morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-10
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Tray Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: light rain

Stayed in the shelter @ Low Gap last night. Temp in shelter @ dawn = 38. Left camp @ 8:00 am. Made it to Blue Mtn Shelter (48.3) for lunch @ 11:15. Stopped for lunch. First 4 miles of the trail ran along an old forest road. It went over mountains in gentle switchbacks and we made great time. The temperature actually got into the 60's (63) once the sun came out. After lunch it was a 1,000 foot descent and then 1,000 feet back up the other side in a 1.5 mile climb. Usual Suspect, Mignon, and I hiked together again today. We hiked after lunch with Rebel and Jonathan as well, they caught up to us when we stopped for lunch.The orginal plan was to stay at the cheese factory but as we climbed up the mountain, Suspect suggested we push on to the top of Tray Mtn. (4,430') where there is a shelter. There was still rain in the forecast and we hoped to secure a spot in the shelter. It sprinkled for about 3 minutes on the way to the summit. We had hoped for a spot in the shelter to make for a quicker getaway in the morning and in case it rained but it was full when we got there. So we set up our tents. The wind was not too bad and the temp is above freezing. Rebel, Jonathan, and Boognish had gone ahead to set up camp @ the Cheese Factory where we had planned on staying. We had decided to push to the summit by the time we got to the Cheese Factory so we blew through. We found Chris and April already set up on the summit. They had snuck past us during lunch. About an hour later Rebel showed up. He had packed up camp and followed us up the mountain. The hikers in the shelter are a group that formed from slower thru-hikers that started on 4/2/07 three days before us. Some of the hikers we met were Leatherneck, Cimmeron, - 85 yrs old on his 3rd thru hike - Scrypto, Toodles, Bum Bum, and Gretchen. So far at 9:00 pm it is still in the high 40's outside.Sent from the AT
Date: 2007-04-11
From: Tray Mtn Shelter

To: Dick's Gap - Cloud9
Miles today: 10.6

Rained during the night. Temp around 38 degrees. Hit the trail @ 7:45. Windy, dense fog. Visibility around 60 - 80' max. Tough day after the 15.1 yesterday. Temp never got much above 40 degrees. The wind was strong as we crossed over the summits. Arrived @ Dick's Creek Gap around 1:15 and got a ride in ride 5 minutes.Sent from the AT
Date: 2007-04-12
From: Dick's Gap - Cloud9

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

Muskrat Creek Shelter - Elevation - 4,600 ft.Left Cloud9 @ 9:30 am, temp 51 degrees when we hit the trail. Reached camp @ 5:00. High temp of the day was 63 degrees and very windy on the summits. Welcome to North Carolina @ 2:30 after that the trail was vertical climbs. No switch backs in the first few miles only PVUDS - Pointless VERTICAL Ups and Downs. Here at the shelter with August, Ginger Snap, Orange Moon, Droillard, Wolfhound, Rain Check, BackTracker and 2 others in tents. Decided to stay in the shelter for a quick getaway in the morning.Rebel, Jonathan, Boognish, and the whole crew from Tray Mountain zeroed out back at Cloud9 today.
Date: 2007-04-13
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Betty Creek Gap 
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: few clouds

Started @ 8:15 - it was 37 degrees. The weather was good even though it was cold. The climb to start out with was pretty tough for me going up to Standing Indian. After that we made a 5 mile descent which was very fast. I left Standing Indian around 12:40 after we stopped for about an hour for lunch and got to Carter Gap Shelter around 2:20 - 6.1 miles. We filled up on water and took about a 1 hour break, signed the shelter log and then hiked on to Betty's Creek Gap - another 3.7 miles.We left Carter Gap around 3:40 and arrrived at Betty's Creek Gap at 5:15. Camped here with BackTracker and Rain Check. We had some light showers during the day. The forecast is for 40% chance of showers after mid-night and thunder storms during the day tomorrow. We are going to head into Franklin, NC for tomorrow night since there are severe weather warnings posted.
Date: 2007-04-14
From: Betty Creek Gap 

To: Rock Gap 
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: broken clouds

