morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-08
From: Cheoah Campsight

To: Cody Gap
Miles today: 10.8

I woke up at 6am and then woke Lt. Coocoo Bird, Ratagasta, and Long Gone up to watch the sun rise. After watching the beautiful sun rise, we were on the trail by 7am and did almost 6 miles by 9 30 and then hitched a ride into Robinsville to resupply before the Smokies. It was my first hitchhiking experience, and the first truck that we saw picked the four of us up. It took less than a minute to get our first ride. Once we got into town we went straight for the food. Unfortunately nothing except McDonalds was open so we had breakfast there and then went to the grocery store to resupply for 7 days of food so we can make it through the smokies without having to stop in Gatlinburg. After purchasing the food we went outside and found a picnic table to repackage and organize our food bags. My did for 7 days barely fits in my food bag and is super heavy. I also had to reorganize my pack because my food bag no longer fits on the top. I can't wait to eat some of the food to drop the weight! After the grocery store, we went to subway for lunch and then hitched a ride back to the trail. This time it took a little longer but we still hitched a ride within 5 or 10 minutes. When we got back to the trail, there was trail magic there and we got our water filled up and got some chocolate and candy. Soon after we started hiking we started climbing Jacob's ladder, a very steep climb. My legs were definitely feeling it, but I can tell how much stronger I am getting and I know that the same climb would have taken me at least 4 times as long at the beginning. We continued hiking for a few more hours and then decided to stop and set up our tents at Cody Gap. Tomorrow we plan to get up at 6 again and will hike the 9 miles into Fontana by noon. We may decided to shower there and then continue on into the smokies or we may enjoy the early day and stay at the shelter for the night. We are still hoping to catch up with Bitter Goat and Walmart but we're not sure if they are still in Fontana or not. I hope we catch them soon though because it will be great to hike with them again.
Date: 2013-04-09
From: Cody Gap

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: broken clouds

We woke up at 6am and hit the trail by 6 45 just as the sun was starting to come up. It's really nice to hike in the cooler weather before the heat and bugs get to you. The hike today was very nice and we hiked almost 9 miles before 11 am. Once we got to Fontana we had an amazing surprise and we were reunited with BitterGoat and Walmart. It feels great to have the gang all back together again. We ate lunch at the lodge and then hung out for a while before taking my first shower in almost a week. Even though the shower was freezing cold after a couple minutes, it felt great to be clean. I washed my socks and underwear to hang on my pack to dry and then headed back to the general store to pack everything up and get ready to start hiking again. After hanging out and talking for a while, we realized that it was getting late and we might be better off waiting until tomorrow to start the smokies. We decided to cowboy camp (sleep outside with just a sleeping bag under the stars) near the shelter and get up at 4am in order to put in solid miles tomorrow. For dinner we made egg salad mixed with mashed potatoes and ate it on bread with hot dogs. The food is starting to get interesting which is nice because I was starting to get tired of the regular hiker food. It's beautiful sleeping under the stars and I'm really excited to start the smokies with everyone back together.
Date: 2013-04-10
From: Fontana Dam

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: clear sky

It was an amazing night last night sleeping outside under the stars. I was suppose to wake up at 4am and then wake everyone else up but I slept through my alarm. I still managed to wake up before 4 30 am and get everyone up so we were on the trail by 5 30 am. Today we started the Smokies and it was a beautiful day to do so. We were definitely happy that we started so early though because by noon it was very hot and since there still aren't leaves on the trees we were getting baked by the sun. Lt. Coocoo Bird decided to take a vow of silence while we're in the smokies so it's been pretty entertaining playing charades trying to figure out what he's trying to say. We took a break for lunch and then hiked about 6 more miles to complete our almost 17 mile day before 3pm. The shelters in the smokies are pretty nice and fit usually 12 to 14 people. You're not allowed to stay anywhere other than the shelters unless they are full and then you can camp near the shelter. It's kind of frustrating because it takes away some of our freedom but it may rain tonight so I'm happy to be in a shelter. Tomorrow we should make it to Clingmans Dome, the highest point on the AT. Today was so hot that I'm actually looking forward to rain but it sounds like we may get some severe storms thrown in. My feet are pretty sore after today but the rest of my body feels great and continues to get stronger. I'm looking forward to getting out of the smokies and into Hot Springs, which is suppose to be a nice hiker town. This heat definitely makes towns even more appealing because not only do we very good food but showers and the heat is only going to be getting worse.
Date: 2013-04-11
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Silers Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we woke up to some pretty crazy wind and since we heard that severe thunderstorms might be coming through, it had us a little nervous. We decided to at least head to the next shelter because it was only 6.3 miles away. This 6.3 miles felt more like 10 miles but we finally made it and ate lunch at the shelter. Someone said that the storm would be starting around 1pm so we decided that we were going to stay there for the night. A couple hours later as the weather got nicer a ridge runner showed up and had a weather radio and we found out the storms weren't coming until late afternoon. We packed up our sleeping stuff and decided to push on to the next shelter. We made it before the storm and even got dinner made and our bear bags hung before the rain started. I was in my sleeping bag by 5pm and enjoyed the fire that we had going in the fire place. We ended up getting about 18 people in the 12 person shelter. The storm caused the temperature to drop some which made it better for sleeping because I've been rather hot lately at night. I can't wait to switch my winter gear out for my summer gear in the next few weeks. Tomorrow we plan on getting up early and getting in 15.5 miles by early afternoon. We will also climb Clingmans Dome and pass the 200 mile mark tomorrow.
Date: 2013-04-12
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Clingmans Dome - Gatlinburg
Miles today: 4.8
Weather: clear sky

