morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-07
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 15.1

The plan was to get up at 7:30 but that plan went out the window. I decided I had plenty of days to get the miles done, so stayed in bed a while longer. Eventually I got up and started packing. My sister and her boyfriend were very patient as it took me forever to pack. The zero degree Wal-Mart sleeping bag mom sent me is huge. It's made for someone over 6 ft tell, and it's gotta weigh close to 6 lbs. I had to strap it to the outside of my pack because it won't fit on the inside. I decided against the snow pants. The weather for Clingman's Dome this week is highs in the 50s lows in the 30-40s. I'll never complain about warm weather...but it is a tiny but ironic. It was freezing terrible weather so I was sent snow pants and a giant sleeping bag...and now it's going to be in the 50s.My sister wouldn't let me drive because she said I smell too bad. Rude. I did shower. And I still haven't given up wearing deodorant. Not much I can do about my shoes and socks. Got to the trail by 11 but it took a half hour before I actually started walking because when I put on my pack I had a minor mental break down because it was so heavy. Got rid of some food and anything else I could spare for the next week. My bag feels the heaviest it's ever been. And right out of the gate I had to climb Jacob's Ladder. It was intense. If I leaned over just a little bit I could touch the ground. Very steep. And just as steep going down the other side. Met Frenchie from the french part of Canada and Unremarkable. I asked how he got his trail name and he talked about battling bone cancer, diabetes, and having a stroke. Before he came out here he had to go through a battery of tests and they all came back unremarkable. He got the green light to go. He says his doctors named him.Met Nails, Dirty Dog, and a father/daughter team from Maine. Spent a long time there socializing and hiked fairly quickly when I left. The Fontana shelter was nice, but I'd expected better because of all the hype. It was nice to have water out of a tap and flushing toilets. There are a ton of people here, but only 6 in the shelter. Many people tented or set up their hammocks. A couple guys tried to name me Orientation. When I asked where the water was a guy pointed to the inside wall of the shelter so I turned and looked thinking maybe there was a spigot considering this is the "Fontana Hilton". They laughed because they meant in that direction but outside the shelter. Not sure if I like it.
Date: 2013-04-08
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I love the new sleeping bag, despite it's weight. It's so warm, and so roomy. By the time I got up at 8:30 a lot of people had already packed up and left. I finally got going an hour later. Walked out to the road and met Jolly, a guy from the UK, Tye Dye, Captain Dan, Bucket List, and Tom. We all walled up to the start of the Smokied together. I changed into shorts and a t-shirt for the second time in almost 40 days. I like this group. Hiked with Jolly most of the day. He's funny. We saw a lizard and a baby snake. The snake was gone before I could take a picture. Jolly is determined to come up with a name for me. He's called me a couple of things already including Laura for Laura Croft because my hair is in a braided ponytail.                         The climbing was brutal today. 11 miles felt like 20. The weather was absolutely beautiful and we stopped often. Went up a side trail to Shuckstack tower. It was terrifyingly rickety so I only went up 3 flights. The rotting boards were of no comfort. The views were incredible though. Mountains where ever you looked. I'm looking forwards to more views like that. Met Camel and Alfalfa at the shelter, a father/son team, and St. Criox. Blue, who I met last night, is here as well. Someone decided to build a fire because there's a fireplace in the shelter so others of us went to collect wood. Blue and I went out and as we're walking down the trail he stops and points "Bear!" I heard it run off but was bummed I didn't actually see it. I definitely got a good burn on my arms today. Between that, the fire, and the new sleeping bag I'm toasty warm.
Date: 2013-04-09
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Jolly named me Quick Change this morning because I change under my sleeping bag. I kinda like it. QC for short. Right out of the gate we were cruising but slowed down when we caught up with the rest of the group. We took lots of breaks including a long lunch right outside a shelter in a grassy field. It was so comfortable I laid down and took a nap. At one point Jolly put in his music and it was like someone had given him a shot of nitrous. He was off like a rocket. The Smokies have been brutal. Steep up and back down to go right back up again. The miles are hard. I hiked all day in my long sleeve shirt because my arms got burned pretty good yesterday. So hot... It's a long day tomorrow at 13.8 miles. Including Clingman's Dome. And the shelter is .5 off the trail which sucks. Makes it a 14.3 mile day but those miles don't count. Captain Dan is convinced he can't do the miles so he's just going 7 which is a couple of shelters up. He convinced the rest of this group to do the same and go down to Gatlinburg. I'm sad to be leaving this group so soon. I was hoping we'd be together through the Smokies. That's the trail though. I guess I'm going to have to stick with Quick Change as a trail name because Jolly won't be around to throw any more suggestions at me. Tonight he actually had people calling me Baby Rhino because I made a racket last night getting my sleeping pad into the bag. No way am I letting him get away with naming me Baby Rhino. It gets chilly when the sun goes down, especially with the wind, but the weather has been incredible. I don't know if I can do another day in a black long sleeve shirt. I'm excited for Clingmans tomorrow!
Date: 2013-04-10
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Indian Gap
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: clear sky

