: Roan Mtn TN

To: Walnut Mtn Road
Miles today: 10.4

One good/bad thing about slackpacking is that your mileage is fixed by road crossings. So my day was going to be a half day of hiking ten miles. The morning was beautiful and the trail was easy. I snacked below a nice waterfall. In TX or OK there would have been a road to this. I got to the pickup point around noon and was able to have a real lunch (Subway). Since I have time today, a few comments about my key gear. Pack - so far my Osprey Atmos 50L has worked well. It is starting to get some wear points; it will be interesting to see if it lasts the whole way. The 50L size holds everything and about 4-5 days of food pretty easily. My dings on it are I wish the outside pocket was bigger to hold wet stuff and I wish there were a good way to lash my sleep pad vertical. Hanging horizontal on the bottom makes the rain cover tricky. Tent - I replaced my Seedhouse a while back as the seams were de laminating. I now have a Brooks Range Mountaineering Foray. It is a 2P tent a little less than three pounds. The rain fly overhangs the door so no drips. But, I have to deftly maneuver to get in without putting my knees on the ground. I use my sit pad for a doormat and it works great. The clips for the fly are a bit tricky; I bet they would be tough with cold fingers. Overall I like the tent. Stove - I think I will be going stove less before too long. I have no interest in dealing with the mess of a hot breakfast and It is almost too warm for ramen at dinner. I have been using my stove as much for heating up my bath water as for cooking. Of course, getting rid of the stove will also let me get rid of my cook pot and fuel. Sleep Kit - I can feel warm weather coming so my sleeping bag will be swapped out soon. It has worked well for me. It is wide enough for me to roll around in and straps to my pad to keep me contained.Shoes - I got my new shoes today. Same as my old ones (Merrell Grassbow) but a half size bigger. I hope that is big enough; they feel good on my feet right now. Tomorrow will be the test. They are well ventilated which help my sweaty feet. I think I like the shoes, but give me some miles with my new pair.
Date: 2015-05-08
From: Walnut Mtn Road

To: US 321 (Hampton, TN)
Miles today: 22.9
Weather: scattered clouds

So this is one of those entries that are more fun to write than to live. If you have been paying attention, you know I got new shoes yesterday. And if you enjoy looking at my daily mileage then you know I gave them a good test today. In short, SUCCESS. The larger size and new tread did the trick. It is funny how your shoes don't look old until you set them beside the new pair. Some of my tread was almost gone. 22.9 miles. Any day more than 21.9 miles, and you have done more than 1% of the trail in one day. Yes I was slackpacking, but it was still hard. It really was a trail day in three parts:The SetupThe guidebook showed a pretty flat trail for the first 14.3 miles. Of course there were ups and downs but nothing major. The trail was a bit muddy but very manageable. Not very far into the day there was a bench on the trail. There are not that many on the trail, and this was I think in memory of a land donation. There have been a few other plaques indicating land gifts but this bench was top notch and looked out over a great view. Anyway, I made great time during this stretch (2.6 mph) and was feeling good and doing good on time. The False Advertising If I was asked to pick three miles that would entice people to the AT, but are in no way representative of the trail, these next miles are it. The trail initially followed a nice river, was very flat and wide and was in good bloom. Then the trail dropped down to Laurel Falls and followed the river again on and off. A few well placed rock steps, but easy, shady trail along the river. (If you don't already, take a peak at some of the other photos from today). The Intersection Seventeen miles in I come to a trail junction. I don't have a picture of it, but here is a description. Option one was an easy 1 mile side trail to the town of Hampton. Mind you this was a continuation of the river trail. Wide, easy, and shady along the river. I could almost hear beverages being opened, snacks being consumed. In short, an easy path to relaxation. Option two was a narrow rocky path heading up the hill. It was in full sun, hot and dusty. I imagined I could hear the thirsty wails of parched hikers and squeals of delight from Bear Grylls as he was extracting water from elephant dung or drinking his own urine. I started up option two and it was 2.5 miles of hot, dry, uphill trail. Certainly not the biggest uphill by any measure (about 1,700 feet of gain) but it was brutal. I was pouring sweat and trying to keep up my water intake. About two thirds the way up I passed some ladies who said there indeed was water near the top. I refilled, drank, then headed down the other side. The way down was more in the shade and was pleasant. Now that it is over I am glad I got that 6 miles out of the way. My day tomorrow will be much easier. Not sure if I were back at the trail junction, I would have made the same decision.
Date: 2015-05-09
From: US 321 (Hampton, TN)

To: Iron Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: broken clouds

They say that when you feel down on the trail to think about what you would be doing back home. I presume they mean think about whether you would prefer working or hiking but that kinda breaks down on the weekend. Couple of things working against me. First day back to full pack, walking around a lake so see people out enjoying their Saturday. And all of a sudden it got HOT. So I was dragging, missing home, sweating, and generally not enjoying the day. I got to the shelter and my mileage goal early. Most other people were moving on and it was hard to stay put. Tons of bugs out (flies that draw blood and itch for days) so I sat in my tent for about 2 hrs until the sun went down. I then socialized a bit around the fire which lifted my spirits some. Went to bed sweaty which is always fun.