morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-09-29
From: Thomas knob shelter

To: Lost Mtn Shelter 
Miles today: 12.3

another stunning day. We saw 3 ponies in the woods.  One of them came up to us and licked our arms for the salt.  Mandy called that one ¢sugar¢.We had lunch at Buzzard rocks where we dried out our tents and sleeping gear.  Last night was super condensation producing.  I wiped my tent down inside 3 times!  After I got up I wiped the outside down.  I left the tent up for breakfast so it would dry.  After breakfast the whole tent, inside and out, was covered in condensation!I hit 1700 miles at Buzzard Rocks!We got to camp about 4:30.  Collected water.  Then 5K showed up.  Another couple is here (Brandon and Corgy).  We had a downpour thunderstorm.  That cleared the air so it¢s quite nice now.
Date: 2019-09-30
From: Lost Mtn Shelter 

To: Broken Fiddle hostel, Damascus, VA
Miles today: 15.6

Left camp at 7:35.  It was a nice day on the AT today.  5K passed us about an hour after we left. We saw no one else until the afternoon when we met Mama Love.  She¢s going NOBO on a section hike before she moves to China.When we got to the hostel, the crew of 5 and Fr14tloop and Gonzo was there.Right when we got to town we got ice cream at the Wycked Chicken.We ate dinner at 7trails.  Had showers and did laundry.
Date: 2019-10-01
From: Broken Fiddle hostel, Damascus, VA

To: Abington Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 10.5

Last night was rough.  A dog barked until 1am.  The beds were hard. The hostel was a little less than professionally run.  It was good to get up and out of there.We went to Mojos for breakfast.  They had really good coffee!  We stopped at the Dollar General for resupply.  I bought my brother a card.  We stopped at the post office to mail that and a few things home.It was almost 10am when we hit the trail. It was all uphill. We stopped 2.4 miles in at a spring.  This was the only water we would see today!  We filled up to capacity (including our bellies).  I had 10# and Mandy has 8#.  Then it was uphill for another 3.5 miles followed by gentle ups and downs.  We went sow and took lots of breaks.  Got to camp about 4.We have a nice campsite.I made arrangements to slack pack the 20 miles which has no water.  That¢ll be the day after tomorrow.
Date: 2019-10-02
From: Abington Gap Shelter 

To: TN91 
Miles today: 11.4

We left camp at 8:10.  Took it slow after hauling all that water yesterday and not killing ourselves in preparation for our 20 miler tomorrow.Pretty in the woods.  Views were just peeks through the trees.  At the end of this section we walked through some cow pastures.  We got to TN91 at 2:45pm. Our shuttle was there minutes later.We¢re staying at Boots Off hostel for 2 nights so we can slack pack tomorrow. Awesome shower here!  It¢s a bucket with holes in it.  2 pipes feed directly into the bucket where the mixing occurs.
Date: 2019-10-03
From: TN91 

To: US321, Hampton, TN
Miles today: 20.5

It was a long hard day. We got a shuttle to TN91.  On trail by 8:30.  We had a good pace all morning, doing 10 miles by 12:30.  The afternoon was a little slower and we took new breaks.  We were back at the hostel at 6:30.Along the way we saw Uncle Nick Grindstaff¢s grave/crypt.  His gravestone said ¢loved alone, suffered alone, died alone¢ which is pretty sad. There is a legend that when he died his dog wouldn¢t let anyone near the body so they shot it.  Now the area is haunted by this dog.We saw 4 Mennonite women out for a 5 day backpack. They were in long dresses with long sleeves and they wore bonnets.  They said they come out twice each year!There were a few views but they were through through the trees.  We expected more...oh well.Mandy was a good sport.  I knew she was in pain at the end of the day.  I felt crappy all day.  I came down with a UTI which made the day uncomfortable.  Luckily I have doxycycline with me that I started to take tonight.Besides that, my gut has been off for the last two days.  Mandy¢s has as well.  She thinks it might have been bad oil that the tater tots were cooked in.  We had those 2 nights ago.
Date: 2019-10-04
From: Boots off 

