morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-05
From: Nantahala Outdoors Center

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 13.6

I'm always looking at the trees as I walk along and this one, I thought, was particularly unusual. The climb out of the gap today took a lot of hours of steady uphill, but most of it was at a reasonable grade. The steadily increasingly beautiful views were nice distractions from the burn, too. I was walking alone today and met this couple that had recently graduated from college. We spent a little time together while we were filling up our water bottles and purifying the water. I went on ahead and came across this amazing view on a turn out from the trail. After looking at it for a while I got back on the trail. After hiking a bit then coming around a corner, the couple I had just met and I came face to face with wide eyes wondering - why are we walking toward each other? For the first time, I got back on the trail and went South instead of North. Doh! Maybe only about 5 minutes in the wrong direction. That was a first for me. By the way, what I have yet to have a first on is taking ibuprofen. Out here that's called taking vitamin I. Here's something I have learned - stretching at the end of the day is paramount. I forgot to do that for the first several days and I had some interesting leg cramps in the tent at night. But the first time I did my stretches after hiking, I only had one cramp that night. The feedback is immediate and I am now careful to do my stretches at the end of every day.Toward the end of the day, I couldn't find any flat areas to pitch my tent; I mean it was steep everywhere. Plus there was a rain system arriving, possibly overnight. I saw I'd be passing a road so I called this couple that puts folks up in their house for a fee. They picked me up, and they're truly good folks who enjoy doing mission work around the world. We talked a couple hours - past my bedtime which is sundown. They'll give me breakfast tomorrow and drop me back early. Sure beats a leaky tent. Tomorrow's challenge will be the infamous Jacob's Ladder, a particularly step ascent. I'm enjoying experiencing these sections I've previously read about.
Date: 2015-04-06
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 14.2

This picture is of me at dawn a few days ago, but it kind of captures how I felt today. I really got into being in the woods and as my mom used to say, I was letting my soul catch up.The day started off drizzling as I climbed up Jacob's Ladder, a 600 foot very steep climb. But I was enjoying the light rain. I always enjoy hiking in the rain. Probably sounds crazy, but it just seems so natural and life giving when it rains, and the sound of the rain on my hood is meditative to me. The rain eventually let up and I was grateful for the cool hiking weather. It also occurred to me to appreciate that there are not many pesky bugs out yet. I didn't see many people today so I spent a good deal of the day alone. Being alone like that I start talking to myself out loud and even singing out loud. I don't know if it's the endorphins from exercise, feeling as fit as I have been in probably decades, or just getting in tune with the woods, but I really felt great today. Maybe it was the fact that I had a room reserved at the Fontana Lodge for tonight and tomorrow night. I'm taking tomorrow as a Zero day to repair some equipment and test out my new tent. My friend Steve (and his dog) is driving down from Asheville to spend several hours with me. So tomorrow will be a real change of pace, fun, and recuperative. And then after tomorrow, the Great Smoky Mountains! More on them in tomorrow's post so stay tuned boys and girls.
Date: 2015-04-07
From: Fontana Dam

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

This picture with my pole in the air is probably hard to discern, but it shows a laughable annoyance while hiking. My trekking poles have blunt points that are great at gripping the ground, roots, and even rocks. But they also collect leaves as if I were in a city park picking up trash. I try to ignore the clump of leaves and mud but at some point I bang the ends of the poles against a tree, step on the leaves, or if that doesn't work reach down and pull them off by hand. Just a little hiking tid bit. I took a zero today and as much as I'm enjoying my journey, a day of relative rest felt good, especially to my feet. My friend from Asheville, Steve, joined me for a few hours and we talked and joked around while I went about my tasks like laundry and grocery shopping, and he helped me set up my new tent. I think this tent is really going to be an improvement and I feel much better about tackling the Great Smoky Mountains now. Ah yes, the Smokies. I knew they were big and their elevation would possibly subject me to ice, snow, and strong wind. But at a recent outfitters, there was a relief map and I saw the mountains I've been through; they were respectable sized bumps on the map. But when my gaze moved over to the Smokies, my eyes grew wide and my stomach flipped a little. Those bumps were way bigger. So I've been having bump flashbacks and gearing up for some harsh weather. Turns out the weather forecast for my six days through the Smokies appears to be well above freezing, albeit with rain for the first couple of days. Like all my other hiking, I'll just take it one step at a time, one water source at a time. I'm rested from my two night stay at this nice lodge, and now raring to go.
Date: 2015-04-08
From: Fontana Dam

