morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-20
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Clingman's Dome
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

My, oh my, it was 17 degrees when we woke up, making it very difficult to get out of my warm sleeping bag. We quickly packed up knowing that moving would keep us warm. Inch, 1Foot, Slow n Steady and I hiked out of the shelter together in a parade of frozen bodies and equipment. As we hiked the now familiar path, because we had just hiked it a few days before going the other way, we made our way quickly just to keep from freezing solid. After a while the sun began to warm our path and we began peeling off our layers. As we began the accent to Clingman's Dome the highest point in TN, NC and the A.T. the sun was bright and melting all of the ice that had frozen on the trees. We were pelted with the ice falling off of the trees. Clingman's Dome was a vision with bright blue sky, and white, snowy trees on the summit. We popped out of the woods to find the blacktop path to the tower. Unlike a few days ago when we were socked in with fog and the only ones there, now we were surrounded by tourists enjoying the beautiful, but cold day. I had peeled off my clothes down to a single short sleeved shirt and shorts, while the wind picked up at the summit. We noticed we walked with a little bit of hiker trash swagger as the tourist pointed and whispered probably about how bad we smelled. Several of them asked many questions of us, how far we came, how far we were going, where we were from, why in the world were we hiking that far. They ooed and ahhed about our answers, and even asked if we were on trail journals. We finally were able to see the beautiful views from the tower. It was a good day to be on the A.T.
Date: 2013-04-21
From: Newfound Gap

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

Yesterday, we took at shuttle to Gatlinburg back to my car at Sugarland Visitor's Center, then to a room in Gatlinburg. We went to the Hard Rock Caf© for a nice dinner.We packed up early and drove back to Newfound Gap and locked up the car there and hiked northbound! Yea! 1Foot and I quickly made it to Charlies Bunion on a glorious sunny day. We took a look at the rock formation, but I didn't want to hike too far off of the trail. We hiked on ridgelines the entire day. I felt like I was a tightrope walker in training. At first, there were scary drop offs on one side of the hill with a narrow pathway in which to walk, I just hugged the side of the mountain and prayed. Then a bit farther, the side of the mountain that I had grown accustomed to vanished so there were both sides of the path with a long, steep drop off. I gingerly made each step count, not looking at where my body could go if I made the wrong step. At one 30 foot section of the path was a narrow path through a rock slide that I didn't even look down until after I had passed it. WOW, I'm glad I didn't look before, because I probably would still be there, not wanting to cross. We made it thankfully to Pecks Corner Shelter.
Date: 2013-04-22
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

Tuesday morning we hiked out, 1Foot, Slow n steady and I. We hiked into lush forest and the trail was magical. The weather makes such a difference in the hike! It was beautiful out and the trail we enjoyed beautiful views. By the afternoon the tread of the trail became very rocky with fist sized rocks littering the trail. At the end of the long day, descending down to the shelter, I felt a fierce pain on my lower right shin. I would take a few steps then when the pain was too bad, I would stop and rub my shin and be able to walk a few more steps. I couldn't believe what had happened. We got into the shelter and rested. When I took off my boot, my ankle was swollen and a knot had formed next to my lower shin. That was weird. Had I received a bite from something?
Date: 2013-04-23
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: I-40 underpass
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: clear sky

Shin felt fine the next morning, so we walked on out of GSMNP. Yesterday and today we were loosing elevation and the terrain was definitely changing. From just days ago, we were closed in with jagged, rocky mountaintops in every direction. Now the landscape was opening up with just rolling hills farther away. The tread was more dry, more arid wind and we were getting out of the Smokies. As we descended we noticed many more wildflowers and it was definitely getting warmer. As we hiked, my shin began acting up again, with each step the pain was worse. We deposited our Park Permit into the northern park boundary and kept hiking until we got to the I-40 underpass where I could no longer walk. I found a grassy spot and began rubbing my shin and the pain wouldn't go away. After about an hour and several tries we were able to hitch hike to Hot Springs NC. Thank you, young man with the rebuilt SAAB! We arrived at the Laughing Heart Hostel our home for the next several days.
Date: 2013-04-24
From: Laughing Heart Hostel