Today we were planning to get up early but it was still raining so we waited until about 7 30 to get up and were on the trail around 8 15. The storm last night wasn't as bad as all the predictions made it sound like it was going to be but I'm glad we were in a shelter for it. We hiked 4.8 miles to Clingmans dome and made it to the highest point on the AT. Of course it was super foggy so we didn't have any view from the tower. We were planning to push on but of course we started talking about a buffet and then we were suddenly on a shuttle to Gatlinburg, the city we swore we weren't going to go into, to stuff our faces. I have to say though that Gatlinburg is a place I am glad to have experienced but I don't ever plan on coming back. It is one of the strangest places I have ever been but very entertaining. After the delicious buffet where we all ate until almost throwing up, we got a hotel room and then Walmart, Nimble, and I decided to go to the grocery store to resupply. We heard that you could just hop on the trolley and get anywhere in town so we did just that. After about 30 mins on the trolley we thought we should ask if it went to the grocery store and the driver informed us that we needed to be on the blue trolley. So we got off the trolley very close to where we had gotten on and decided to go to a place that had free whiskey samples and a hot sauce store with tons of free samples before finally making it on the right trolley and getting to the store. Our quick run to the store ended up taking about 3 hours but we had a nice tour of Gatlinburg in the process. After we got back I organized my food and pack and took a second shower just because I could. I ended up not getting to bed until around midnight which is really late compared to my normal bedtime of about 8 30 on the trail. Tomorrow we will catch a ride back to Clingmans Dome and try to do big miles for the next two days to get out of the smokies. One thing I have learned on the trail though is than plans rarely stick. It's nice to have an idea of what you plan to do for the day but it almost always changes at least a little if not completely. I'm excited to sleep in a bed tonight and hopefully we get back to the trail at a decent time tomorrow. I'm also excited because I talked to my mom tonight and my parents are definitely bringing my dog, Belle, when the come to visit in a few weeks. The time is going so fast already and tomorrow I will cross the 200 mile mark after less than a mile hike. I've also made it to my third state which feels good. For the next couple hundred miles the trail skirts the NC/TN border. Another great day with great people. I can't say enough about the AT hiker community.
Date: 2013-04-13
From: Clingmans Dome - Gatlinburg

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: broken clouds

Today started out great. We heard that some trail angels picked up hikers from one of the hotels so we got there by nine and the trail angels drove 9 of us back to the trail in their truck. They were awesome! Once we got to Clingmans Dome it was gorgeous out so we climbed the tower again and had an amazing view! After taking some pictures we got back on the trail around 10 30. We hiked about 8 miles to Newfound Gap and the trail angels that took us back to the trail were now doing more trail magic and feeding thru hikers. I had a sandwich, chips, and a Dr. Pepper. Did I mention these people were amazing! After the trail magic we started hiking again because we still had 10 miles to hike for the day. The first few miles went great and the trail followed the ridge line so you could see amazing views on either side. We took one side trail to a rock outcrop and I saw one of the most amazing views I have ever seen. I was feeling on top of the world and didn't think life could get any better. A couple miles later my left shin began to get stabbing pains and I still had 6 miles left until I got to the shelter. My left shin continued to hurt worse and worse and I felt like I would never get to the shelter. If I wasn't in the smokies I would have just stopped and camped but you have to stay at the shelters in the smokies so I had no choice but to continue on. I finally arrived at the shelter but was in a lot of pain. I didn't feel like cooking dinner so I just ate a pop tart and after setting up my tent, talking to other people, and sitting down for a while, I started to feel a little better. I'm definitely concerned about shin splints but I'm hoping after a good nights rest and taking it easy tomorrow, it won't continue to hurt worse. At one point today I felt like life was perfect and only hours later I felt defeated and in pain. I'm glad long gone, ratigasta, and coocoo bird were at the shelter because they helped raise my spirits back up. Hopefully in the morning I'm not in too much pain and can put some miles in.
Date: 2013-04-14
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