To: Great Smoky Mtns - Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

This tree looks like its offering a place to hang out.Today I walked across the Fontana Dam and entered The Great Smoky Mountains. This park is a little different in that there are some rules and regulations and a small fee to get in. The main reg requires that everyone sleeps in a shelter (unless full and then tenting is allowed right next to the shelter) so that dictated the distance I hiked. It was a beautiful warm sunny day and the forest floor with its shades of brown leaves awakens, in places, to a green carpet of new shoots. In other areas it looked liked there had been a dusting of snow, a snow of tiny white flowers with delicate purple stripes. I had heard stories of treacherous snow and ice in April up here but I'm lucking out with a gorgeous Spring warm spell. Yes! Today's trail rose almost 3,000 feet but none of it terribly steep, just continuously up. I passed one shelter and arrived at another where I knew almost everyone. I'm typing this now on my sleeping pad squeezed in between Animal and Red Back while a German is teaching a couple of Australians and Americans a card game. This is a three sided structure with a dirt floor, tarps for the fourth wall, and two stacked wooden platforms for sleeping bags. It's tight and there are 9 on each platform. The snorers are fessing up. I also just learned to put my head at the open end because mice run along the wall. It sounds bad, I know, but the energy and camaraderie are fantastic. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-04-09
From: Great Smoky Mtns - Russell Field Shelter

To: Smoky Mtns - Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 15.0

That's a picture of the tiny flowers that are covering patches of the woods. Quite a sight. Today's hike was fairly rugged for the first nine miles then eased up. I seemed to get my second wind on those last six miles as a John Phillips Sousa marching tune played in my mind. A highlight from today was my standing on the top of Thunderhead Mountain with a 360 view of the Smokies. It's a bald, meaning no trees, just grass.Many of us from last night's shelter are all hunkered down in this one tonight (Silver Bald Shelter) as the wind is really whipping up ahead of the storm rolling in. Maybe being in these shelters is not so bad after all. Glad to be dry tonight and with these nice folks.Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-04-10
From: Smoky Mtns - Silver Bald Shelter

To: Smoky Mtns - Ice Water Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.5

This picture doesn't really capture the magical feel of these woods. All of the downed trees are covered in lime green moss giving it an almost unearthly glow. Very cool. It rained almost all day making the going slow. Much of the trail is a gully with sloped sides and a muddy puddle in the middle. It's tempting to step on the relatively drier sloped sides but they, too, are slick. So after several times of my foot slipping to the bottom while I go momentarily spread eagle hollering "whoa!", I learned to just splash my feet in the middle bottom of the puddle. Thank goodness for my trekking poles - I haven't fallen...yet. One of today's highlights was getting to the top of Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the AT. Unfortunately, it was socked in with clouds. But the main highlight was the amazing forest. So it was a pretty great day of gazing around. I finally got to use my new tent tonight and its soooo roomy comparatively. Loving it. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-04-11
From: Smoky Mtns - Ice Water Spring Shelter

To: Smoky Mtns - Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: broken clouds