Start 7:50 am - 41 degrees.Walked out ahead of the rain which did not develop overnight. We got over Mount Albert which has a severe weather bypass trail and then had a very long descent down into Rock Gap and hitched a ride into Franklin. We are staying at Ron Haven's Sapphire Inn. Ron is a great host and shuttles hikers all over town and back and forth to trail with an old school bus.We have not crossed the 100 mile mark on the trail. Weather forecast is for severe weather tonight and 60% chance of rain tomorrow with probable clearing later in the day. We are going to head out on the 9:00 am shuttle.What I have not mentioned is the flowers and wildlife we have seen. In the first days we saw violets and trilliums in bloom on the trail. They suffered with the below freezing temperatures and snow but now they are making a comeback along with bluets. Wildlife has been somewhat scarce with the cold, but I have seen Rofus Sided Towhees and and small blue/gray birds that come into camp at night. Maybe some kind of Junko?
Date: 2007-04-15
From: Rock Gap 

To: Siler Bald Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: light rain

Start @ 9:47 am temp 41 degreesRon Haven dropped us off back @ Rock Gap. We climbed up and we climbed up, over, and down to Wallace Gap and then Winding Stair Gap. We then did the 1,000 ft climb up to the Siler Bald Shelter trail. We walked into the clouds as we crossed above 4,000 feet. As we crossed over the ridge to the shelter the wind began to rage again. The wind just never stops. When we got to the shelter it began to snow so we decided to stay there. There was one hiker there named Lee who had spent the previous night there as well. We were later joined by The Michigan Wolverine, Hong Kong Fuey!, and G-Force. The snow was blowing horizontally and the wind was blowing around 25 to 30 mph. Gusts were forecast to be as high as 60 mph for the night. Hong Kong Fuey! decided to make a fire even though all the wood was wet from 24 hours of rain and now snow. I donated a small cube fire starter and he worked hard for about an hour but got a great fire started. Once we were believers we came out of our sleeping bags and the shelter and helped gather wood to feed the beast.We packed 7 into the lean-to and we stayed pretty warm. I stretched my tent fly over me to keep the blowing snow off my bag. During the night a huge branch fell on the lean-to roof.The temperature stayed right around 28 degree but was just above freezing at the back wall of the shelter since my water did not freeze.
Date: 2007-04-16
From: Siler Bald Shelter

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Start @ 8:23 temp in the low 30's. 1+ inches of snow on the trail and gusting winds. We back tracked 1/2 mile to get on the white blazes where we cutoff for the shelter. The climb to the summit of Siler Bald was steep. There were coyote tracks on the trail ahead of us.The trail builders seem to have missed the concept of switchbacks in this part of NC. The climb up Wayah Bald was even harder as the trail went straight up the grade and was very eroded.I was over dressed because we started out so cold but it was hard to shed layers because of the high winds. The wind was blowing steady at 20+ mph with gusts much higher. We counted 10 full trees blown down that we needed to navigate through with dozens of other branches on the trail.I arrived at Cold Spring Shelter @ 2:50 PM. High temp today was around 55 degrees. It will be a cold night again tonight.
Date: 2007-04-17
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: NOC 
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

We started out around 8:30 with the temperature around freezing. Temperature is hard to judge since it is warmer inside the shelter and the temperature gauge picks up body heat once we start walking. Today was pretty difficult and the mileage has taken its toll because we have not taken a day off since the start. I know from biking the Alpes for 8 days that my heart rate crept up each day, since I never fully recovered from each day's excercise. You are not fully recovered until you return to your resting heart rate.Our plan is to not zero until Hot Springs, NC on the other side of the Smokies 9 days from now. I am hoping that keeping the miles down to 12 +- miles a day will be enough to carry me through.We had our best views today from an observation tower on Wesser Bald. We could see Clingman's Dome, snow covered, in the Smokies. We are staying @ Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) tonight in one of their bunk houses where the trail crosses the road. We arrived here around 2:30 and ate dinner @ a restaurant. I picked up a mail drop box of food as did Suspect. We picked out what we needed and combined the rest into a "bounce box" which we mailed to ourselves @ Standing Bear Farm. I also picked up trail snacks for the next 2 days at the very expensive store.Tomorrow will be a steep climb out of here. We read in the paper that the winds last Sunday were the highest recorded since Hurricane Ivan.I have developed a large blister on the outside of my left heel. I soaked it in hot water and salt. This is my first blister and the last 5 miles really hurt.
Date: 2007-04-18
From: NOC 