To: Laughing Heart Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I scored a shuttle with Wild Bill to take me to Newfound Gap the next day to retrieve my car. I drove to Ashville to have my shin looked at. Blue Ridge Bone and Joint was nice enough to work me in and the PA told me I could have a stress fracture, an infection, or some type of a bug bite that would cause the now massive swelling of my lower right leg. The only way to tell is to get an MRI. The course of treatment is so different for each of these maladies, I decided to get the "not so cheap" option of an MRI. As luck would have it, I was getting the last MRI of the evening, beginning at 8pm. By 9 I was on my way back to the hostel waiting results of the MRI the next day.The weather was changing from nice to rainy the next several days so we stayed at the hostel, resting the leg, visiting with the hikers moving in and out and catching up with the hikers we had met along the way. Phoenix, Uke, and many others passed us by.Chuck Norris and Tigger managed the hostel and we enjoyed their company. Sometimes our mothering instinct took over and we were straightening up, cleaning, directing hikers to and fro. It was a nice change of pace. But I was itching to be back on the trail. One day we drove to Max Patch for a picnic lunch that was very nice. I thought I was resting my ankle but each day it would swell by evening.The doctor received the results of the MRI and confirmed it was NOT a stress fracture. That was good news and we made plans to be on the trail the next day.
Date: 2013-04-29
From: Laughing Heart Hostel

To: Lemon Gap
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: light rain

Chuck Norris took us up the mountain where the trail crosses to get to Max Patch. We started there and it was a lovely hike up to Max Patch. It was a glorious day and I took tons of pictures. Max Patch was everything I thought it would be. The tread was soft and the miles were easy, until... about mid day my shin began to ache. Beginning with a mild ache with each step progressed to an excruciating pain with each step. By the time we got to Lemon Gap 6.4 miles later where the AT crossed a gravel road, I knew I could not go on. The pain was too much to keep going. I took several Advil and 1Foot and I began to assess the options. There was NO traffic on the gravel road we had come to. It was labeled FS1182. I knew it wasn't the longer road we took when we drove to Max Patch the other day, but I knew it was the road lesser traveled that we turned on to get to Max Patch. We didn't know how far it was uphill to get to FS1181 to try to find a hitch or a town. All we knew is that it was a long way down. We began walking downhill to try to find someone that could help. Our phones had no cell service and we were in a pickle. We walked for about FIVE more miles trying to find someone. My leg was really done when we got to Lemon Gap now five excruciating miles later both feet began to ache. Since I was so heavily favoring one bad shin, the other foot developed a sharp stinging pain greater than the other foot. I was in tears by the time a car with 3 folks showed up. God answers prayer with a girl driver, her father, her future husband and their dog. At first, the father was unwilling to let us have a ride, I guess when I limped up to meet them practically in tears, he decided to take us in. We learned they were from Ashville on a joy ride. Thankfully they delivered us back to the Laughing Heart Hostel.That evening was spent accessing our options.
Date: 2013-01-25
To: Pre-AT
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Alex: Its official! I booked my flight for March 7th. I will be going to SC to visit my best friend Michelle and spend a few days with her before meeting with my mom at the hiker hostel on the 12th. I have almost all the gear I need however being from Az I'm having a hard time finding winter gloves that I like. REI and Cabelas both have shipped their gloves, scarfs, and beanies to the colder states. Who would have thought? It is still January and the forecast shows rain and cold weather these next few days. These are the struggles I face with living in a warm dry state. I guess it could be worst (I could actually be living in these colder states).I'm planning on backpacking Skull Mesa this weekend with my sister and her boyfriend but again it might rain. For me, this is a good chance to test out my waterproof gear and see how well I can stand the rain. I love the rain when I'm driving or in my backyard with hot chocolate but it may be a different story when I'm walking day after day in it. We'll have to see and continue this story later.
Date: 2013-02-23
To: Pre-AT
Miles today: 0.0