Here's the kind of view that opened up all along the trail today. Magnificent. I awoke to a brisk breezy morning where I could see my breath and also a colorful sunrise. My tent worked great and my sleeping bag was dry. It's a Tarptent and the model is Notch (someone asked). It uses my trekking poles as tent poles and Cat Daddy (remember him?) showed me an innovation of a loop and a carabiner to hang my backpack in the vestibule. Worked like a charm. Anyway, after yesterday's rain, the skies were clear and blue and the temp was a perfect cool for hiking. My only challenge was finding connectivity for my cell phone to take care of a couple things. It's not too good way out here. By 4:00 I had hiked 12 miles to the shelter that was a reasonable distance from the last, and it was my moment of truth. Should I use the remaining 3 1/2 hours of sunlight to really push it the additional 8 miles to the next shelter or give my aching feet a rest. I think I'm still too excited about being out here and the thought of sitting around with perfectly good weather was too much, so off I went. I also knew that hiking out of the park tomorrow would be a long one so I preferred to make it easier by pushing harder today. I determined I'd really have to book it and I was panting and my feet were applying for a new owner; but I rolled in with just enough sunlight to stretch, set up on the platform, eat, hang my bear bag, and settle in next to a couple of snorers. I don't know what happened to my ear plugs but they're top on my list to buy. I've got a good feeling of accomplishment and am going to sleep well tonight. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-04-12
From: Smoky Mtns - Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 10.7

These are the Trail Angels who greeted me as I left the Smokies. They call themselves the Summit Sweethearts. Amazing, the generosity of folks...and I totally stuffed my face. So yes, I made it through the Smokies with great weather, passed my 200 mile mark, and saw some of the most beautiful forest and views ever. Smoky Mountain National Park is a green gem. Today was a low mileage day. I arrived at a farmhouse complex converted into a hiker hostel -- bunks and cabins and even a treehouse. It has the feel of a hippie commune, including the hair and dress and laid back attitude of the owners. The resupply store has a pad for each person to keep track of whatever you take and pay when you leave. Total honor system. Everyone is in such a good mood. It's all thru-hikers and we pretty much all know each other. Plus there's beer. Tonight, I'm in a loft in a cabin next to a good guy named Costos, from Maine. I've seen him time and again on the trail. It's pitch black in here as I write this but I can hear a wagging dog just entered through the curtained door to this cabin. I like the feel of this place. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-04-13
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Near Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I climbed to the top of Max Patch, the coolest bald I have seen ever. The picture to the left shows a part of that panoramic view, and shows how I was actually looking down on some clouds. I think I also like Max Patch, because my new grandson's name is Max and he's the coolest ever. Back when I was hiking with Jack Rabbit, he said he had a blister so large he had to name it. Well, I've got one on the back of my left heal that I've named Bruno. Hopefully, I have sufficiently mole-skinned Bruno to help me make it to Hot Springs in a couple days. There my friends Joy and Steve will pick me up and take me back to their house in Asheville for two nights and my wife is going to drive over to meet us. I think it'll be a recuperation and party time combo. But Bruno, a needle, and I have a date with destiny. As I was hiking today, some of the tree limbs were rubbing together in the wind sounding like creaky doors opening. Also, the trees still without leaves have limbs that are twisting and reaching for light. They look like slender multi-jointed ghoulish hands reaching out. Where's a kid to tell a spooky story to when you need one?Tonight, I found a good flat spot to set up my tent just a short distance from the trail. Very peaceful out here. Sounds of birds, the breeze, and there's that distant jet. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-04-14
From: Near Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 20.0

Just look at that picture as I was coming down off of Bluff Mountain today. It looks like there ought to be elves and fairies dancing about, don't you think? Today was mostly all downhill on non rocky paths, so I had a pretty long mileage day. I also was motivated by the lure of Hot Springs, a hiker friendly town. And who wouldn't want to hurry to go to a place with a name like Hot Springs?It rained overnight last night, and then kind of sputtered on and off for most of the day. Between the low clouds rolling through and my being over 4,000 feet, I had some fairly spectacular views looking down on clouds in the valleys. But I'm a guy that always tries to get a window seat in a plane because I never get tired of looking down on clouds. In town, I ran into several hikers I've been seeing plus two fellow students from Dr. Doyle's AT Institute class: Mike, aka Iceman, and Buffy, aka Iron Woman. And I've already run across Caleb, aka Semi-Colon. I should note that Iceman is 78! I'm in a room with a shower and looking forward to a soft bed. I'm using AWOL's trail guide and am eager to see what the next part of the journey will entail after some R&R.
Date: 2015-04-15
From: Hot Springs

