morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-03-25
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

I did my journal early because we quit so early, but I have more to say about yesterday. Last night a couple came in late and they were from Australia; their trail names were Short Step and Grufalo ¢ we all thought that was pretty neat! While I am talking about hikers that are from overseas I will mention some others I have meet and hiked with; on the second day we meet Jonas who is from Germany but never saw him again - Wrong Way who is from England, who got his trail name from hiking the wrong way - Herman the German who has an awesome beard...I will let you guess where he is from - there is another hiker tenting at the shelter here tonight but I did not catch his name or where he is from. Back to today, last night is rained off and on but we never got the bad storms they were calling for in town. We got up at 7am and it was around 39 degrees so we were a little slow to get out of our sleeping bags. It was a little cramped in the small shelter once we all got up and moving around and eating our breakfast but we managed. We were all packed and on the trail by 930am and headed up to the top of Siler Bald. On top of the mountain laid a big open field that is called a bald (?) and the wind was really blowing up there. Every now and then a big gust of wind would blow us off the trail because our big packs would act like a ship sail. Once we got down in the valley the wind died down and we all had to cut some layers because we were getting too hot. We crossed a paved road called Wayah Road and started up the biggest climb of the day up Wayah Bald. From the road to the top of the mountain we would gain 1100 feet in elevation but the trail was nice and easy with only a few steep sections. Once on top of Wayah Bald there was an old stone viewing tower built by the CCC and the views were spectacular. We could see all the other mountains that we climbed the last few day and we could also see Clingman¢s, which is the tallest point on the AT. We should be there by next week. From the top of Wayah Bald the rest of the day was easy going, the trail just strolled in and around, up and over some small hills until we had to climb up to Cold Spring Shelter. At the shelter we meet up again with Turtle and Hair, Slim and once again Guss! The shelter was empty so we took it over and filled it up with five on the floor and Chef and Turtle in their hammocks at the front of the door. Well it is once again it is in the low 40s and the wind is howling so my thumbs are getting numb...time to get in the sleeping bag.
Date: 2012-03-26
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Andrews, NC
Miles today: 11.7

Last night the wind was blowing once again and this shelter did not have a roof overhang so our heads were all but out from under the roof. We woke up at around 7am and were on the trail by 9am. Today we had a few small ups and down and then a really long downhill stretch to the Nantahalla Outdoor Center (NOC). We once again passed Guss at a campsite up the trail from us and talked a bit and moved on, I am sure we will meet again. We stopped at Wesser Bald Shelter for lunch and took our boots and socks off to dry before the big downhill to the NOC. After relaxing for an hour, we got back on the trail at 1:30pm and started what we thought was the descend. We thought we were at the top but had a few more little hills to do before we got to the top and then we finally started down the 3500 foot descend. The trail went out to the very tip of the mountain where the trail had about one foot on each side then it went straight down. That part of the trail is known as the Jump Off because it goes down so steep and we had to basically slide on our butts rock to rock for the first 1/4 mile. After that it smoothed out and was easy going all the rest of the way but our knees were shaking from the constant downhill. We finally arrived at the A. Rufus Morgan Shelter which meant we only had one more mile to go until we got to the NOC and day was done. We were planning on staying at the bunk house at the NOC but a friend of J-Dubs was there to meet him and offered to take us to a place where they had a cabin that we would spend the night in. Scott and Ann (J-Dubs friends) packed us in their Subaru along will our packs and drove us 15 minutes to the town of Andrews North Carolina where they lived. We moved all our gear into the cabin that was on an island with a creek flowing by on either side. It was an older building but one of the coolest little quaint places I have seen. They had a dog named Corey and a resident dog named Sadie that loved having us for the night. Once we all had our showers, we headed into town to the local pizza place to fill the empty void in our stomachs. J-Dub, Chef, Ann and I each had a calzone, Big Sky had a sub and Scott had a pizza. As a hiker I thought I could down the calzone no problem so I also got a salad but the calzone was so big I could only eat 3/4 of it (I finished the rest of it later that night). Next we headed to the grocery store in town to get some supplies after that we went back to Scott and Ann¢s place and hit the sack by 11pm. Tomorrow we have to climb back up into the mountains so we are planning to take it nice and slow and think we are only doing 8 or 10 miles but we will see how we feel.
Date: 2012-03-27
From: Andrews, NC

