morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-05-04
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Newfound Gap
Miles today: 57.2

So AT&T coverage Thur the Smokies well we¢re all adults here... sucks... I haven¢t had a signal since going into Fontana Dam. Hike is going better starting to get a system down Nd work out all my ¢issues¢. Biggest problem I have is my right shoulder, but will fix that once I¢m thru the Smokies and can get rid of some stuff. Until the. I just have to suck it up. Had an interestin night at the Fontana Dam Shelter. Couple of folks got drunk in town came back and woke the whole camp up. Must have been 30 people in total. Surprised they lived through the night. I wish they were locals but unfortunately the were hikers. 99% of the folks hiking are good people, and you can form bonds very quickly with folks you really don¢t know well, but it¢s a community. That said there is always that 1% out there in every community.unfortunatey these chuckleheads are about a day behind me. I¢m currently hiking through the Smokies. It¢s about 70 miles, and about 1/2 way through as of today. Crossed the 200 mike mark T 10:00 this morning at Clingman¢s Tower - the highest point on the AT at 6,643 feet. Heck of a walk up since we started at 1756 feet at Fontana Dam. The Smokies are ok, but really if you¢re going to see the Smokies come in a car and hike the trails . You get some view from the AT, but the better view is from below looking up. From the AT you mostly get a view of whet the inside of a cloud looks like.Today ( Sat) we came in to Gatlinburg, TN. Oh yeah forgot to mention I made it to another state. Keep bouncing between NC and TN. Only way you can seem to tell is if the shelter has a privy. If it does your in TN. Anyway, I wanted to go into town and everyone said it¢s real easy to get into town from the Newfound Gap. Just ask people in the parking lot for a lift into town. Well 2 of us - Nick (Smokie)and I were the dumb one who believed this. So of course today it starts raining/ storming about an hour before we come of the trail. How many people do you think were willing to give 2 smelly, wet muddy hikers a lift to town? If you guessed 0 you are correct. We started walking the 15 miles to town. Fortunately about a mile or so into our ¢hike¢ some dude stopped and gave use a ride - in the bed of his pickup. It was still raining, but heck we didn¢t care we weren¢t walking!Gatlinburg is a cool place to visit too if your in the area!Back on the trail tomorrow. Hope to be through the Smokies some time on Tuesday, but I¢ll post again once I have a signal. I¢ll upload some pictures from the last few days
Date: 2019-05-05
From: Newfound Gap

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: moderate rain

Today was a challenging day. Left Gatlinburg and started hiking in the rain. Wet weather gear held up great. Walling on the AT ¢creek¢ was difficult. Feet were wet almost instantly, and had to take deliberate steps so I didn¢t fall/ slip. My shoulder is still bothering me too. It was about all I could do to get the 10 miles done today. Should have read the Guide book a little better too. This shelter was 1/2 mile off the trail. Hate wasted miles. Oh the thing about the Smokies. Everyone who camps needs a permit. You have to stop at designated shelters, and can only set up a tent if the shelter is full. Everyone but thru hikers ( people like me) have priority to stay in the shelter which is no big deal, I would rather sleep on a tent than a full shelter. Well unfortunately for me Ranger Rick saw me walk in to the nearly full shelter and said there was one spot left. Great! (Said with heavy sarcasm). So I am sleeping (right) next to ¢Dave¢ who is a heavy snorer. Great guy, but I¢m not getting much sleep tonight.
Date: 2019-05-06
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Davenport Gap
Miles today: 19.8

I¢m calling this a 20 mile day since I had to hike 1/2 mile from the shelter (uphill mind you).As expected I got no sleep last night. I packed up all my stuff and left by 7:00. I sure I didn¢t make alot of friends this morning but oh well. Day started off like the last 3 mornings in the Smokies - foggy. Felt good though. Made it to the next shelter by 10:30. Talked to Trouble for a bit, and met Reckless, Twig, and Wyoming. Aka Larry mo and curly. Great guys out here just doing their thing since April 4th. I¢m noticing that I¢m starting to catch the tail end of the Hiker bubble.I pushed on to the next shelter, another 8 miles. Day started clearing up , got some decent views. Very quiet. Only saw a few day hikers. There was suppose to be a plane crash site on the trail, but I couldn¢t find it. Got to the next shelter and decided to keep going. Would be a long day, but put me pretty much out of the Smokies. So I went for it. The last or first shelter is like a jail. A 3 sided shelter with a chain link fence and a door on the open side. The idea is you and your food/ gear go inside the shelter, and bears stay outside. Basically I¢m in jail. Yeah I don¢t feel too safe. I guess all the shelters were set up like this until campers started feeding bears thru the fence. Yup didn¢t make that up.Off to bed to rest up for tomorrow. My next destination to focus on is Hot Springs, about 30 miles away.
Date: 2019-05-09
From: Davenport Gap