Cindi: Only 18 more days before Alex and I take our first step to an awesome opportunity. March 13 seems to be taking it's time coming around, but it is a good thing, as we have so much to prepare prior to our departure. For me, I almost feel like a doomsday prepper because of storing up on many months of dog food, cat supplies, horse supplies, animal medications/vitamins and preparing the desert tortoise's pens to be more self-sufficient than ever before.   Thanks to Jon, my husband, who will be the main caretaker of my two "senior" horses, two dogs, four cats, and two "rescue" desert tortoises. I will be leaving him a ten page manual loaded with information, phone numbers, schedules and general instructions. I can hear you all now thinking to yourself; "sure that book will never be opened" and yep...you are probably right. Last night, I asked Alex what two things is she going to miss the most (barring the obvious which is family and friends) and she replied her cat Taylor and probably her bed. I on the other hand, am going to miss my favorite show Duck Dynasty and my Sonic toothbrush. I have nothing else to report at this time, other than I am enjoying so much the journals of those that have already started the trail. Also, thank you to those that have provided words of encouragement and we are looking forward to meeting many of you on the trail. Right now...I am happy, happy, happy!
Date: 2013-03-12
To: Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Alex: First We met up with my Mom in Dahlonega at an Irish pub. Afterwards we went to Silly Sobo friends house so he could go through my Mom's bag and help us shed more unnecessary weight. He cut out a ton of weight and advised that we did not have enough food to last us the 3-4 day hike. He also told us to ditch the water filter pump and start using drops. We were a little reluctant but took his word and bought some purifying drops. The water tasted great so the Hiker Pro is going home. We took a trip to Walmart to get more food and then to the Hiker Hostel. Stayed in a great room and had a great breakfast the next day before we started hiking. Great to start meeting hikers at breakfast.
Date: 2013-03-13
From: Springer Mountain

To: Hawk Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.1
Weather: scattered clouds

My Mom and I woke up at 7am so we could shower. We both bundled up then went downstairs for breakfast that the hostel provided. It was great meeting the other hikers that we have met through trailjournals. There was a total of 18 starting from the shelter. Silly Sobo came by at 8am to pick us up so him and his roommates could hike the stretch from Springer Mountain to Neels Gap with us. It took a while to get up to Springer, so my mom and I made a request to stop at Rite Aid for their bathrooms. We sat on those toilets for a few minutes contemplating if we should leave these warm toilets. After gathering enough courage we left. We got to Springer by 10:30, hiked to Springer took a few pictures and headed back down to the parking lot. There is one mile we had to hike that does not count as part of the trail. We gathered everything we would need for the next six months then realized my hiking stick was broken. I clipped it to my bag and was forced to only use one. The trail was fairly easy, not what we were expecting. It was great having Seth and Alex/Caboose/Silly Sobo walk with us. They informed us about different plants, trees and history as they are both majoring in Wildlife Biology. I did have one episode where my stomach was hurting because I needed to use the restroom (really?? So soon?). Everywhere I looked there was water near by. I was quickly irritated with all the water even though in AZ we never see this much water and it was really cool the first hour. Around 3:30, we arrived into camp. Alex (Silly Sobo) took me down and showed me how to treat my water. It tasted delicious!! We cooked dinner and sat around the campfire until 7pm. As of now, it's freezing outside for us Phoenix girls so we're in our sleeping bags learning strategies on keeping warm. Alex
Date: 2013-03-21
From: Plumorchard Gap Shelter