To: Boots off
Miles today: 0.0

Relaxed all day!  Finally updated this trail journal. I know people were worried I was off trail.Mandy and I went for a swim in Watauga Lake.  It was glorious.Shuttles into town with the crowd to get bagels and cheese for lunches. Also picked up some dinner and a sweet water IPA.  Mandy made pierogis and I had a few of those as well.My belly has definitely recovered.  I ate a ton of food today!  I feel good!  Ready to hike tomorrow!
Date: 2019-10-05
From: US321, Hampton, TN

To: Stealth site at mile 1771.9
Miles today: 8.4

We were out of the hostel at 8:30.  First thing was a climb up Pond Mtn.  It was a gradual climb of 1800¢ over 2.7 miles.  It took me an hour.  Mandy joined me 20 minutes later.  The day was crisp, cool, breezy and sunny.  I did have to put my jacket on while I waited.Then there was a flat of about a mile before a gradual descent The back side of the mountain was much warmer. On the down, Mandy discovered a tree with fruits that smell like butterscotch!We hiked to Laurel Falls Shelter where we ate lunch.  Originally we were going to stay there but the shelter was less than attractive, there were no camping sites, no privy, and no where to dig a cat hole.  So we pushed on.We passed by Laurel Falls which was really pretty even in this dry year. A local guy told us that the whole wall is usually covered in water.  We saw 2 cascades.The trail skirted close to the stream and then passed through 2 ¢gorges¢. Later we found out from a local land owner that we were hiking on the Laurel Forks rail bed and the gorges were cuts made for the railroad. That track was used to take out timber.  Some of the chestnut trees were reported to be 8¢ in diameter!  There is a local museum that tells the story.  It would be fun to visit that some time.We arrived at a campsite right next to the stream.  There were 2 young guys (Tray and David) there.  They said they were leaving so we took the site.  It is beautiful and the stream has the biggest crayfish I¢ve ever seen!There were lots of day hikers around today. Laurel Falls is a popular place!
Date: 2019-10-06
From: Stealth site at mile 1771.9

To: Upper Laurel Forks
Miles today: 12.2

It was nice being next to the water last night.  That sound is so soothing.We were up and packed relatively early.  On trail before 8.The trail was fairly flat with gentle elevation changes. We had lunch at Moreland Gap Shelter.  There were lots of robins and chipmunks around.The first water in the trail was 1.8 miles later. We filled up and hiked another 5.7 miles.  I was sat camp at 3:30.  Mandy rolled in about 4:45.  She took a nap on trail! (Good idea!)Today we passed a beautiful view of Roan Mtn.  The clouds lay on the mountains like quilt batting.  It¢s a spectacular sight.We met some hikers on trail today:Keys sister.  We had met keys and Happy at Boots Off.  They are SOBO.  His sister came out to hike with them for a day.Appalachian Al, Tom Horn and his dog Geronimo.  They are older guys section hiking.First Blood.  She¢s an older woman thru hiking.  We helped here strategize how to repair her broken hip belt buckle.There were also a couple of sets of folks out for just a few days.
Date: 2019-10-07
From: Upper Laurel Forks

To: Roan Mtn, TN (Mountain Harbour Hostel)
Miles today: 12.7

There was a light rain last night; just enough to get the tents wet. Otherwise, today was gorgeous; cool, breezy, and sunny.We passed by 2 waterfalls: mountaineer and jones.  Both were less than super dramatic due to the lack of water.  Jones was the bigger of the 2.We also passed through a meadow with spectacular views of the mountains to either side of the trail.In the afternoon the rain clouds started to form.  I got to the hostel (Mountain Harbour) before the rain.  Mandy got there 5 minutes after.  Mandy hurt her knee so this is the end of her hike.  She was a trooper these last 2 days.  It¢s not getting better and the zero day at Boots Off did not help.  I¢ll miss her!
Date: 2019-10-08
From: Roan Mtn, TN (Mountain Harbour Hostel)