To: Sassafrass Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: clear sky

Today we left Scott and Ann¢s place at 9:30am and ate breakfast at Hardees! Scott drove us all back to the NOC and we said our goodbyes at around 11 am. *Thanks again Scott and Ann, you are wonderful people and will never be forgotten. We still had to do our laundry at the NOC and by the time we got there, the line for the washer and dryer was really long so we had to wait until around noon to wash our clothes. While we were waiting, we walked around, watch the kayakers and rafters go down the Nantahila River and just hung out and chatted with all the others hikers. ((Note: my parents white water rafted on the Nantahila River a few years ago!) By the time our wash was done, it was 1:30pm, we knew we had a short day so we weren¢t in a rush plus, the NOC was an awesome place to hang out at. We ate a late lunch at the restaurant by the river; I got a pork barbeque sandwich with tater tots, to which I would later regret. We finally got back on the trail by 3:20pm and started up the huge 3000 plus foot climb back up into the mountains. By then, the sun was starting to go down so it was not as hot as it was earlier in the day but after resupplying with food and a gallon of water, my now 46 pound pack made it a very grueling climb. About a mile up the trail, that delicious pork sandwich I ate at the NOC was not siting me too well; eating that just before we started was a mistake. The whole way up my stomach was not happy at all; luckily I was able to keep everything down!   I told the group to go on ahead of me and that I would meet them at the camp site because I had to go real slow due to the climb, heat, my pack and my unhappy stomach. I took my time and took lots of little breaks but I kept catching up to them because they had to take longer breaks too. At one point I found a nice shady spot and took a little ten minute nap. That really helped cool me down. At around 5pm I got to the base of a tall mountain that was shaded from the sun so that was a relief! I could then pick up my pace a little more.I once again caught up with the group at a spring half way up and we all filled our bottles and set off together to finish the day, by then I was starting to feel better and it was cool enough so I could keep up with their faster pace. We just kept climbing and climbing, every time we would get to the top of a mountain there would be yet another one. We got to a really steep section called The Jump Up and it kicked our butts!! We decided to take a long break at the top of that climb and figured out where we were going to spend the night. We decided to stay at a camp site at the top of the mountain and when we got there only three people were there. We all decided to push on another 1.1 miles down...yes finally downhill to the next shelter. We got to the shelter at 7:40pm and claimed our spots in the shelter; this one had two levels and could fit 14 people. We were all really exhausted so once we ate and hung up our food bags, we all passed out at around 9pm.
Date: 2012-03-28
From: Sassafrass Gap Shelter 

To: Cable Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night we all stayed in the shelter because we got in so late and we were too pooped to set up our tents. The shelter was a nice one; it had two levels, a roof out over the front and benches with tables. Everyone started to wake around 7:15am and when one person wakes up everyone does! The noise control in the shelters is not too good. We were ready to go by 8:45am which was a new record time for us. It is so much faster to get ready and pack up in the morning when we stay in a shelter because we do not have to pack up our tents. We did not actually leave the shelter until 9:15 though because we were talking to Slingshot and his wife...I can¢t remember your name - sorry Slingshot's wife.Right off the bat we had to climb up Cheoah Bald. It was steep and the further up we went the steeper it got...it sort of reminded me of Mount Crumpit where the Grinch lives. The top was bald so we had some good views but because we are getting close to the Smokey¢s it was very hazy. While we were taking a break up on the bald, Tortoise and Hare caught up to us and we started down the mountain together. For the next few miles the trail went up and down a few hard climbs until we dropped down to Stecoah Gap. Beside the road were two picnic tables so we ate our second lunch there and relaxed for a little. Chef had to go to town to resupply so Big Sky, J-Dub and I pressed on and we all agreed to meet up at the next shelter. From the road we had to climb up a very steep mountain; that section of the trail is called Jacob's Ladder because going up there are a lot of light switch backs and it somewhat resembles a ladder going up and down the mountain. Once at the top the trail leveled out a bit then went right back down in the same fashion. At the bottom was the Brown Fork Shelter, we decided to stop in there and give our shaky knees a break. At the shelter we saw Spirit and Swinging Jane (they both are older ladies who thru hiked in the past), we talked with them for a while and got some great advice from them...thanks to you both! From the shelter, the trail flattened out and we made good time to the next camp site. We were starting to get tired after hiking 12 miles but we decided to do another 3 to the next shelter. We arrived at the Cable Gap Shelter at 7:15pm and found that the shelter was full so we had to set up our tents for the first time in four nights. There were a good many tents here already so we picked the flattest spots we could and started to set up. About ten minutes later Chef showed up and he found two trees for his hammock and set up as well. We were all tired after hiking 15 miles so we ate our supper and went to bed.Tomorrow we only have six or so miles to do because we are going to zero it at the Fontana Hilton shelter because the next day we start into the Smokey¢s. We want to be well rested before we head into the 6,000 foot elevation mountains. I can¢t believe we are all but in the Smokey Mountains already!!!
Date: 2012-03-29
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Village
Miles today: 5.2