To: Standing Indian Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 9: So last night at Plumorchard Shelter there were Duct Tape (college student), Luck One (Iraqi veteran), Spocoli, Salad Days, Risk It, Mac N Cheese, Rooster (now is called Human because Rooster is already on the trail somewhere), Chris (ex-Ranger) and us. It got so cold last night, we woke to that white stuff. The Plumorachred Shelter was really cool as it had three levels and there was a bunch all crowded on the third floor. We talked for several hours all nestled in our sleeping bags. Then we woke to 20 degrees with white stuff covering the ground. It was so difficult getting going. Alex and I were on the trail by 9:00am. We like to get a 30 minute head start as the other hikers are faster than us.So guess what happen today? We made it to the North Carolina/Georgia border by noon and we missed the sign! There is a famous tree that everyone takes a picture of it but we missed the dang sign! It was a very cold day with wind but it managed to be sunny on certain sides of the mountains. After NC, there was a serious straight uphill welcoming us into NC. Just before Muskrat Shelter, Alex kind of saved me. She noticed that I was running out of energy so she made us stop by a stream to refuel on water and to have a quick snack. It was all that I needed to get us to Muskrat Shelter where we saw Cinnamon. Remember, he was one of our Blood Mountain night hikers. We heard that it may get to 0 degrees this night so we stayed just below Standing Gap Shelter in which the elevation was only 4527. So we prepared by three of us girls; Alex, Risk It and me slept in our two person tent. We managed to keep warm enough and fortunately, it did not get that cold.Since we left Georgia, we just want to give a shout out to the Georgia AT maintenance crew. Along the trail, we probably met up with several groups of young adults and thru-hikers that maintained the trail. They have done a great job keeping the trail at its best. We met Blaze who was on one of the crews who thru-hiked in 2003. The reason why he was named Blaze was because he carried a clicker and tallied all the white blazes on the trail. In 2003, he counted 80,901 white blazes (white blazes are found on trees every so often to tell you that you are on the AT). Salsa
Date: 2013-03-24
From: Franklin, NC

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 12: My mom and I decided to take our second zero day. The weather forecast for the next few days is cold, rain and snow. We figure we should veg out and then try getting to the NOC in two days. Unfortunately, we are parting with Human, Riscuit, and Salad Days. I was sad to see them get on the bus but they will try reaching the NOC in 2.5 days so hopefully we'll meet back up with them then. I enjoy hanging out with them even though we don't hike alone because they are way faster than us but when we get into camp they are great to listen and talk to. They are constantly cracking jokes. Best wishes for them tonight in this cold. As I'm sitting here writing this blog, I'm listening to 3 people talking about the weather tomorrow. They say it's going to be one of the coldest days possibly down to 5 degrees in the mountains and that's without windchill. It's more about survival at that temperature instead of backpacking. Looks like my mom and I will be having a group meeting. Our plan is to take zero days on these colder days. We want to prevent injuries the best we can and being from Az people say our blood is much thinner allowing us to become colder than other people from the colder states. If we decide to hike, bring it on! If not, I'll continue the challenge to raise my BMI for extra insulation. Twix
Date: 2013-03-25
From: Franklin, NC