To: Locust Cove Gap 
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Started @ 8:45 temp in the low 40's. We started the day with an 8.1 mile 3,322 foot climb. High temps in the low 70's. Very humid, hot climb. The trail was in pretty good condition with long gentle switch backs in most parts. However they could not avoid giving us some climbs up 30% grades and some ankle twisting rock fields to traverse. The forecast called for scattered showers and dark clouds formed in the afternoon but the rain held off. We debated going on to Stecoah Gap but we did not want to get caught hiking in the rain. We got to Locust Cove Gap around 3:15 and decided to set camp here. The rain finally came in around 6:30. We were joined by G-Force, and Yellow Jacket and Fred. Sir Privy Winks came in around 5:30, collected some water from the spring and moved on. We have not seen Big Daddy and I-Pod since the NOC this morning so they must have gone on as well. We were all @ the NOC last night.
Date: 2007-04-19
From: Locust Cove Gap 

To: Yellow Creek Gap
Miles today: 10.7

Got on the trail @ 7:55, temp around mid 40's. The trail down to Stecoah Gap was good and the climb out started off gently but soon turned into a beast of a climb.Suspect had his trail legs today and soon disappeared out ahead. We had expected to find him @ Stecoah Gap but another hiker said he had zoomed right through. We looked for him again @ Brown Fork Gap Shelter but no sign of him and no journal entry. The privy here had one wall with every other board missing and the shelter was in pretty rough shape.We caught and passed Raincheck and Backtracker and they said Suspect had passed them 2 hours before.I check my voice mail from a summit and had a message from my brother Mac who was in the area for a few days on business and had time to meet. We arranged to meet @ Yellow Creek Gap @ 2:00 pm just miles from the shelter. The plan was to light pack the last 7 or so miles into Fontana. Mac got caught in traffic so he arrived about an hour later. G-Force had come by so we asked him to send Suspect back out from the shelter. Mac came with some trail magic in the form of cold beer and snacks. We waited over an hour for Suspect then Mac and I decided to hike into the shelter and find him. Suspect signed the shelter log at 1:15 saying he was headed on to Fontana. At this point it looked like rain and it was getting too late to make the 7.4 miles before dark so we decided to drive around and find Suspect and pack across the next day. We got to the Fontana Hilton Shelter around 5:15 and about 15 minutes after Susupect. We picked him up and got dinner at the village bistro. Tomorrow Suspect will zero while we finish our miles into Fontana.
Date: 2007-04-20
From: Yellow Creek Gap

To: Fontana Hilton Shelter
Miles today: 7.4
Weather: few clouds

Trip Miles - 162.6Mignon and I light packed today over to Fontana with my brother Bruce dropping us off and picking us up. We did not get started util 12:15 by the time we went to the Post Office and did some errands. We were finished by 3:15. It was a pretty significant climb from Cable Gap Shelter. We spent the night at the HikerInn and resupplied in town for the Smokies tomorrow.
Date: 2007-04-21
From: Fontana Hilton Shelter

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Started out @ 8:45 - my brother dropped us off. The trail was much easier then anticipated with much gentler grades than expected. I got to Mollie's Ridge Shelter (where we had planned to spend the night) arouund 2:40. I was almost out of water so I filled my Camelbak. When everyone arrived, we decided to move on to Russell Field Shelter where we arrived 4:50. We are here with Jake, Brady, Fred & Yellowjacket, Two Weeks and 3 days, and Paul. I had filled my Platypus folding water bottle when it tipped over on its side and brushed a rock and sprung a leak. I have tried patching it with duct tape. It was a sunny day with a high temp of 64 but the climbs were very hot.
Date: 2007-04-22
From: Russell Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: clear sky