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 35.7

Still having coverage issue, but hostel in Hot Springs has WiFi.Left the last shelter and the smokies on Tuesday. Came into a beautiful stretch of trail with stream crossings and waterfalls. Took a break at Standing Bear Hostel which is really cool. Meet a few hikers from the past, but most of my original crew is still 30+ miles back. Walked a few miles with Monty who has an interesting background racing bikes and making hiking and biking trails. He dusted me pretty quick. Stopped on Snowbird mountain. Nice open bald, with an air traffic control radar tower. Actually took a picture of it when I was in the Smokies, was wondering what that tower was. Talking to the locals on the hill - don¢t go near the tower. Response time for a military drone/ vehicle is 20 minutes if you enter the forbidden zone, or fly a drone.After a big day of hiking I camped on Max Patch summit. Have to say it¢s one of the most beautiful places I¢ve ever been. Can see the mountains for what seems like hundreds of miles. Absolute must see if your in the area. Great sunrise and sunset. Timed that well.Uneventful next day. Difficult and tiring. Stopped at a shelter just before Hot Springs. Will take a light day on Thursday, and if my body feels good will leave out on Friday. Nursing a couple of pains, but after 3 straight days of 15+ miles and some serious elevation changes some pain is expected.
Date: 2019-05-10
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

Thanks all for the comments. I read them all, and they are appreciated..... well except those about my car :). I haven¢t been able to figure out how to respond to questions, so I just try to work things into my next post.Light milage day today, but lots of uphill. Hot Springs was fantastic. Great food, and a relaxing town. Many hikers are staying in town to  avoid the rain this weekend so didn¢t see many hikers today. Stopped at the fire tower to absorb the view. Missed seeing a snake today, been seeing one a day for the past week. I¢m no snakeologist but I¢m sure they were all deadly.Got to Springer early in the afternoon. A woman named Sarah Joans was here taking pictures of the shelter. She is working on a book of the shelters on the Trail. Look for it stores near you this spring.Fairly uneventful day. Have to see what the weather brings tomorrow, but hoping to get 15 miles done and closer to Erwin
Date: 2019-05-14
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 49.7

Not much to report over the last few days. It¢s been raining and cold for 3 days, starting to clear up, but still cold. Been fortunate to be able to stay in shelters during the rain. Finally got my first official 20 mile day, 22.8 and a 20.3 back to back. That was a big accomplishment, but the trails are nice in this part. Well the streams are nice since the trail turns into a stream when it rains this hard. You may have heard of the trail attack this week. Happened in Virginia, about 200 miles ahead. The trail communication is fantastic. We heard about it almost right after it occurred. Very unfortunate. This guy has been a problem on the trail for over 3 weeks. They took him in once, but released him. Everyone on the trail is postitioning for trail days this weekend in Virginia. It¢s a huge event for the AT. The town it¢s in goes from around 5000 people to over 15000. Most people are going to shuttle from Erwin vs continue to hike, go to trail days then shuttle back to Erwin. I¢m not planning to go. Should hit Damascus a day or two after the event ends. I¢m going to get stuck in a hiker bubble somewhere in the next 10 days. My appetite is really kicking in. I went through all my food, and could have eaten more. Looking for an all you can eat place in town!!Not much else to report. Going to resupply and head out in the morning. Trying to keep around 15 miles per day, but there¢s a big climb out of Erwin
Date: 2019-05-18
From: Erwin, TN