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 13:We are taking another zero day. Salsa purchased a coat to help keep her warm especially at night. The weather forecast still shows cold and snow today and tomorrow.We've spoken with several hikers that have come down from the mountain saying roads to the trail heads are closed and the trails are slippery and has 18" of snow. One cool thing about this motel is the owner of the Budget Inn and Sapphire Inn, Ron Haven. shuttles hikers around town and takes us where ever we need to go. He tells us past hiker story, history of the town and jokes. It's a wonderful service. He's so supportive and wants us to succeed in our dream of reaching Katadin. So we spend most of our day inside our motel room it's making us a little crazy since the past week we've been outside. We can't wait to start hiking again. I will say though I'm enjoying warm toilets, running water (not having to treat our water), not having to bear hang our food, and a garbage can. Some of these small things in life I have really come to appreciate. Twix
Date: 2013-04-06
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derricks Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 25: (D2 in Smokies) We went from Mollies Shelter to Derricks Knob. The first 6 miles was fairly easy, a few ups and downs. We stopped at a shelter around noon to eat. The afternoon made it our second toughest day on the trail. The lowest in elevation was 4,120 and the highest was 5,527. The trail would go straight up then straight back down. As we were going up we enjoyed the scenery consisting of several mountain we could see for miles and we could see the Fontana dam! It looked more like a miniature model town with some water. As we were coming down we enjoyed staring at the ground making sure our feet made it over each root and rock. One thing that we do to get our mind off the hills is cook. Yes, cooking in my head. Yesterday I imagined myself back at home in Az when its warm enough to wear a tank top. I cooked my sister a confetti birthday cake (even though her birthday isn't until August), vegetable lasagna, and a bowl of cereal (because it was a short hill). I also think about purchasing a home, research projects on AT thru hikers, and sadly enough job interviews when I get back home. The afternoon went by extremely slow. We looked at the map and it showed two miles left along with two more climbs. I began lunging uphill to get there faster but would have to stop as I was out of breath. I would then repeat my lunges digging my poles in the dirt until it was several trees later. It took us a total of 4.5 hours to complete the last 6 miles. It was 4.5 hours of step ups with a 25-30 lbs pack on. We finally got to the shelter and my feet were screaming at me. Mom went to get water while I set up the tent. I then jumped in it to take off my sweaty clothes and put on some dry ones. We then ate dinner, a Mountain House Spaghetti with meat sauce and mash potatoes. For anyone who is reading this and wants to buy a stove for backpacking we recommend the Jet Boil or a pocket rocket. Our Alcohol stove takes about 30 minutes to boil water and a Jet Boil and pocket rocket takes about 5 minutes. We are so hungry when we get into camp and for how long it takes us to make our dinner can be frustrating. The Jet Boil is the number 1 stove on the trail. Well back to our night, after eating we brushed our teeth and saw two deer walking about 30 feet from our shelter. We then jump into bed by 7pm. The weather has been so wonderful. No ice or snow on the trail yet. It's still too cold for us to stay up and chat so we typically cuddle up in our bags and listen to music. We're hoping to get a book soon .Twix
Date: 2013-04-09
From: Ice Water Spring Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 28: (D5 in Smokies) Woke up to unusual warm temperatures. We were in and out of sleeping bags all night. It was beautiful with the sun coming up over the mountains perfectly and letting the sun into the shelters. The shelters in the Smokies are pretty neat because they all sleep at least 12 and they all have fireplaces in them along with a tarp in the front in order to keep out the wind. As I lay on the sleeping bag and most of the night, I kept feeling something on my face. I just kept brushing it off. After talking to Enoch who slept in the lower bunk (Alex and I always sleep on the top bunk in the middle with our feet near the wall) said he had the same thing. He had bites all over him and I just had a few. We concluded it was fleas probably from the mice. Ugh! Bites and an occassional rash - never knowing where it comes from but eventually, it goes away. So we start out this beautiful day leaving Ice Water Spring Shelter. Almost immediately, we find ourselves slipping and sliding down the north side of the hill covered in ice. Alex immediately goes down although it did look like a nice slide into second base even though she didn't pop up. She then decided to sit on her but and slide all the way down from the mountain. So far our total falls are; Salsa - 2 and Twix - 1. We then came across the most beautiful view of Charlie Bunion. The hike has been amazing being very high and seeing amazing views. The Smokies after Clingman's Dome is the best. There are now more spruce and pine trees and the smell is amazing. You hear all sorts of birds particulary in the morning. There are a lot of LGB (little gray birds). I think they may be called black eyed chickadees. They are always following you in pairs. The trail at times has a running creek where you wind back over it several times stepping on rocks to go through it. After we got to the Tri-Corner Knob Shelter, we heard all about the falls everyone took. We made the right decision yellow blaze that five mile section. We met up with Candy Pants, Enoch, Wooden Spoon, Sgteady State, Hangman, Black Beard, Morning Kid, Shaman, Guru, Bamboo, Twigs and Dyno DNA. Hi Twig's Dad - I heard you enjoy reading trail journals. I also enjoyed talking to your son.This shelter is very snug because there are hardly any tent sites. There are about six high school students with their two chaperones all from Ann Arbor, MI. I just heard that Michigan lost last night. Well tomorrow, we plan to hike 14.8 miles to Davenport Shelter and then four more miles to a shower! Salsa