It was a hard day. Lots and lots of climbing. And hot too. Someone left their snack bars on the picnic table. We thought they were St. Croix's so I took them because he'd already left and I knew I'd catch him. Everyone else was kind of taking their time because they were only doing 7 miles, so I took off. When I caught up to St. Croix and Blue they said the bars weren't either of theirs. Jolly caught up to us before long. A while later so did Mike (Bucket List). When we stopped at the first shelter Mike said the bars were either Tie Dye's or Captain Dan's. Oops! We left them with Mike while we went on. Jolly decided to go to the third shelter with us instead of stopping at the second. It felt like forever climbing up to Clingmans. We had some amazing views along the way. We could see a big fire over by Fontana. We guessed it was a controlled burn. It was making an incredible amount of smoke but was a long ways off. At one point, a nagging pain in my shoe turned into a dagger sharp pain. I couldn't walk. I stopped and took off my shoes. Earlier I had taped up one of my toes that was just starting to blister. Unfortunately that made the toe next to it blister and pop. Even after band-aid/duct tape therapy, which has always worked before, I was still limping. Clingmans was amazing to finally get to. Unfortunately the wind had brought the smoke so we couldn't see on one side. It had turned into a haze. We had a great view on the way up and could still see out the other side. The maps of the mountains they had were really cool. They trace the Appalachian Trail so you can look out and pick out which mountains you just came over. The way down was brutal. The feet really took a pounding. Jolly had a brilliant idea. We could go to Newfound Gap and go into Gatlinburg for the night. That would make it an 18 mile day but staying in town would be worth it. He offered to pay for the hotel and dinner for the four of us. The trail was a river and there was still a bit of ice. We got to Indian Gap and the guys were tired. They didn't feel they could do the 1.7 miles to Newfound Gap. Jolly started calling around to see about a shuttle and Blue went to the road and put out his thumb. I sat down and waited to move on because I knew there was no way we were getting a ride so we might as well just suck it up and start walking. Two cars pulled into the parking lot. Blue and his golden thumb had gotten us the 3rd and 4th car that drove by. It was Peace and Love, an older couple we met the day before on the trail. They've section hiked the whole trail but two days in Maine. They gave us a ride into Gatlinburg and droped us off right outside the Grand Prix. We got a room and went for dinner at a steakhouse. The food was incredible, and Jolly was so nice to pay for it.
Date: 2013-04-11
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 0.0