To: Hot Springs - with friends in Asheville
Miles today: 0.0

In case you were wondering, this is a pic of a white blaze painted on a tree to show where the trail goes. They're painted maybe every hundred yards or so and are maintained by the local hiking club. If there's a confusing turn in the trail, there are often more blazes. These hiking clubs do other things as well. The trail can be pretty rough, so they install log or rock steps where its particularly challenging. They clear downed trees and create water runoffs. Imagine carrying in all that equipment and doing all that HEAVY work. They're really great volunteer organizations and I'm so grateful for their hard and ongoing work. My friends from Asheville picked me up yesterday and I had the most delicious home cooked meal. My wife, Beth, arrived late afternoon and we had a wonderful evening of good food, wine, conversation, and laughter. Really great seeing Beth. I'll end with this observation. When I was on Clingman's Dome, a family that drove up was interested in my thru-hike and asked me lots of questions. One question was what is the worst part about it all. I had to think about that for a moment but then told them that trying to use toilet paper in the rain is pretty awful. They didn't ask anymore questions. I'm enjoying this zero day in the comfort of a home and thank goodness, Bruno the Blister has gone the way of the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz. I'm back to hiking tomorrow.
Date: 2015-04-16
From: Hot Springs - with friends in Asheville

To: Hot Springs - with friends in Asheville
Miles today: 0.0

Here's my food I've prepped for the next 3 1/2 days. I know it looks like an unhealthy mess of junk food, but it's calorically dense. And I'll change it up some every week. When I head out of Hot Springs tomorrow, I'll get a couple of meat sandwiches for lunch and dinner so I'll be set for 4 1/2 days to get me to Erwin, TN. I just got a fresh pair of trail runners (the general shoe of choice on the trail). My last pair was well worn when I started and each shoe was torn up on the inside at the heel complete with my duct tape repairs. I'm sure this new pair will feel better on my heels. I have really wide feet in the toe box area, and Altra trail runners are the only ones I've found to fit me comfortably. The style is Lone Peak. As I heard ahead of time, I order one full size larger than my size to allow for my feet to swell. Also, to protect some toes from rubbing against each other, I'm wearing three "toe bandages," cylindrical foam tubes that fit over my toes. Seems to be doing the trick. Our Asheville friends took Beth (my wife) and me to a nice restaurant near the Biltmore house and it felt kind of surreal sitting in there all comfortable and being waited on. Then I got caught up in conversation and forgot I'm in the middle of a semi-wilderness experience. I don't know, just kinda played with my head. I think I'd easily fall back into my "civilized" life right now despite how much I've enjoyed my woodsy solitude. Of course it's still so early in my trek. Joy and Steve were great hosts and it was great to see them and Beth, but I'm feeling antsy to get back on the trail. I'm eager to build plenty of buffer days so if it's raining when I get to the White Mountains, I can take zero days and not hike those steep granite slopes if they're wet. I've totally enjoyed this break and rest, but I'm raring to go to get back to hiking.
Date: 2015-04-17
From: Hot Springs - with friends in Asheville

To: A couple miles past Spring Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