To: Roan Mountain, TN
Miles today: 51.0

not a whole lot to report over the last few days. Did two 4,000 foot climbs up Utica and Roan Mountains. Froze when I camped near the top - temps were in the 30¢s, but at least it was dry... except for some light rain yesterday. Some great views from the Balds. Hopefully I can get the pictures uploaded. The trail in very quiet/ empty with many people at Trail Day. The should change tomorrow as hikers return.Still haven¢t replaced my stove yet. One section hiker offered me his the keep, but I declined. It¢s really not bad without a stove, just limits what you eat.Taking the day off today, we¢ll i should say not hiking. Many of you who know me may find this hard to believe, but I got a job doing work for stay at the hostel. I get free stay/ laundry/ shower and I¢m helping the owner plant a garden. Not a bad deal, and it¢s helping me get back on budget. Plus I¢m gardening, doesn¢t get much better than that!The interesting thing about the trail. It¢s really a mini economy. There are people who live on the teail and do this work for stay, or stay for a while to earn some cash and hike to the next town. I¢ve already met 3 people on the trail who live this way - and they do it on more than just the AT. I also weighed in. Lost 13 pounds. I shouldn¢t have weighted in.....Back to hiking tomorrow. Virginia is about 70 miles away, the wild Ponies are about 100 miles. Trail is supposed to be a lot easier till PA, hoping I can start cranking out 20+ mile days consistently soon.Ohh and I think I¢m finally done hiking NC now!!!!
Date: 2019-05-19
From: Roan Mountain, TN

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: scattered clouds

left town at 8:00, and it was already humid. First part of the day was hiking thru the real life Hatfield and McCoy area of the trail. As long as you stay on the trail, and don¢t do anything stupid like sleep In one of the smilies grave yards ( yes apparently hikers do this) you should be fine. This area in TN is apparently where a lot of the trail was built, and the locals didn¢t accept that it wasn¢t their land. Most of the families have either accepted the situation or died off. Needless to say no issues today, and I gave the graveyard a wide bearth.Some nice waterfalls today. Saw a few deer, and a few snakes. I¢m sure the snakes were deadly.Staying at the shelter tonight. The shelter graffiti board has the handy work of Sovergn on it ( guy who attacked the hikers in Virginia). Kinda creepy. Only people I saw today were the slacker - hikers doing the trail without their packs. To each his own. Hoping for a big day tomorrow but I have to go over a mountain. Maybe the trail will be nice and easy
Date: 2019-05-20
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Boots Off Hostel, Hampton,TN
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: broken clouds

Good day for hiking today, water at the shelter was about 1/2 mile away so I decided to wake up early and have breakfast/ fill up at the next stream 2 miles away. That was the plan at least. Next stream was dry, ended up hiking about 4 miles till I found a stream with a flow I could filter. The hike today took me to Laurel Falls, and a pointless climb up 2,000 feet and then right back down 2,000 feet. Apparently when the trail was built there use to be a pond st the top feed by a stream. There¢s no pond, no stream, no view - just a long 3 mile climb up and 3 miles down! Laurel Fall was spectacular. My guide book says the next shelter was closed due to bear activity, and there is a picture of a bear in the area before the next available shelter. While I could just camp someplace in that 8 mile gap I thought it might be smarter to see about staying at a hostel and cover that ground tomorrow. Decided to do the hostel and try this work for stay thing again. They had some work to do at the Boots Off Hostel cutting grass so I stayed. Also used this time to load up on calories. Ate about 3,000 calories between McDonalds, what was in the hiker box, and ice cream. Still not enough, but I¢m stuffed. I have more ice cream to eat in the morning after breakfast and before I hit the trail.Met a bunch of people at the Hostel that I haven¢t seen in a while. It was good catching up with them. I¢m now at mile 428. Virginia is at 470, hoping to be there in 2 to 3 days then I can mail some stuff home and get my pack a little lighter.
Date: 2019-05-21
From: Boots Off Hostel, Hampton,TN