We were up at 8 even though we didn't get to bed until 2. Getting used to trail time I guess. Jolly, St. Croix, and I had a coupon for AYCE breakfast. It was awesome. So much fruit to choose from. I miss fruit. There was a good variety. We ran a few errands in town and as we were coming back ran into Mike. They had hiked Clingmans that morning. Apparently out was about 30 degrees and foggy when they woke up. It snowed sideways for a while. Such a huge difference from Gatlinburg which is 80 and sunny. They'd gotten a taxi from Clingmans and give to the Grand Prix but they were full. They ended up at the place next door. He took us to their room and it was amazing. Condo style with a huge jacuzzi tub. When Jolly saw it he said, "Yeah, we're moving!" I told him I couldn't afford the place so he said he'd pay for it and I could give him what I would have paid at the Grand Prix. The problem was we'd missed check out by 2 hours. Jolly went in and talked to the guy. Told him we'd changed our minds and were going back to the trail today. The guy was nice and wasn't going to charge us for another night. We went up to the room and quickly packed our stuff but Blue wasn't there. We kept calling his phone but got no answer. He had one of the two keys so we couldn't check out without him. Eventually he called back and said he'd gone to the Aquarium. We told him the plan and packed his stuff. We went and checked in at the other place. It was amazing. Blue came back and joined us. It was nice to hang out. It had a washer/dryer too so we got to do laundry. I originally wasn't going to zero but the pull of town is strong. That just means I have to do 18 miles tomorrow and 16 the day after. We chilled and later I went to the store with Mike, Capt. Dan, Tie Dye, and Tom. Had to take a couple trolleys to get there and it took forever. Three other hikers whose names I can't remember went also. We waited forever for the trolley back. The whole trip took almost 3 hours. They really wanted to go to a steakhouse for dinner but the rest of us were jonesing for pizza. Jolly, St. Croix, Blue, and I stopped at one of the stores on the way. Jolly bought some hot sauce and St. Croix bought a jar of pickled eggs. Hilarious. The pizza was good but I couldn't each much because I'd gotten too many snacks from the store.As we were about to leave it started to downpour. The sidewalks and road turned into a river. I'd warned them to bring their rain coats before we left. Jolly hadn't so we shared mine. It worked out because my flip flops are super slippery on wet surfaces and I was sliding and falling all over the place on the way home. I'm so ready for bed. Lack of sleep last night is catching up to me.
Date: 2013-04-12
From: Indian Gap

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Yesterday outside of NOC we saw some hikers getting out of a car looking like they'd just gotten a ride in. Jolly decided to go talk to him and scored us a ride for this morning. This guy Griztrax is a local who just helps people out. What luck. He came and got us at 9 and we were on our way. Right after he dropped us off Jolly split the seam of his pants. We all laughed like heartless people.When we got to Newfound Gap I was a little jealous of the tourists that could just drive to that spot to see the views and we had to walk here. The Smokies continued to be tough. We stopped for some food and Blue wasn't feeling well so he opted to stay and hang out while we went on. We had some incredible views today. At one point Jolly had the brilliant idea to yell off the cliff and we had a lot of fun with the echoes.The day was fairly clear but right as we got to Charlie's Bunion (a highly recommended view) we were in the middle of a big cloud. We got to the shelter later than expected at 5:30. It was .5 off the trail so I wasn't going to go down and hang out. Jolly tried to convince me that it was too far to go for the day but I had to do it. My feet were hurting. I think I bruised the ball of my right foot. I got out my head lamp because the next shelter was another 5.2 miles I figured I'd be there about 8. I said my goodbyes and headed out. I hiked as fast as I could but I was tired. There were 3 mountains to climb. I was shocked to see the shelter sign at 7:20! Dang. The shelter was full so I had to climb into the woods and find a flat spot to tent. There wasn't much light left so I didn't cook anything. Just snacked for dinner. Met Greer and Old Man. They helped me find a place to camp. I'm setting my alarm for 7:30. Hoping to be out of camp by 8:30. 16 miles is a decent day tomorrow and mum thinks she'll be there by late afternoon.
Date: 2013-04-13
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Davenport Gap
Miles today: 15.7