Start @ 8:10 temp 47 degrees. The trail was not as smooth and level as yesterday once we passed Spence Field. We saw a deer about 1 mile from the start and 2 more came into camp tonight. The few noticable down hills were steep and rocky and hard on the knees. Yesterday when I was getting water at Mollie's Ridge I lost my footing climbing back up and bent up the toe I had surgery on with my full body weight. It is pretty sore today and the rocky decents are really bothering it.I went through 6 liters of water today. I carry 3 at a time (6 lbs) and had run dry by lunch. I just made camp tonight on the second batch.High temps today were 75 degrees with little breeze on the climbs in direct sun. There was some breeze on the ridges. We got to camp around 6:00 pm which made for a long day. We had stopped @ Derrick Knob Shelter for water and lunch from 12:55 until 1:15.Here at the shelter are G-Force, Glen, Old Timer, Jake, Brady, 1 Pint, Blaze, Hoshaiah, Suspect and Mignon.The only hikers to pass us so far (Ipod, Big Daddy, Michigan Wolveine, Hong Kong Fuey) are one shelter ahead. G-Force went ahead as well.
Date: 2007-04-23
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: scattered clouds

I felt like taking "a day the park" hike today and to hike at my own pace. I hung around the shelter and talked to "Old Timer" until 8:15. It was in the low 40's starting out and the sun had not come up over the mountain. After I started to climb, I stopped to change into my T-shirt as the sun came up over the mountain.The climb up to Clingman's Dome was pretty easy but the trail was much rougher after the summer. The shelter log said there were 250 blowdowns between Clingman's Dome summit ans New Found Gap. There were a lot but probably only 150 and they all had been cut up except 2. We took about a 1 hour break @ New Found Gap and then began the 1.7 mile 900 foot climb over the mountain to the next shelter 3 miles away. Here at the shelter are Blaze, Hoshaiah, Hubcap (sobo), Sir Privy Winks, Hardcore (Sea to Summit Trail), Big Foot, Mignon, Suspect and 3 overnight hikers from Connecticut who stayed up late drinking and making noise.
Date: 2007-04-24
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: light rain

Hit the trail @ 9:05. It had rained early in the morning and we slept in some to see what the weather was going to do. It was in the high 40's and low 50's all day but it never rained. It was cloudy with fog raising up from the valleys. We went out to Charlie's Bunion to take some pictures.This is probably the most scenic part of the park so far. The trail runs along the state line between Tennesse and North Carolina. For a couple of miles the trail ran along a ridge that dropped off 100's feet on either side and at times the trail was only 5 feet wide. It felt as though I was patroling on top of the border wall. It made me think of how the Great Wall of China took advantage of the natural geography. The trail was in great shape but some of the downhills were loaded with loose rocks. Around 11:00 I twisted my left knee coming down a hill and had to stop. I had not taken Ibuprofen in the morning so I took 3 and ate a snickers bar. After a little while I hobbled along until I got to an up hill. The knee seemed better so I cinched up the knee brace and kept going. Everything was fine until about 3/4 of a mile before the shelter when the knee went out again. We had talked about doing a 20 today but thankfully everyone was settled in when I got to the shelter. Suspect had some Bengay and Sir Privy gave me his Icy Hot. If the knee is not better tomorrow I may zero here. It is 18.1 miles to Standing Bear Farm which will be a long.In the shelter tonight are Mignon (buttercup), Suspect, Sir Privy Winks, 2 weeks & 3 days, Big Foot, Hardcore, Copperhead, and Jake & Brady who rolled in after dark.
Date: 2007-04-25
From: Tri-Corner Knob

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: overcast clouds

Start: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter -219.2End: Standing Bear Farm - 237.3We have been without cell service and have not been to town for several days so my journal entries are behind.The trail was great today. We hit the trail around 7:50 am for our first big miles day out of the park and into Standing Bear. The knee was sore but there were very few really steep or rock littered downhills. My brother Mac met us at the top of Mount Cammerer for the 5 mile 3,505 foot decent into Davenport Gap which is the northern boundry of the park. As we decended past 3,500 feet the air became hot and humid and there were leaves on the trees. Suspect recorded temps in the low 90's as we reached the river.Standing Bear Farm is a rustic and unique hostel made up of a collection of old farm buildings including the worst out house I have ever been in. But it did have hot showers and soft beds. Suspect's Mom, Molly, met us here with Brats & Beer which was a REAL treat. My brother plans to hike with us a few weeks and we took advantage of his truck for resupply in nearby Newport, TN.Mignon discovered that she had left her clothing bag at the last shelter and we are hoping someone has carried it forward. Mac drove her back around to the road crossing at Davenport Gap and they hiked into the nearest shelter and spoke with Two Weeks & 3 Days who told them that Copperhead had it but would probably arrive late. Mac slept in the bunk in his truck at the gap that night and hiked in at dawn and was back at Standing Bear with the missing bag by 8:00 am.
Date: 2007-04-26
From: Standing Bear Farm