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

This morning my shin was feeling better and we decided to take our time leaving camp and just do the 13 mile day instead of the 20. Today was chilly and windy but nice for hiking. More amazing views today and my shin only hurt occasionally. I kind of feel like I'm falling apart right now so I'm trying to slow down my pace and take care of myself better. Right now my right ankle is pretty sore and swollen, probably from rolling it so much, my left shin is sore, and both of the bones below my ankles on the insides of my feet are bruised/very sore. Also both knees are pretty sore but I finally caved and bought a knee brace which helps. They don't say no pain, no Maine for nothing. I made it to the shelter by 3 30, set up my tent, and then started dinner. For the first time in a while I was actually excited to eat some of the dinners I had. I ended up going with couscous with hot sauce on it but it was nice that everything sounded good for a change. Today ended much better than yesterday and we figured out that Hot Springs is only 44 miles away which we plan to do in three days, which also means a buffet is in the near future. I'm excited to get out of the smokies tomorrow so we can camp wherever we want but these last few days have been gorgeous. Tomorrow Coocoo Bird's vow of silence will be ending as well so it will be nice not to have to interpret for him anymore, although it was usually pretty fun. Today was also Walmarts 29th birthday and we all sang to him at the shelter along side Red Specks' kazoo playing. We plan to celebrate right in Hot Springs. Tonight it's starting to rain which kind of sucks because carrying a wet tent is heavier but at least the rain held off until my tent was set up and I was inside of it. Tomorrow we are shooting for a 17.5 mile day but the plan is to see how we all feel around 13 miles and reassess.
Date: 2013-04-15
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Snowbird Mountain
Miles today: 15.1

Today was an amazing day! We got out of the smokies around lunch time and hung out and ate lunch. After a long break we continued on and the terrain began to change and the trail looked more like a jungle. There were stream crossings everywhere and it was absolutely beautiful. We came to a pretty big stream near Standing Bear Farm hostel and played in the freezing cold water for a about an hour and then decided to go to the hostel to get some food. It felt amazing to slow down and enjoy the day. After leaving the hotel we had to walk on the road and went under I-40 and I also passed a sign that said Asheville to the right. It felt really bizarre to hike under the road that I take to drive home and pass a sign to the place I'll be moving to after the trail. The symbolism was very profound for me and it caused me to think a lot about life and how amazing this experience is. We decided to camp on top of a bald and watched the sunset while we cooked dinner. It was the perfect end to the day.
Date: 2013-04-16
From: Snowbird Mountain

To: Old Rd Campsite
Miles today: 21.2

Today was another pretty great day. We hiked down from the bald and stopped at the shelter to eat breakfast. We had about 8 more miles to Max Patch Bald and I thought it would be a pretty easy hike, but I was very wrong. It was really hot out and the trail was just steep climb after steep climb. After about 7 miles I saw a white roof and realized there was trail magic up ahead. A past thru hiker was making hot dogs, hamburgers, and had cold Cokes for us. It was amazing and came just at the right time. After the trail magic we headed up to Max Patch Bald and it was absolutely beautiful at the top. There was a 360 view of mountains and a perfect grassy spot to dry out our best and to nap on. After a couple hours we started hiking again and then stopped around 6 at a shelter to make dinner. We decided that we wanted to go about another 6 miles so that we would have an easy hike into Hot Springs the following day. We hiked for about an hour in the dark and finally got to our camping destination a little before 10pm. We decided to cowboy camp but right after we fell asleep it started to sprinkle so we had to get up and put our tents up. Walmart needed a tree to hang his rain fly and since there wasn't one, he just curled up in his rain fly and tried to sleep. Around 5 45am it started o rain hard and storm so Walmart packed up and started hiking to town. Although we got rained on and couldn't cowboy camp, it was another great day with amazing scenery and people.
Date: 2013-04-17
From: Old Rd Campsight