My alarm didn't go off. So I didn't get up till after 8. It was really nice that this shelter has a privy. I've gotten so tired of the "toilet area". My tent was super wet on the inside from the condensation. I gotta find a way to fix this. This tent is too small. My head and feet touch the top and bottom and suck in the condensation. It was a lonely day of hiking after being with such a good group. I listened to my music all day. Early on I passed a couple girls taking a break. They told me we were at the site of the wreckage. I had no idea what they were talking about. They explained that a plane had crashed on the other side of the ridge in the 70s and had apparently hit hard enough to send pieces of the wreckage over to this side. They also said a ridge runner had caught a couple kids trying to sneak out a few pieces of it. He'd confiscated it but it hadn't been put back yet.There was a side trail to a cool fire tower, I heard it was shaped like an octagon. I passed because the trail was .6 one way. It was nice to go downhill for a good part of the day but it was like walking in a creek bed. The rocks were brutal on my tender feet. I stopped to let a train of horses by. They were so beautiful. I adore horses and wanted to pet them but they were on their way. I'd love to come back to the Smokies to do some trail riding. I reached the gap by about 3:30. Some ladies, the Summit Sweeties, were there doing trail magic. They only had sodas left but anything and everything is appreciated. Their names were Flamingo, Firefly and Free Bird. I called mum and she was only a few minutes out. It was awesome that we were within a half hour of each other. It was so good to see her. She gave me a late Easter basket. I'd felt a little twinge of jealousy when my sister posted that she'd had one mailed to her. BUt I wasn't forgotten. It's so cute that she still does that. The car ride was nice and we caught up. She'd brought me some water but it was hard to drink because it smelled like mildew. She said it was right out of the tap at home. I guess I'm getting spoiled on mountain water. We went for Mexican food for dinner and it was really good. I was still dying to see the movie "Host" so we got to Erwin and got settled in at the Super 8. Saw Alpha Dog. He said Sara was sick (now named Oatmeal). Met Morning Star, Peanut, and Airborne. K-Fox was there as well. We hopped over to Johnsonville to see the movie. Mom thought it was just okay but I loved it. Got back to the hotel late and did a bit of planning for the next few days. Took a shower and am so ready for bed.
Date: 2013-04-14
From: Erwin, TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 20.6

We got up fairly early so mum could get on the road. Had a big breakfast at the Super 8. Saw Donnie. We heard that this crazy sickness everyone is getting made CNN. They think it's the Norovirus. Either way it's super contagious. Almost everyone is getting it.Mum and I headed over to Uncle Johnny's. I left my pack there and we got directions out to Iron Mountain Gap. It was a nice drive out there. I've missed mum. She thinks we should start a hostel, and I think it's a good idea. Mum had lectured me about my pack weight and about carrying too much food but when we got to the gap she kept trying to give me more to take. Ah the struggles of being a mother. I got hiking by 8:45. Stopped at the first shelter and talked to Detour (renamed McJetpack) and another couple whose names I didn't catch. Unaka mountain wasn't as bad as it looked on the map. It was easier I think going south. There was an awesome pine/fir forest on top. Shaded, cool, and amazing smelling. So different than the rest of the trail. Passed many hikers today. Usually thru hikers are friendly and will stop for a few words but everyone just passed me by today. I think they thought I was a day hiker. I was trying to push at first to see how fast I could do the miles but later I decided to kick back and take my time. Up on a bald, fires could be seen burning not too far away. I was thinking it was a controlled burn but it was a very windy day and a fire like that could easily get out of hand. I scared a deer off the trail and stood there for a while watching it lazily walk away.The rest of the day was uneventful. The rocks on the way down hurt my sore feet. We crossed the same river 6 or 7 times on footbridges. Walked for at least a mile along the river before I reached Uncle Johnny's. When I crossed the railroad tracks I could hear a train coming. I stood there as it came around the corner. Cool to be so close. I recorded it going by and it took almost 4 minutes. It's incredible to think how much weight it's pulling. I'm staying at the hostel for the night. Met Trucker and he convinced me to split a pizza. Really had to twist my arm too. Because it's not like pizza is my favorite food or anything. Later that night Great Legs and Hammer came in. They'd done the same slack pack I had but started much later. Hammer stayed with Miss Janet I think. Another kid, Guard, came in but I think he came from the south. I'm glad I got 20 miles done today. And glad I get to sleep in a bed...even if it doesn't have linens.
Date: 2013-04-15
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: Spring
Miles today: 8.1

