morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-03-22
From: Franklin

To: Wine Spring Meadow
Miles today: 8.2

Day 16First off, we are today (March 27) at Fontana Lodge - Laundry room has 5 of each machine, but only 1 of each works, so Alan is waiting in line to do our laundry (they need a repair man! Many hikers here, and all want to wash their smelly clothes). On another note, when we get to today's entry if we have time, we will title it "CUJO", or maybe, "WHO LET THE DOGS OUT"...Ok, on to the journal now:Alarm set so we could make the Baptist Church pancake breakfast. Myself, Mary & Minnie were picked up by the church van and brought to the breakfast where we had all the pancakes, bacon, oj & tea we wanted. They also took our pictures to mail home to our loved ones (Kyle & Caiden & Kable, hope you received them). After getting our fill we returned to the motel to pack up and check out. We had a little time to kill before the 12:00 shuttle so we did get to put our feet up for a while. Once we got picked up we were detoured several times for other pick ups, so we didn't arrive at Winding Stair Gap until 12:30 or so. The mountains are all white now at elevation, but the sun was shining. We started up, but soon had to remove some clothing as it wasn't too cold. The trail was a muddy, sloppy, mess. We didn't see many other hikers as we climbed out of the gap. Not sure why, but neither of us had any energy today. We struggled with our legs being sore and being very tired in general. As we climbed and the temperature dropped, there was no longer mud but packed snow. Snow still clung to the trees, and in some places the drifts were 18 inches or so. We made it up and over Silars Bald and headed to Wayah Bald. We both were so tired, and after a late start decided to just make it to Wine Spring Meadow to camp. When we arrived at the turn we saw no footprints, only 3-4 inches of untracked snow. We checked it out and found two large grassy areas that only had a little snow as most had blown off. We quickly set up camp as the temperatures continued to drop. We quickly ate (the first time we actually ate in the tent due to the cold!), hung a bear bag, and heated a water bottle for Mary's sleeping bag. We did get a nice sunset, as we camped at 5,300 feet. Off to the sleeping bag as it is getting colder!
Date: 2018-03-23
From: Wine Spring Meadow

To: Tellico Gap
Miles today: 11.2

Day 17So far the theme for this hike is cold! As soon as we hit the bags the temperature plunged and the wind picked up. It was more of a survival sleep than what I would call a comfortable night. We both slept in socks, long john bottoms, long sleeve tops, and down coats inside our down bags with liners. Hat, gloves and neck warmers also on, and at times both of us were chilly (down right cold). Probably not dangerously so, but not comfortable at all. We got up at first light, put everything we had on, had a Pop-Tart and got moving. We did warm up, but not many layers came off very quickly. It was slow going as the pathway was hard packed snow, or where it warmed up enough yesterday and turned to slush it was now ice. We made our way up and over Wayah Bald where we got some great views. Made it to Cold Spring shelter for a late lunch where we met some trail maintainers who were out blazing a new trail to get a trail crew into the shelter. They were kind enough to pack out our trash, as well as everyone elses trash. (Including trash left in the shelter by thoughtless hikers). They also said they wish they could do more for us all, the people who maintain the trails are really amazing. It was finally warming up, but also clouding up and looking like rain. Everyone is saying definitely rain tomorrow. We would have liked to get closer to the NOC, but by the time we made it to Tellico Gap, where another maintainer (John), who we saw earlier told us we might find a spot to pitch our tent, we were done. We decided tackling Wesser Bald will wait for the morning. We hope to get up early as we still have about 8 miles to the NOC and we want to beat the rain. The PCT crowd is with us tonight, TNT, Blackbird, and Crafty. Also camping here is a section hiker, I think his name is Jeff. Not the best of spots as the road is right here, and we are camped in parking spaces. Good night from the trail for now as we dream of good food, and maybe even a beer tomorrow.
Date: 2018-03-24
From: Tellico Gap