Today we only had 5.2 miles to hike to Fontana Village. We arrived at the road crossing at 11:45 and got a shuttle into the resort. We booked a room and then went right to the store for soda and ice cream...oh how I have missed ice cream. There were a lot of other hikers there so we hung out on the front porch of the store with some of them. We went back to the hotel and ate at the restaurant at the hotel, since it was the only open place to eat. The Bistro turned out to be a very fancy and expensive restaurant. We didn't quite fit in but we had nowhere else to go. I got a steak sandwich and a side salad but it did not even come close to filling me up. We were all still hungry so we went back to the room and filled up on our hiker food.Once we were full, we went back down to the store to do our laundry and once again there was a line. We had to wait 20 minutes or so to do ours and once again we just hung out with a bunch of other hikers and talked hiker stuff.Today was a slow day so this is a short entry...sorry everyone! However, tomorrow we start into the Smokeys so I should have more to talk about tomorrow!
Date: 2012-03-30
From: Fontana Village

To: Birch Spring Gap
Miles today: 7.0

Today once we were all packed up we went to the convenience store to stuff our faces with food then took the shuttle back to the trail. We arrived after hiking only 1 mile on the trail, at the Fontana Hilton Shelter. The shelter could hold 24 people, had a restroom with running water, one shower and a great view of the lake. We continued down the road to the dam and crossed over into the Smokies and the trail went straight up. We slowly made our way up the first hill and once we got to the top, we heard thunder off to the west. It only took 45 minutes for the rain to come and before we knew it we were in the middle of a bad thunderstorm. The wind was blowing and the rain was dumping buckets on us, with lightning and thunder so we got to the next watering hole and hunkered down until the storm passed by. Once the worst part passed by we continued on. Up and over the mountain we went but it continued to rain for another hour. The trail turned into a swampy muddy mess; there were sections with ankle deep mud and parts were very slippery. We were all soaked to the bone and a tad bit cranky but we pushed on and ran into Roadside and Cow Tail. We all decided to stay at the campsite a mile up the trail instead of doing another five miles in the rain. The rain stopped just long enough once we got there to set up our tents and change into dry cloths. Roadside's bivy was leaking so Big Sky let him use her tent and she stayed the night in mine so we just played card games and Uno on my phone until it got dark out.So we finaly made it to the Smokey Mountains and we were welcomed with a raging thunder storm and wet gear. Tomorrow will be a fun day...all my gear is wet so I will start out with cold, wet cloths and wet boots. But all in all I am still hiking the AT and it still was a wonderfull day.
Date: 2012-03-31
From: Birch Spring Gap

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: light rain

It rained off and on all night but when we woke up at 7:30 it was just foggy. Chef decided to hike on today to do more miles to catch up with some other hikers so he left at 8 and Big Sky, J-Dub and I hit the trail by 9:30. For the first three miles it was foggy, which was cool looking through the trees. The sun finally started poking out and cleared away the fog by noon and we finally started to dry out. We ran into a ridge runner (a persone who hikes back and forth through the more popular areas of the trail to keep the shelters clean, help hikers if in need and to make sure everyone is doing what they are should to be doing) and he told us that there was only five spots left at the shelter we were planning to stay at. Big Sky and I did not want to sleep in a damp tent again tonight so we pushed on and left J-Dub behind because he was going to tent and did not need to hurry there.We were about a mile away from the shelter and once again we could hear thunder off to the west so we picked up our pace. we arrived at the shelter at 4:15 and there were only three spots left so we moved into the shelter for the night; it never really did rain so we set up our tents and all our gear to dry. We met all new hikers at this shelter (all but Spirt and Swinging Jane) so we talked to them until it was dark. J-Dub, Roadside and Cow Tail never showed up so I guess they got the thunderstorm and decided to stay at another shelter. I guess we will meet up in Gatlinburg on our next zero day.
Date: 2012-04-01
From: Spence Field Shelter

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

Last night the shelter filled up with day hikers so it stayed fairly warm and luckily no one was snoring too loudly but I was woken up by a deer snorting....I think...I may have been dreaming though! We were up at 7 am and on the trail by 8:30, heading up Rocky Top Mountain. Once we got on top of Rocky Top, I recited the song Rocking Top because that's what it was wrote about. We got there by 9 am and the views were spectacular. ((note from Diesel¢s sister ¢ I will upload pictures soon of this ¢ be sure to check back!!!))After I got chased off Rocky Top, due to my horrible singing, we climbed up Thunder Head Mountain and from there it dropped downhill for a few miles. We arrived at the next shelter at 12:30 and ate lunch, took our boots off and rested for a half hour or so. While we were there, Swinging Jane and Sprit arrived and they were really worn out so they stayed there for the night.The trail got easier from there so we made some good time the rest of the way to the next shelter. The trail was muddy in the low spots and I almost slipped and fell into a big muddy mess but my hiking pole saved me...so far no falls...watch now I will fall tomorrow. We arrived at Silers Bald Shelter at 3:45pm just as the thunder started rolling in so we decided to take that last available spots inside the shelter and call it a day. Once again the shelter filled up day hikers and we hit the sack by 8:30pm.
Date: 2012-04-02
From: Silers Bald Shelter