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

had a nice 2,000 calorie breakfast and left the Hostel by 8:00. It is going to be a hot and humid day today. The morning was spent walking around Lake Watauga. Some nice views through the trees during the climb up. The Mountain Laurel is all in bloom. The trail smells sweet with all the flowers. Great combination with the pine forest.Saw about a dozen southbound hikers. Seems like the bears are active from here to Virginia so I¢ll be staying at the shelters tonight and probably tomorrow to minimize any issues. I expect to be in Damascus Thursday morningMeet a guy today that is trying to complete the trail on 65 days. He sold his house, bought an RV, and his girlfriend is following/ supporting him on the trail. He¢s at day 16 and passed me this afternoon. Only thing he carries is a liter of water, water filter, and a few snacks.
Date: 2019-05-23
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Damascus, Virginia
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Finally made it into Virginia. 3 states completed. Virginia portion of the trail is about 500 miles so I¢ll need lots of sub state line targets to hit. For week 6 - get to 500 miles, see the wild ponies in the highlands, and hike 100 miles ( only did 90 last week).Camped last night with the Gary, Principal, in a camp location. Glad he stopped because we are still in bear country. About 11 last night there was some snorting around our camp. It was either a deer or a bear, but it didn¢t touch our food bags or us. Temps are increasing now, and so are the bugs. They are the tiny black nats that bite. They usually go away once it¢s dark, but we have been doing fires at night too. Usually in the tent by dark.Damascus is a neat small town. I¢m staying at the longest continually operating hostel on the trail. It¢s run by the Methodist Church in a house built in the 1800¢s. It¢s had some restoration but no heat or AC so it¢s only open for a few months a year.Did some swap of equipment. Sent about 7 lbs of stuff home, and got new shoes. My feet have been hurting, hoping new shoes with additional support will help.Did a resupply and got food for today. Need to try and eat at least 5000 calories while I¢m in town. Have you every drank 1/2 and 1/2????
Date: 2019-05-27
From: Damascus, Virginia

To: Pat Jennings Visitot Center
Miles today: 63.8

Been a busy  few days. Left Damascus and started heading uphill for a 4 hour trip. Not a lot of sites, just climbing to get to the ¢cruising altitude¢. First day was about 15 miles, uneventful except that there are new bear warming signs posted. I guess they are serious about this since they are putting in bear boxes at the shelters. It¢s not a trivial task to get these boxes to the shelters. They are heavy and big.Second day brought me in to Grayson Highland State Park. This is another park that I would put on a must see list. I know it¢s a holiday weekend, but there were well over 250 people I passed hiking through. There are tons of sites to see - from the mountain top views, the views of the highland plains, wild ponies... a little bit for everyone. The hiking can be challenging, but there are several trails to choose from. You can also do a horse back trip as an option. I also hit the 500 mile mark today.Yesterday was 20 miles. Hiked out of the highlands and on to Marion , Virginia. Camped at Trimpi shelter. Really buggy and crowded. There was a high school group from Cincinnati. All total there were 3 groups with about 50 kids. 8 plus 2 adults were at our site. That was on top of the 10 or so thru-hikers. The school offers a 1 week outdoor hiking for the kids in the club - usually they do a section of the AT since it¢s close. It¢s incredible that the school offers this, but also that the teachers support the program ( the school year is done), and so many kids are interested. Great group of kids, and lots of trail magic.Got some rain during the night, but hiked out he next morning to meet Principal and Santa at the visitor center to head into Marion. Turned out the shuttle wasn¢t running - holiday weekend- but ¢Ox¢ gave us a ride. Getting resupplied, eating, and finally washing my clothes after a week+. I really need to clean these- starting to smell like death. Back on the trail tomorrow. I¢m trying to find what the next major site is to see, other than dragon Roth, or some other mountain that I need to climb!!
Date: 2019-05-29
From: Pat Jennings Visitot Center

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 35.6
Weather: clear sky

Some unexpected trail magic today at the one ro school house. They had all kinds of food, and some resupply. The school house was awesome.I just hiked thru the area where the attack happened. There is a hiker memorial someone made up. Kinda weird walking in he area. I also made it past the 1/4 way mark.Yeah!Today there was a lot of hills and climbs. Last one was a 4 mile uphill. Hot and humid till the last section, then the clouds rolled in and the wind picked up. Made it to the shelter, and decided to stay. Principal ( who I have been hiking with for a week) decided to go on for a few more miles, I wanted to eat and see what the weather was going to do. I¢m glad I did. A wicked storm hit. High winds, and lots of rain. Fortunately the shelter is an old stone cabin - staying dry tonight. Suppose to rain through the night, but be good hiking tomorrow. Hope so.....
Date: 2019-05-30
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 22.0