To: Overmountain Shelter 
Miles today: 9.2

It was a downright miserable day.  It actually started ok.  Mandy and I got up, ate breakfast, did laundry, and went to the store for resupply. Then I said goodbye.  It was hard and sad. I really enjoyed her company and I¢m selfishly upset that I¢m on my own again.  I cried for the first 15 minutes on the trail.I had about 45 rain-free minutes before it started. I immediately got hit in my rain coat so I stopped to remove my shirt and skirt; hiking in just underwear and rain gear.  That felt great for a couple of hours.  Then I arrived at the balds. The breeze was stiff.  I had climbed 2300¢ and the temperature had plunged.  I had to practically run to keep warm.  My hands were freezing.  I tried gripping and relaxing them over and over to warm them up.In that stretch I met a family who was also going to Overmountain shelter and I met Chris from Portland, OR. He had lots of questions about thru hiking.  He was trying out some sections of the AT to see if he wanted to attempt a thru hike.  After a few minutes I had to get moving again.I got to the shelter which is a barn (and is now closed) and it stopped raining briefly!  I set up my tent, climbed in and out some warm dry clothes on.  I immediately get a lot better!  I managed to get water before it started raining again.  When it did start, I was in my tent so I didn¢t care.  I ate some snacks but I was pretty hungry and wanted something hot.  So I managed to cook by sitting in my tent and running the stove outside one door.  A hot meal made me feel even better!  It stopped raining again briefly so I could hang my food bag.  Thankfully it¢s supposed to be nice tomorrow. I hope I get to see some of the balds in nice weather.
Date: 2019-10-09
From: Overmountain Shelter 

To: Clyde Smith shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: broken clouds

I woke up in a cloud.  It is amazing to me that I can wake up at 4am and the tent is dry but at 6:30 there is condensation everywhere!  It was also cold!  So I layered up and got moving. I was on the trail by 8:15.By the time I got to Grassy Ridge and Jane Bald the sky has cleared, I was above the clouds and the views were gorgeous!After Carvers Gap I entered a pine/fir forest that smelled heavenly.  The temperature dropped significantly in that section. I popped out into a clearing where the Cloudand hotel used to be. ( that was one of those mountain houses that were popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s). I ate lunch there in the sun.It was interesting going above 6000¢ elevation and then coming back down.  There was a noticeable thermocline where it was cold above and warmer below.  I had to keep adjusting my clothing layers to stay comfortable.I was I a forest for most of the afternoon except for a view at Little Rock Knob.I made it to Clyde Smith Shelter about 4.  Did my camp chores and ate.  I was just getting into my tent when 2 SOBOs (ham bone and wood pile) showed up.There were lots of day hikers and short section hikers (including 2 women out for 5 days (Rock turtle and monk)) out in the trail. The roan highlands and their balds are very popular.
Date: 2019-10-10
From: Clyde Smith shelter

To: Beauty Spot
Miles today: 16.4

It was mighty cold when I got up this morning.  I definitely need mittens, a hat and some leggings.  I¢ll be stopping at an outfitter in Erwin for sure.This morning I walked through ¢thin¢ clouds with the sun filtering through. The light and forest were so beautiful. I met 2 NOBOs (ash and spruce) who are trying to make it to Harpers Ferry this year.  They told me I¢d be coming up on an apple tree soon.  Ash had some beauties in his pack.  Sure enough o came upon an old orchard with lots of ripe apples on the ground (the ones on the tree were way way up there).  There were a few different kinds of apples.  I gathered a few red delicious type and another, more tart variety.  I ate 2 and packed out 3.  It was trail magic!Then it was on to Cherry Gap Shelter for lunch and over Unaka Mtn in the afternoon.This evening I talked to a local photographer who called Unaka Mtn the ¢emerald forest¢. It sure was a good name for it. The mosses under the fir trees were neon green!I got water about 2 miles before I made camp here on Beauty Spot. I have just about 360 degree views.  The sunset was super pretty.  Now that the sun is down it¢s getting cold!  When I got here it was about 80!  I¢m hoping for a beautiful sunrise this morning.I did get trail magic 2 times today.  Dirt man and his dog Patches (who is 20 years old!) gave me a banana.  He had a whole bucket of buckeyes.  He was from Ohio (the buckeye state) and told me some tales of keeping buckeyes in your pocket for good luck.  Here at camp, a couple that had moved here from Ohio gave me a couple of bars.  One was a fig-carrot-cashew thing that was fabulous and the other was a Larabar. I ate them both right away!There are quite a few local folks up here tonight. It¢s a popular place to watch the sun set.
Date: 2019-10-11
From: Beauty Spot