Some guys were up late drinking by the fire and were knocking to get in at sometime past 11. The door wasn't locked...they just had to push it open. I ended up having to get up and let them in. They were then in and out late into the night doing laundry. Trucker got up around 1 and was sick. Poor guy. The guy in the bunk next to me got up not long after 6 am to pack his things. It wasn't a great night's sleep. Called Emily to wish her a happy birthday. Wish I could be there to celebrate with her. Miss Janet was supposed to pick us (Great Legs and I) up at 9 but she had to go get a couple of sicks people off the mountain. She picked us up around 11:30. Met Cub, Twigs, and Gravy (a Mainer) before we left. We stopped by Miss Janet's house. It's a fun place to be. Great Legs started a short shorts trend (how do you think he got his name?) and Miss Janet found a bunch more for all the other guys to wear. A couple of them were supposed to go to Iron Mountain Gap with us but they decided to stay. Great Legs and I headed out. We were hiking by 12:45. Had lunch in a great apple orchard. It was warm today. There's some kind of jumping bug in the grass on the side of the trail. There's hundreds of them and they all jump as you walk by. It wounds like Pop Rocks. Great Legs was feeling unmotivated and his legs were sore. Our late start didn't exactly have me feeling motivated either. We stopped at a shelter and met Minnesota Pete and Short Cut - another guy from the UK. Hung out there for about an hour and decided to press on.The next mountain was a real butt-kicker, probably because of the mental state we were in. On the way down we ran into K-Fox, Sooty, Pearl, and Hoops. We decided to camp here too. We'd originally planned on camping a few more miles down so I hadn't gotten water and didn't have enough to cook with. Dry good for dinner I guess. Great Legs called his family and gave us the news. Apparently 3 bombs went off during the Boston Marathon. 3 dead, many lost limbs, and many more injured. How incredibly sad. It's so weird that stuff still happens in the real world. I feel so disconnected from it all out here.
Date: 2013-04-17
From: Doll Flats - NC/TN Border

To: Walnut Mountain Road
Miles today: 13.4

I have a love/hate relationship with this Wal-Mart sleeping bag. I've been so wonderfully toasty at night. But the gosh darned thing weighs 5-6 pounds. Ouch. It started raining in the night. Woke me up around 5 because of the intensity and I couldn't fall back to sleep. It was the first time I wished I had ear plugs. Snoring that's been likened to a chainsaw? Yeah, I can sleep through that. Rain? I do hate the rain. A few people were up and out early. Mom and I had to rearrange our rendezvous point and I knew it wouldn't take me that long so I stayed a while. I was hoping we'd get there at the same time like we'd gotten so lucky at Davenport Gap. Everything was packed inside my tent by 9 but right as I was ready to get out another wave came through. The rain pounded down and the thunder and lightning was intense. I've always loved thunderstorms but it's totally different when the only thing separating you from the wrath of Mother Nature is two pieces of material and some metal poles. It settled down by 10:30 and I packed up my very wet tent. It sprinkled on and off and eventually quit. The day was fairly uneventful. Early on I saw a bright orange salamander. He was kind enough to stop right in the middle of the trail and sit still while I took his picture. I didn't have as much water as I thought and ran out early in the day. Despite crossing 20+ water sources I couldn't get water for the rest of the day. The rivers were brown and very polluted with trash and the smaller sources had a lot of sand/leaves/pieces. Aqua Mira is great except on days like today. I need to get a filter. The trail as a whole was pretty polluted today. Lots of trash. I don't know what's going on with my legs but the climbing is still harder than usual. Harder than it should be considering I've been out here 6 weeks. Got to the meeting point a bit early and waited about an hour for mum. She's worth the wait. Google directions took us through hillbilly city. Down a road that looked like a long driveway. It was very very sketchy, and everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at us as we drove by. Despite that when we waved everyone smiled and waved back. We drove to Banner Elk and stayed at the Best Western. It was AWESOME. Literally the fluffiest bed I've ever slept in. And they had conditioner! Which I've been needing because my hair is in bad shape... We went and had a good dinner. I was so glad to finally get a big salad. I even changed into real people clothes. My jeans are getting loose! Yay! AND I had real pajamas to sleep in. I'm getting so spoiled. Mum did my laundry while I played catch up on my journal. How did I get so far behind?