Started early this morning. An awesome sunrise. I was hiking by 6. Mostly because I was out of water - well down to 4 oz. my intent was to fill up with water at the gap about 1.5 miles away. That was the plan. Reality - I made really good time on the down hill, and blew right past the water. I didn¢t figure it out until about 1/2 a mile later, and I wasn¢t going back. Next 2 streams were dry. To make a long story short I had to go about 7 miles on my 4 oz of water ( after rationing the previous afternoon). Water sources are getting farther apart now. As much as it pains me I¢ll have to carry more.Saw my first bear(s) today. One ran one way, the other ran the other way, then I heard a loud snorting. Might have been momma, but I didn¢t hang around to find out. Man those bears are quick!Had some great trail magic today. Saw some signs that said ¢food¢ with an arrow. Natural hacker thing to do is follow the sign....as long as it doesn¢t take you too far off trail. There was a group ATOM that had a huge spread of food - hot dogs, burgers, chips, soda, desserts.... It was a great feast, but then I needed to climb up about 700 feet. Took it real slow so I didn¢t see the food again.Decided to share a hotel room with Camelback Santa. I have to take care of some blisters that tore open 2 days ago. Seem to be healing ok, but want to check them after 40 miles of hiking over the last 2 days.Next big stop is Pearisburg,VA in about 40 miles for a resupply
Date: 2019-06-02
From: Bland, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 52.4
Weather: few clouds

First a note. I only hiked 44.5 miles. The extra miles are to catch up the log. I must have missed a day along the way.Lots of miles over the last few days. Almost 70 miles in 3 days and my body feels it. Trying to decide if I should take a zero here or take a light day. We¢ll see!!I¢ve been hiking with wonder women, camelback Santa, and principal on and off for the past week. Seen a couple of sites worth noting in the last few days- dismal falls, a really neat footbridge, and a great view of the valley where Pearisburg sits (the ridge lie is what i walked) but mostly it¢s just been one foot in front of the other hiking in the woods. I¢ve been dodging rain storms for the last 3 days, and have been doing a pretty good job. One I was in the shelter, second I was on the ¢dry¢ side of the hill. That was inteeesting. The thunderstorm came in as I was walking on the rim of the mountain. Wasn¢t sure what to do - hunker down, or keep walking. I kept walking, and as the rain and wind hit the trail dropped off the ridge. The trees and the ledge literally kept me dry. 3rd storm I had just set up my tent and it started pouring. Tent did a great job of keeping everything dry.Next 90 miles will be challenging. Some of the bigger climbs in VA are coming up - Macafee Knob, Dragon Tail. I don¢t think we¢ll go much over 4,000 feet though. The trail is definitely easier - less rocks and tree roots so you can get a good stride going.Hoping to make it to Daleville before my next stop!
Date: 2019-06-02
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Dickenson Gap
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: clear sky

Well an uneventful day. I¢m hiking  alone again. Principal is ahead of me, and Wonder Women stayed in town. The first part of the day was hiking out of town. Did find some wild strawberries! Second part of the morning was spent hiking right next to the town dump. Horrible smell. Made it to the shelter by 2, but felt good so kept going... and going. Was trying to make it to the next shelter, but heard too much thunder. I was camping alone till about 9:30, then 2 other hikers rolled in. It was dark already, guess I¢ll meet them in the AM.Had a turkey scare the heck out of me. Must have been resting in the trail and I spooked it. She had chicks with her. Almost stepped on one that was lying in the trail.
Date: 2019-06-05
From: Dickenson Gap

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 62.9
Weather: clear sky

Hitting all the big hiking locations on the AT in this area. Lots of big climbs followed by big decents. It¢s been an exhausting 3 days but I hit Dragons tooth and McAfee Knob. Not many other sites along the way. Just a lot of miles.I am starting to have problems with my new shoes. They¢re Oboz, never had a problem with my other pair, but the front of these are starting to peal back after only 2 weeks/ 200 miles. I filed a claim online, and within 10 minutes they responded that as a thru hiker the warranty covers 2 replacement pair as long as I¢m on trail. Then they asked where I will be in 7 to 10 business days so they can send my replacements. They just secured a customer for life. I¢ll never buy another brand of hiking shoes!Heading into Daleville tomorrow - about 15 miles, and then I might stay Friday as well. I¢m feeling a bit tired, want to get some extra calories in my body. There is also a mini Trail Days in town this weekend. May stay for some of that. Weather is also going to be rainy over the next few days.