To: Uncle JohnnyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs hostel 
Miles today: 9.8

Gorgeous sunrise on Beauty Spot this morning!  It was also cold and dewy.  That made for clouds in the valleys that were stunning.  I took my time and enjoyed the morning because I only had about 10 Miles to go.  I waited for my tent to dry.On trail I ran into ¢christian¢ trail magic.  Brother Joe and his dog Moses were handing out sweet tea and homemade brownies.Most of the day was typical forest.  Right at the end there was a rocky/ledge section which was hot and dry.  It overlooked the Nolichucky River.I got to Uncle Johnnys hostel in the river before 2.  I ordered a pizza to be delivered and ate the whole thing!I got a shuttle to Walmart for a resupply Run.
Date: 2019-10-12
From: Uncle JohnnyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs hostel 

To: Bald Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 16.8

I got out of camp early (7:15)!  It felt like it was uphill all day.  I had a few good views of the Nolichucky.  (I learned that this is a Native American word that means ¢many faces¢.  I guess the Cherokee tribes would meet here 4 times a year and that the river was different each time... this the name.)I met some past thru hikers today (Columbo- who told me to stop at Standing Bear, Mountain Squid - who had hiked it in 3 sections, and Birthday girl and French dip who hiked it a couple of years ago.)Here at the shelter there are some SOBOs (Cruise and K2) and section hikers (Davifly and the Happy Trails Adventures group of 4+dog)
Date: 2019-10-13
From: Bald Mtn Shelter

To: Rector Laurel Rd stealth site
Miles today: 15.8

Today was a hard day mentally/emotionally.  The effort yesterday hurt my back. It¢s the first time my back has. There¢s me in the trail.  On top of that, every time I had to walk uphill I had no energy.  I felt drained.  I don¢t know if yesterday just wore me out physically or I just couldn¢t get into it mentally.I had a brief view from Big Bald before being docked in a cloud.  That didn¢t help my mood.On top of the mountain there were lots of mist nets set up for a bird banding operation.  That was interesting and I wished they were working when I went through but they weren¢t.Lots of people on the trail today... most day hikers from Sams Gap.  I did meet a woman my age (Showtime) who was out for 8 weeks.Davifly and I leapfrogged a bunch today.  I thought she¢d be here tonight but not yet.  She was nervous about the availability of water.  There is a good source so I¢m all set.  There are some barking dogs in the distance.  I hope they don¢t keep me up as I have a long day tomorrow
Date: 2019-10-14
From: Rector Laurel Rd stealth site

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

Gorgeous day on the trail!  I was out of camp at 7:35.  It was a cold morning! Stoooed for a snack at Flint Mtn shelter where I ran into Davifly.  I had seen someone pass by my tent this morning with their headlamp on.  It was her getting an early start.I climbed up Big Butt Mtn where I hoped for a view but it wasn¢t a frat one. Had a second snack there and then headed over a pretty bald. These high meadows are really picturesque.Had lunch and got water at Jerry Cabin Shelter.  I had made 9.7 miles by noon.  That¢s a pretty good pace.After lunch I climbed up Big Firescald knob. This section was bouldering again!  I love that.  There was a stunning ridge with views out both directions.  This section was a bit challenging compared with recent trail sections.Got to the shelter at 4:45!  There are lots of people here (Davifly, 3 women and their dog Max, 2 men.  A few more folks have arrived but I haven¢t chatted with them yet.It¢s supposed to rain tomorrow night so I¢m considering pushing 19.5 miles and zeroing in Hit Springs the next day.Hope I sleep as well tonight as I did last night!
Date: 2019-10-15
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Laughing heart lodge, hot springs, NC
Miles today: 19.6