To: Max Patch Campsite
Miles today: 14.1

We got a late start @ 9:45 and we were joined by Suspect's Mom, Molly, for part of the climb out of the gap. The forecast called for 100% chance of rain with possible high winds and hail in the mountains. At 11:15 it began to rain. Suspect was ahead but Mignon, Mac, & I stopped to put rain covers on our packs. After starting back on trail we soon discovered Suspect's tent on the side of the trail. He felt we would get caught in bad weather on the summit so he wanted to wait out the storm.We decided to push on and made it over the summit before it started to rain hard. We got into Ground Hog Shelter (.2 miles down a side trail) for lunch and considered spending the night. The shelter was dark and depressing and began to fill with hikers that were partying a lot. We waited for Suspect for about an hour and a half then decided to push on around 3:00 pm and take our chances with the weather.We just kept hiking and it kept raining but never very hard. By 6:00 pm Mignon began to look for a place to camp because she wanted to try and dry her hair before dark. I kept urging us on towards Max Patch in hopes of finding some shelter there. As we approached Max Patch the skies cleared and the sun came out so we went over the summit. It was about 7:00 pm and it was spectacular! There were dark storm clouds on the horizon with patchs of bright sky and the bright sun shine on the mountain. Max Patch is a large bald with a grassy summit and there is a small camp on the shoulder of the northbound side. We decided to camp there and catch the sunrise in the morning. We had barely setup before dark and the winds were blowing hard. By 10:00 pm it was raining again. Suspect never made it in and camped just short of Max Patch that night.
Date: 2007-04-27
From: Max Patch Campsite - 251.4

To: Hot Springs, NC - 270.7
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: light rain

Start: Max Patch Camp - 251.4End: Hot Springs, NC - 270.7Day Miles: 19.3We woke to a heavy mist and wet tents. No chance to see the sunrise. We packed quickly and we were on the trail by 7:55 am. We had a long day planned with hopes of hiking to Hot Springs for a planned, well deserved, and much needed zero day and to rendezvous with Mignon's family who were coming for a visit. Mignon was hoping to get a ride from her family at a road crossing but could not get a cell signal. Mac's phone got a signal but Mignon got no answer so we kept on walking. We stopped at Walnut Mountain Shelter for lunch where Suspect and Privy Winks caught up to us. By the time we got to the last road crossing it was 3:50 and Mignon could still not get a hold of her family. It was 3.4 miles to the next shelter and another 3.2 into town for total of 6.6 miles. Mignon thought we could walk 2 miles north on the forest road to route 209 and hitch into Hot Springs and I wanted to push on into town. Suspect and Privy Winks had gone ahead with plans to stay at the next shelter and head into town in the morning. We pushed on and I arrived at the shelter in an hour and 15 minutes. The trail was some of the easiest hiking we have had. I waited about 1/2 hour for Buttercup and Mac but then began to think they may have contacted her family and backtracked to get a ride. So I left a note and covered the next 3.2 miles into town in just over an hour and in time for the spaghetti dinner which Takoma Ted, a complete stranger to me at the time, jumped up to pay for. Suspect and Privy were in town as well along with almost 100 other hikers since the town was holding Trailfest this weekend. The only place left to stay was the campground which charged $10 per person and packed us in 5 or 6 to a tent site making way more than their usual rate. They wanted to charge Mignon $5 just to sit and wait for her family. This was the only dark spot of the Hot Springs experience. There were showers but no hot water and the campground was not hiker friendly. Ironically I was placed on the same campsite with Brad and Rebecca, the couple I met on Springer and that I camped with the first few days on the trail but I had not seen since the Smokies. Sven and Uff-da are on the same site as well. And when Mac arrived they placed him on this site as well.