To: NOC
Miles today: 8.1

Day 18Wasn't the best night as we got some sprinkles, but worse we had a car honk its horn as it went by, and some vehicle parked nearby and idled for sometime. None the less, we were up early and packing dreaming of town food. (Mary here, asking what you think I am currently craving for food... I'll let you know at a future time so you can make your guesses). The day started with a steep climb up over Wesser Bald, we climbed the tower and got some 360° views. As we started our descent toward the NOC we went over a ledgey, rocky, steep section called the jump off. It had excellent views, but let's just say Mary was less than thrilled about being on the narrow ledge. (Mary's comment - I felt like a beginner skier on a triple black diamond trail). I haven't mentioned it yet, but over the last 4 or 5 days we have hiked through some real fired damaged area. I think most of the damage is from 2016, and I think one ridgerunner said they had 23 separate fires that year. Apparently the Gatlinburg fire got all the press, but they had a lot of damage in this area. The ledgey area we hiked in today had extensive damage. Not just ground fire, but up into the trees. Some areas are so steep and remote I doubt there is much they can do when the fires hit. It was a long downhill into the NOC, dropping about 3,000 feet, and Mary was ready to be done for the day. We arrived and couldn't check into our bunks until 3:00 so we headed to the restaurant and I had a burger and beer and Mary had a salad with grilled chicken on it and a beer. When we finished we checked out the outfitters, and tried texting Minnie about an extra bunk we have in our bunk room. There were many hikers milling about at the waterfront. I happened to see Logan "Poseidon" out front and he said he needed a bunk, so he will be bunking in our room. When we booked we couldn't get a double bunk room, so we had to get a quad and had two bunks to spare. Mary's big toe on her left foot was bothering her coming down the long downhill today so she looked again at some hiking shoes. She tried a pair of men's Brooks Cascadias on in the size the foot guru at the Outdoor 76 had suggested, and she said they felt really comfortable. With sore feet that is saying something, so we made the purchase and have bounced her old shoes on to Hot Springs to see how things go with the new ones. Heard from Minnie, she had already reserved a bunk before she got our text, and they said no refunds. So, we have paid for a four bunk room and will only use 3 bunks... We were going to meet her for dinner, but we ordered a pizza to eat in the bunkhouse instead of going to the restaurant again. Of course when I went to pick up the pizza it started pouring and I got soaked. We had done our resupply at the store before it closed, so of course we also picked up a couple of micro-brews to enjoy with our pizza. The pizza and beer were good, and we are very happy we stayed because a storm is rolling through now with much thunder, lightning, and rain. Off to bed as we'll start the next 3 day leg to Fontana and then it will be on to the Smoky's!
Date: 2018-03-25
From: NOC

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

Day 19Rained all night, so we were happy to be warm and dry. Packed early and had left over pizza for breakfast. As we got ready to leave we remembered Mary's new shoes don't have the Velcro on the back to attach her Dirty Girl Gaiters. Made the trip back down to the outfitters where they hooked us up (no pun intended) with some Velcro at no charge. They even attached it and gave us some spare in case we have future problems. At this point we decided to enjoy another cup of tea as the one we brewed in the common room this morning tasted kind of metallic. So, off to the restaurant again for tea. And, of course since we were already at a restaurant we couldn't pass up a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit. Minnie came in while we were eating and we told her our plans to Fontana, but apparently she is going to zero here and push on through the Smoky's. We wished her well and headed out. It's a brutal climb out of the NOC, climbing over 5,000 feet culminating with a very steep final pitch up to Cheoah Bald. We were fortunate enough to get some great views and pictures from the summit. (We were surprised to see a couple of hikers go by who didn't even stop to check out the view...). We also reserved a room at the Fontana Lodge for Tuesday night while we had service. Long, slow descent into Locust Cove Gap over some slick, muddy rocks. Mary was not thrilled with this as she took a slip on one that made her a little gun shy on the rest. Both sore tonight, Mary's legs and feet and my feet. Pretty long day planned for tomorrow, so we will try to get going early.
Date: 2018-03-26
From: Locust Cove Gap