To: Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: light rain

Today we woke up to a very thick fog and strong gusts of wind. We were up at 7am and on the trail by 8:15am and we headed off into the fog. We blew through the first 1.7 miles to the next shelter mostly because the shelter last night did not have a privy and I needed a privy in a bad way today. We ran into Steamer, Dakota Dan and another hiker...I can't remember his name and we all started up the 1500 foot climb up to Clingmans Dome together. The climb was nice and easy but the further we went, the thicker the fog got. Towards the top, all the hard wood trees disappeared and it turned into pine forest. The ground was covered with moss, ferns and lichen and it got dark cool and damp...I felt like a one of the Hobbits from the Lord of the Rings. We finally got to the top and it was still really foggy so there wasn¢t a view from the tower...all we saw was fog, fog and more fog. Clingmans Dome is the tallest point on the trail so I guess it¢s all downhill from here...not really. We started down from the top and the trail got really tough. The rocks were wet, the steps so big we had to jump down and the trail was really muddy. After going downhill for an hour, the trail headed right back up above 6000 feet¢¦just go down again...I hate PUDS!!! We finally got to the next shelter to eat lunch and we were exhausted but we only had 4.5 miles to go until Newfound Gap and we could then go to Gatlinburg for a night off the trail.After what seemed like ten miles (but it was only 4.5!) we finally arrived at Newfound Gap and it was packed with cars and people. I all but forgot how to cross roads by this time but I made it safely across to the parking lot. We ran into Greens, Steamer and Dakota Dan at the parking lot and we all started looking for a ride into town. A car pulled up and asked if we needed a ride and said he could fit two hikers. Big Sky and I took his offer and before we knew it we were flying down the road to Gatlinburg TN. We got dropped off at the Grand Prix Motel and got the last room...thanks Kevin for the ride to town!! Right after we got there, Greens showed up so we split the room between the three of us.Big Sky and I went to town for supper and decided to eat at Bennetts Pit Bar-B-Que and boy, was that a good choice! I got the Texan Sampler and it had chicken, pulled pork, sausage, ribs, steak, French fries and slaw; I ate every bite and could have eaten more. After that we just walked around town and ran into Wolfe, we had not seen him since Hiawassee NC two weeks ago. He took a zero day yesterday and will be back on the trail tomorrow so we will be seeing him more often. We also ran into Tortise and Hare, who we had not seen since Fontana Lake and they also are hiking tomorrow so we¢re having a little hiker reunion here in Gatlinburg! Tomorrow we will eat breakfast and once again be on our way heading north.((note again from Diesel's sister -- I will be uploading some more pictures tonight or tomorrow!!))
Date: 2012-04-03
From: Gatlinburg, TN

To: Pecks Corner Shelter 
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: broken clouds

This morning we went back to Bennets BBQ for the all you can eat breakfast buffet and I downed three full plates. Tortoise, Hare, Big Sky, Grand Bob and I got a ride back up to the trail from a couple from Florida, Beth and Bernie, they come up to Gatlinburg once a year for a week. They drive up to Newfound Gap to do trail magic for a few days...thanks B & B. We started up the trail at around 12:30 after drinking a cold soda and after about a mile in we could hear thunder in the distance. The weather showed rain and thunderstorms thru the weekend...great. We got to Charlie¢s Bunion which is a big rock outcropping on top of a mountain. The views were great but we could see that the thunderstorms were coming in quick so we did not stay long. By that point the storms were to the east, west and south of us and blue sky above us but we knew we would not be that lucky all day and we had another 7 miles to go. The storm to the east of us closed in around us but past by ahead of us so we missed that one. The further up the trail we went the muddier the trail got. It was slicker from the storm that passed by earlier and for a few miles we saw tons of hail on the ground to the point that it looked like it snowed. The trail all day followed the ridge tops and at many spots was only six feet wide with straight drop offs on either sides. We had some great views but thoes views were short lived because there was a still lot of thunder and lightning. It finally started to drizzle on us and we could hear that another storm was right on our heels so we pressed on as fast as we could. We had one last big climb before we got to the shelter we were going to spend the night. The storm caught us just as we were reaching the top. The clouds dropped down and it was like we were inside the storm but it never really did anything but rain a little so we got pretty lucky. We got to the turnoff to the shelter to find that it was a half mile off the trail so we grumpily made our way to the shelter and once we got there the sun started coming out. We ate our supper and stuffed ourselves into the shelter (this shelter is made to sleep 12 people but there are 17 people in it tonight so it is tight). Oh and right now I have one guy to my left snoring very loudly and another on my right doing the same so tonight will be a bad night of sleep I think...i can¢t wait until I get out of these Smokey Mountains so I can tent again.