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 7.5

I woke up around 6 30 and couldn't wait to get to town. I packed up all my wet stuff and started hiking. It was a nice hike and sprinkled on and off throughout the morning. Eventually I caught up to Walmart and then we ran into Blue hiking back up the mountain in search of his journal. We ran in to Atlas the night before and he had found Blues journal so we were able to let Blue know that his journal was safe and he would get it back. We then hiked into Hot Springs and Ratagasta and I ate breakfast while the boys went to get a cabin for the night. After breakfast we wandered around town which only took a few minutes and then headed to the cabin. The cabin was just a place to sleep and had communal showers and bathrooms but it was nice to sleep on a soft bed and take a shower. We also had a hair cutting party and gave CooCoo bird a Mullet, Walmart a mohawk, Bitter Goat a shaved head, and Ratagasta cut her hair short. Unfortunately, I cut my hair before starting the trail and couldn't cut more off without not being able to put it up. Then, we all decided that Hot Springs was a good place to have a few drinks so we got some beers and hung out on the porch and then went to the tavern for dinner, drinks, and to show off the amazing hair cuts. It was a fun night and by 11 30 we were all ready for bed. Hot Springs is a very small town with somewhat limited resupply but I'm excited to get to Erwin in 5 or 6 days and hit up a buffet. The last three days have been amazing with views, the weather, and fun. While sitting on the porch of our cabin, we had many conversations about how amazing this adventure is and how lucky we all are to experience it.
Date: 2013-04-18
From: Hot Springs

To: Dirt Road (Rainbow Gatherinig)
Miles today: 5.5

After waking up, packing up our stuff, and cleaning up the cabin, we headed to breakfast and ate a ton of food. Nobody could decided if they wanted to take a zero or two in Hot Springs to be there for the hiker festival or if we should head back out and make our way to Erwin. After hanging out around town for most of the day, I started getting antsy to hike so I decided to hit the trail again. Walmart, Saint Croix, and I hit the trail while the rest of the crew decided to stay in Hot Springs. We had a nice 5 mile hike before coming to a road where a woman invited us to a Rainbow gathering. We figured that we couldn't pass up the opportunity to check this out so we hiked a mile and a half of trail to go check out what a rainbow gathering is. When we got there, we were greeted and they explained the rules and basic concept to us. A Rainbow gathering is open to anyone from teenage runaways to doctors and lawyers and everything is shared such as food and instruments. We were warned not to take our food bags out in front of other people. We also had to wash our hands any time we went near the food or anything under the blue tarp where everyone was hanging out. There were a few other thru hikers there so they showed us where to put up our tents. We decided to make our own food for dinner to drop some food weight and then we went down to get water and check things out. People were playing instruments, singing, and hanging out by a fire and we wandered around a bit and then decided to head back to our tents and just listened to the music while starting at the stars and clouds. It was definitely a very interesting experience with interesting people but it was definitely worth the 1.5 mile walk off trail.
Date: 2013-04-19
From: Dirt Road (Rainbow Gatherinig)

To: Long Cabin Drive (Hemlock Hostel), 
Miles today: 10.9

This morning I was psyched that it hadn't started raining yet and I didn't have to carry a wet tent. We packed up quickly and left the rainbow gathering to head back to the trail. A little after we started hiking it started to sprinkle. It rained on and of for a couple hours and then it started to rain hard. We ran into a past thru hiker going southbound and he told us about a hostel where we could get a huge burger. We decided that we had to have this burger so we picked up our pace in search of food. The rain picked up and the temperature started to drop. The hostel was farther than we originally thought and by the time we finally found it we were freezing cold and I could barely use my hands. We were definitely nearing the early stages of hypothermia, but like it always does, the trail provided what we needed. We stayed in the bunk room with 10 other hikers and had a hot shower, a place to dry our gear, a bed, and delicious dinner. It ended up being a pretty great day even with the slight misery thrown in.
Date: 2013-04-20
From: Long Cabin Drive (Hemlock Hostel), 

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: few clouds

We woke up and headed to breakfast at 7 30am. The breakfast was delicious eggs, bacon, potatoes, a biscuit, and coffee. Walmart, Saint Croix, and I ended up just hanging out for a while and drinking coffee and then hung out with an English couple in the bunk house. We finally headed back to the trail around noon, but it was really fun to just chill out and not have any plan for the day. The hike was really pretty and we walked along a ridge line with cliffs along one side for part of the day. We have been taking it really easy getting to Erwin and it has been extremely enjoyable to slow down and not plan the day at all. I also hit 300 miles today which was pretty exciting. It's strange to realize that I've been on the trail for almost a month. This continues to be such an amazing adventure and I've laughed more since starting the trail than any other time I can remember. It's amazing not knowing all the bad things going on in the world and being able to live in this amazing AT bubble.
Date: 2013-04-21
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night was cold! It got back down into the 20s last night and since my tent was also on a slant, I didn't sleep well at all. We were on the trail around 8 30 and warmed up quickly. The hike today was a lot of ups and steep downs. We did a little less than 15 miles but it felt like more. We have been camping near the shelters for the water source but not in them to avoid the norovirus that has been going around the shelters and hikers. I have now been on the trail for a month and hiked over 300 miles. It seems like every night and throughout the days we constantly talk about how amazing our lives are right now. I'm not sure if all the other thru hikers are having this much fun, but all of the people I have spent time with seem to be having a great experience.