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

Day 20Note - only 1 computer here, so I'm rushing. Will have to go back and update where we slept (tent, hostel, hotel etc..)Up pretty early, but we did take time for a hot breakfast and tea as it was a little warmer than it has been. The day started with some rolling terrain, then a down into Stecoah Gap. Once we headed back up into the mountain we encountered "Jacob's Ladder" a .6 mile stretch of trail that is extremely steep with no switch backs. It definitely took its toll. We made Brown Fork Shelter for lunch and found some hiker fast asleep in the shelter, not really sure of the story because he tossed a little but didn't get up. We still needed to make over six miles, so we headed out over a lot of quick ups and downs. Quite a few hikers went by us hustling to the shelter, so they will be set up for an early day into Fontana. When we arrived at camp there were already quite a few hikers there, and we found a semi-level spot for our tent. We ate, and watched more and more hikers come in. Going to be very full tonight. Off to bed, looking forward to a nice town stop before we hit the Smoky's. Final note, as I type this "Kingsman" stopped by and mentioned his daughter asked if anyone he had hiked with has a Trailjournal. He said no, but a short time later found ours. He is hiking with Tobasco, Papa Dale, and Pass me (who went home for a bit to check on work and family). Have to go, that's it for now. Hiker waiting for the computer, thankfully I'm pretty well caught up. Do want to mention that we have also seen a lot of hurricane damage along the trail, especially in Georgia.
Date: 2018-03-28
From: Fontana Lodge

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 22We were up early all packed up, but decided on a good hearty breakfast at the restaurant rather then Pop-tarts and an early shuttle. Had nice omelettes, homefries, and biscuits and then caught a later shuttle back to the trail. First we had to follow the edge of the lake through the woods to the dam, then cross the dam and walk the road up to the Great Smoky Mountain Park entrance. We were dressed for colder weather, but by the time we made it to the dam we already decided to change into shorts/skirt and t-shirts. Who knew after what we had seen for weather so far the Smokys would start this warm! Long, slow trek up to the Shuckstack fire tower where we had lunch. Took some pictures from the tower and then continued our climb up to the ridge. When we finally reached Doe Knob we entered Tennessee for the first time. Won't leave North Carolina behind for good for some time as the trail is the state line for a while. Made it to the shelter quite late as it was a big, tiring day. We had finished our water a while back, but when we got to camp a hiker asked "did you get your water back down the hill? I hope so, because the water at the shelter is contaminated with Norovirus". This was not what we wanted to hear. We gathered water in a spare bladder I had and decided to boil some to drink and cook dinner with, and also enough to brush our teeth. We knew we could get water at the next shelter tomorrow. Bad news is that it's so windy it took a long time to boil the water and we used the rest of our fuel canister. I have another canister, but it is doubtful it will go the entire length of the Smokies. We brought all meals we have to cook since we thought it would be cold in the Great Smoky Mountains. This may put a monkey wrench in our plans to hike all the way through the Smokies without getting off trail. So tired that we ate, brushed our teeth and hit the hay after a long tough day.
Date: 2018-03-29
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 23Wind picked up last night, but no rain and still not too cold. No bears last night even though there was a warning and hikers said one had visited the shelter the last two nights. What we did have, but we didn't get to see, was some wild hogs. Just before the shelter the ground was all rooted up in quite a large area. It wasn't like that the previous evening. Trying to conserve fuel, so we had half cooked oatmeal and no tea. Headed out, still sore from yesterdays hike. Lots of little ups and downs today. Made the first shelter where we got good water and cleaned all our dishes. Lots of hikers on the trail this morning all trying to make it to the shelter before the rain. I didn't mention that when we arrived at camp last night the shelter was full and there were 15 - 20 tents set up near the shelter. The miles between shelters is kind of weird; from where we stayed you would have to do 3.1, 6, or 12.1 miles to get to a shelter. So, most of the same people will be going the 12.1. (In the Smoky Mountains you have to stay in a shelter unless it is full, then you can set up your tent near the shelter). Really windy today with it blowing so hard at times it was hard to stay on the trail going up over Thunderhead Mountain. The views were great today with the sky varying between sun and looking like it might rain. We dragged ourselves into camp, again one of the last to arrive, but we made it just as far as everyone else.Lots of tenting again tonight with another full shelter. Got our chores all done and ate at a reasonable time despite having to go a long way for water. Again we arrived and had someone tell us that we should not use the water at the shelter as people had pooped all around it. We had a hiker advise us to go up the trail a little ways and take the side "trail" to water. The little ways turned out to be .3 miles down Derrick Knob and then another couple hundred yards through the woods to a spring and then back up the .3 miles to the shelter again. I'm not sure why the park thinks it is a good idea to tell everyone they have to stay at the shelters and then do not have privies. They tell you to get water on one side and use the other side as the "toilet area". Some people seem to be pigs, going behind just about every tree and leaving toilet paper everywhere. Very gross! Sorry for the rant, but I don't understand how people can be so disgusting. Managed to get everything cleaned, bear bag hung, teeth brushed, and into the tent just as the first raindrops began to fall. We are now in the middle of a good rainstorm with some thunder and lightning to boot. Good night for now...
Date: 2018-03-30
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mt Collins Shelter
Miles today: 13.0