I left camp about 7:30 am and really pushed the miles in the morning.  When I passed NC208, there was a dead bear in the side of the road.  It was a second year female.  Sad.I stopped for a snack at Spring Mtn Shelter and called Elmer¢s Sunnyside hostel.  Unfortunately they were full so I called Laughing Heart Lodge.  Luckily they had room for me for 2 nights.  My plan is to get to town tonight and take a zero tomorrow.  It¢s supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow so that would be good timing.I had lunch at a campsite on Rich Mtn.  I met Thomas there.  He just got his associates in engineering and is enlisting in the Air Force.  He is planning to they hike before enlisting so he had lots of questions for me. Then he wanted to know if I was going to climb the fire tower. Because it was off the trail a short ways I wasn¢t planning on it ... especially when I was doing extra miles today. But he was good company so I decided ¢what the heck¢.  I¢m glad I did.  Even though it was cold and breezy up on the tower, the views were outstanding!After I got down, I had to make miles again.  The last couple of miles down into Hot Springs were over some very steep cliffs with beautiful views of the French Broad River.After coming off the cliffs, the trail ran alongside the river before crossing it on the bridge into Hot Springs.I immediately saw the ice cream place and stopped in for 2 big scoops in a waffle cone!  The trail goes right down the Main Street of town so I got to ¢tour¢ the business district on my way to the hostel. When I passed the Dollar General, I spotted Spark and Green Machine!  We walked the rest of the way to he hostel together.Laughing Heart is very comfortable.  Tie and Solo made retried bean burritos and brownies for us; compliments of the house!  Trail magic at its best!
Date: 2019-10-16
From: Laughing heart lodge, hot springs, NC

To: Laughing heart lodge
Miles today: 0.0

I went to breakfast with Highlighter and Grip.  They hiked the trail in 2015.  Highlighter was all about trail magic.  She bought breakfast and gave me a bunch of food for resupply.  She also drove us downtown so we wouldn¢t have to walk in the rain.  She was even going to give me a pillow because mine was not holding air.  I had already purchased a new one so I passed on that.  It would have bee fun to hike the trail with her.  She¢s an OR nurse with lots of good stories.I purchased my Smokies permit using the computer at the outfitters and I bought a few things I needed there (fuel, mittens, a long sleeve shirt).  Then I walked to the Dollar General and Hillbilly Market for resupply.  Resupply was challenging as there was a very limited selection in both places.  I managed to put together both the food I needed to get to Standing Bear and through the Smokies.  Highlighter offered to drive a resupply box to Standing Bear for us!  That saved me from having to resupply I. Gatlinburg (which is 15 miles off trail in the Smokies).Sauce, Spark and Jupiter made dinner tonight.  I joined them in exchange for doing dishes.  They are very creative.  We had spaghetti ¢glop¢.  They used spaghetti, canned black beans and canned veggies from the free stuff at the hostel and added a jar of vodka sauce.  We topped it with Parmesan cheese.  Jupiter made corn fritter-like stuff using creamed corn and pancake mix from the free stuff at the hostel.  It was really good.  We covered it with marshmallows and microwaved it to melt them. Yum!I¢m looking forward to being back on the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2019-10-17
From: Laughing heart lodge, hot springs, NC

To: Roaring Fork shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: broken clouds

I had breakfast at the diner.  They made a great veggie cheese omelet though it took forever.  While I was eating Duct Tape showed up.  He¢s hiking to Max Patch today.  That¢s a bit farther than I want to go.  My goal was Walnut Mtn Shelter (about 13 miles).I was back at Laughing Heart and ready to hike at 8:08; a little later than I wanted but still good timing.It was a cold morning!  It was 40 degrees when I left the hostel. It stayed cold all day.  I never took off my rain jacket and I wore gloves most of the day.The hike was up up up out of Hot Springs (3300¢ up)! Before I got to the top of Bluff Mtn, I found a sunny spot to have lunch. It was 1 pm when I started hiking again. I got to Walnut Mtn Shelter at 2:30.  It was early.  The shelter was at 4250¢ and it was very open.  I decided to hike in to Roaring Forks Shelter which was a little lower elevation.  I am hoping that will translate into a few extra degrees temperature in the morning!  I got to the shelter at 4:30.  I¢m glad I pushed on.  Walnut Mtn will be very busy tonight.  The 5 hikers I left at the hostel will be there and I met at least 7 other section hikers on the trail that were planning on going  there.  Here at Roaring Forks there is just one other section hiker (Jacob) so far.I passed a hunter with a couple of dogs today.  He told me bear season had started a couple of days ago. He had killed a 400# bear already.  I¢m glad I have my hunter orange buff!  I don¢t want to be mistaken for a bear!