This harmless 4 foot black snake was sunning himself on the path today. I had a big breakfast with my wife and our Asheville friends this morning and continued to eat like a 17 year old, taking a heaping portion and then cleaning everyone else's plates. By the time we finished breakfast and made the longish drive back to Hot Springs, I got started around 11:00. It was a really beautiful day, the ground was soft, my new shoes felt great, and my feet didn't hurt a bit. I passed up a shelter late in the day with the hopes of finding a good flat spot for my tent farther along the trail. The slopes are steep with the trail cut into the sides so it's kind of a risky proposition. I've always been a careful planner so this flexible behavior is new for me - to just hope it will somehow work out. So far it has. I found a good spot just as it was getting dark. At the shelter I passed by I spotted one of my favorite hiking groups - three Australian women. The mother is my age and her trail name is Red Back, which is a toxic spider in Australia. Her two friendly twenty-something daughters are Muddy Duckling and Fire Bear. The daughters read Bill Bryson's book "A Walk in the Woods" a few years ago and have ever since wanted to hike this trail. They invited their mom to come along and it appears that the three of them are having a ball. They're always joking around, seem to love the warm days, the cold days, and the rainy days. Nothing seems to phase them. Red Back told me that when the girls were young she and her husband took the two girls on a two month walk in a remote part of Australia. That was unusual so when they returned home the media was there to greet them. A reporter asked her daughters how they felt about the two month walk. One daughter replied that she would like to turn around and do it again. The other daughter replied that she never wanted to take another step in her life. I enjoy seeing them and hope our paths continue to cross in the coming months. I'm all settled down on a still and cool night with no one around for a couple miles. Feeling good. This is how I had imagined it.Nowhere I would rather be.
Date: 2015-04-18
From: A couple miles past Spring Mtn. Shelter

To: Flint Gap
Miles today: 18.5

I met Mammoth today, seen on left. I've met some interesting characters, but I think he's my favorite so far. Mammoth is thru-hiking the AT as a part of a much grander plan. His story is that he has a goal to contiguously walk through 49 states. No cars, no planes, no boats...all one continuous walk. He started in September of 2013 and so far has walked through 33 states including hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. That's 11,000 miles so far! He's going to end up in Alaska next summer (will hike through Canada to get there) with 18,000 continuous walking miles under his belt. He's from Norway and is a dual citizen. And he always carries that milk jug of water which is named Wilson. Oh, and when he walked through Kansas, it was winter so he wore a ski mask. Since it's so flat, instead of wearing a backpack, he pushed his gear in a baby carriage. Now just envision that scene along the highway. Yes, he was stopped several times by police for questioning. I got up and started hiking early and went until almost dark - a good long hike that included a challenging long rocky climb over Firescald Knob, an exposed rocky ridge with amazing views. It's now dark, I'm in my tent, it's started to rain, but I'm warm and dry as toast. Nowhere I'd rather be.
Date: 2015-04-19
From: Flint Gap

To: A few miles past Hogback Shelter
Miles today: 15.6

That's a nice cascade I passed today before the skies opened up. A week or two ago I wrote that raindrops on my rain hood is meditative to me. Well, after today I should be in a trance-like coma! Man, it came down, and the winds up on the ridges were fierce. When it's raining that hard, the trail is especially slick so I definitely needed support from both trekking poles. I palm the ends of the poles going downhill to extend my reach and I got to feeling like those four legged machines in StarWars. One repercussion is that with my hands busy all day with the poles, I couldn't walk and eat as I generally do to avoid losing time with a lunch break. I got pretty hungry and stopped by a shelter mid afternoon to eat out of the rain. It was already full with hikers that had had it with the windy storm. While I was there two young shivering women showed up and one of the guys gallantly volunteered to give up his spot and go set up his tent and the others tightened up to squeeze both women in. While the young women were changing into dry clothes, an older woman walked up, didn't say a word, pulled out her sleeping pad and just threw it into the newly cleared space. Pretty rude I thought, or maybe just oblivious. Everyone there started glancing at one another. It was just about to get tense, but I had finished eating and was just leaving. Just a little drama in a small shelter with wet, cold, and exhausted hikers. As for me, someone had a radio on with the song "Don't Worry Be Happy," so off I went whistling that tune. A few more miles down the path, and I'm now nestled into my warm dry tent while it continues to rain. No worries and quite happy. Nowhere I'd rather be.