Day 24Woke to fairly cool, cloudy conditions. Not really raining, but threatening to. Lots of short, steep, little bumps today early made for some warm hiking in our rain gear. I managed to get my light down jacket soaking wet from sweat because I didn't want to take the time to stop and take it off, dumb mistake. Unlike our original plan of going all the way through the Smokies, we now think we will go into town at Newfound Gap. We passed a couple of milestones today. We made the 200 mile mark just after Clingmans Dome, which is another milestone as it is the highest point on the AT at 6,658 feet. Prior to Clingmans we stopped at Double Spring Shelter for lunch where we met Papa Dale, Tabasco, and Kingsman as well as Bubbs all finishing their lunch. They have decided to stay at this shelter so they will have a good day over Clingmans Dome to enjoy the views. We met a ridge runner having lunch who checked our permits and we chatted with her about different aspects of the trail. She let us know that there was no norovirus in the Smoky Mountains, and they have not had it here in the last two years (guess we didn't need to boil the water...). She also told us the bear problem at Mollies Ridge was due to a hiker using an ursack and thinking the bear would not bother it. Mary thanked her for all that she and the other ridge runners do to keep the trail in shape for the hikers (she has to clean the privies, pick up trash, bury poop left behind by thoughtless hikers, etc). Off we headed to Clingmans, and as we started getting closer the skies seemed to lighten and we even saw a few glimpses of the sun. It was quite windy and we were hoping the wind would push the fog away in time for us to get some good views. No such luck, within 15 to 20 minutes as we got closer to the top it was starting to snow. By the time we reached the tower it was socked in and it was snowing/sleeting pretty good. We went up the tower anyway along with several other hikers, knowing we would not see any views. We didn't stay long as it was cold, so we started back off down the trail to Mt Collins shelter. The guide book said it was 2.7 miles away, but the sign post said it was 4 miles. Seems like the sign post may have been right as it took us a long time to reach the shelter over a rocky, muddy, slick trail. As we traveled down the temperatures dropped. I was getting chilled in just my raincoat and long sleeve shirt. Put on my hat and gloves, but it was still very cool. Finally made it to the shelter which is 1/2 mile off trail. Whole area was very wet and muddy, but we managed to find a spot that was kind of level and not under water. We set up our still wet tent just as it started to sleet again. Quickly ate and got to bed as the temperature was dropping. Took us a long while to warm up in our still damp stuff from last night. Predicting a nice day tomorrow, and we are going to Gatlinburg if we can get a ride. Looking forward to a hot shower and warm bed.
Date: 2018-04-02
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: broken clouds

Day 27The day started early as we were packing up before the sun was up. As always it was a climb as we left the shelter, including the .5 to get back to the trail. We hiked a series of ups for about 1 1/2 hours and then finally made it up and over 6,200 feet then a quick down to Tri-Corner Knob shelter for a rest and a quick snack. Mary is starting to get her hiker hunger, she was hungry all day today. Talked to Bubbs at the shelter, sad to hear that he will be getting off trail for personal reasons. Sad to see him go as he is a really nice guy that we have camped with off and on over the last couple of weeks. Most of the rest of the day was a nice ridge walk with great views again. We managed to eat lunch at Deer Creek Gap with a great view, and a grassy area to sit with our shoes and socks off. Again, pretty warm today, so we feel fortunate. After walking the ridge at over 6,000 feet for some time we began our descent out of the Smoky Mountains. Got to the shelter fairly early tonight, though once again not many good tent sites to be had. Found a fairly level site down near the fire ring. Actually had a little fire tonight as we ate. A steady stream of people arriving looking for tent spots. A section hiker set up in a spot next to us and later "Sunshine" from Vermont squeezed in close by. Her friend from New Hampshire, "Chef Gordon Ramsey" is also here at the fire ring eating. Bubbs, Irish and Beach Bum are tenting here as well, as are many other hikers we've met along the way. Should complete the Smoky Mountains tomorrow and make it to Standing Bear for resupply. I'm sure they will be packed as everyone here at the shelter is also going there. Will probably be up early to beat some of the crowd.
Date: 2018-04-06
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 3.2

Day 31Last night in camp we had "Tank", "Tagalong", "Irish", "Beach Bum", Mark, Jake, and a couple other hikers. In addition there was a section hiker (a teacher from North Carolina) who kept us all entertained with stories around the campfire. We stayed up a little later than normal, even though we planned to try to get an early start so we can enjoy breakfast in town at the Smoky Mountain Diner. I've waited 7 long years to come back for their skillet breakfast, and we both mentioned to most of the hikers staying there that the Smoky Mountain Diner was the place to get breakfast.We got up early and picked up quickly. I managed to get down a stale Pop-tart, but Mary had no desire for one more stale Pop-tart and just started hiking toward town. As we were hiking down the trail "Tagalong" and "Tank" came up behind us and said that Mary should be called "Purple Haze", so she has decided to accept that as her trail name. Ironically, when we got to town we noticed that the coffee shop where our son Kyle works has a beverage called "Purple Haze", so that sealed the deal.As we arrived at Hot Springs we met "Papa Dale", "Kingsman", and "Tobasco" who were already in Hot Springs. We headed right for the diner, unfortunately we should have stopped at the Laughing Heart Lodge/Hostel, but we had heard they were full. We both enjoyed an awesome skillet breakfast along with hot tea. "Tagalong" and "Tank" joined us at our table.Once we finished breakfast we decided we better find a place to stay for the night. We had heard that Elmer's Hostel was also full, and headed for the Alpine Court (where I stayed in 2011). We had tried calling the Alpine Court on the trail, but got a message that they were "out of the office" and to call the number that we had already tried that was no longer in service. When we got to the Alpine Court we could see the reason why we could not get anyone on the phone, it is closed down. After trying various places, we ended up with a nice room at the Belle Inn. We couldn't check in until 3:00 so we went to the library to work on our journal. We also checked out the laundromat which was filthy, and had a couple washers, and no working dryer. We were able to get our laundry done at the Laughing Heart Hostel, but had to wait on a list for several hours. We were hoping to eat at the tavern on the river, however the only tables available were on the porch, and it was raining. It was covered, but had a leak near where the only available seating was. Plus, smoking was allowed on the porch, and it was too much for us. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner further down the road at the Iron Horse Station, as well as a couple local beers. Met a couple of hikers trying to find Elmers, and we told them the hostel was full. They asked about the Inn and we told them we thought there was a room available. They also spent the night at the inn, they are from Germany, "Flying Snail" and "Quarter".