morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-03-06
From: Long Branch Shelter

To: Wayah Bald Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: few clouds

3/6/16Well got an early start today, walked about a quarter mile and relized we went the wrong way so back the other direction we went. You have to pay attention going into camp...signs can be on either side of the trail so it can be confusing. So still got started about 7:30 and we are still having beautiful days. We get down the trail and find some trail magic..cold beer. So there we are at 9AM putting down a Budweiser. Sean says you have to have something to put in the trail journal. I laugh and agree. Sean is now known as "Marathon" on the trail. I like Sean because it is easier to spell The reason he is Marathon is 1) from Boston, 2) he has ran five 3) him and I always power up the hills and people can't keep up. One guy we had talked to tells the ones left behind we are marathon runners. At this point I would like to give a shout out to Susan and Amanda who make me run God forsaken hills every week in Sidney Oh. It has paid big dividends. So we get to a road and cross it and are walking down a dirt road that parallels the trail and come across more coolers with trail magic. This time sodas, beer and a few crackers. Marathon grabs a Sprite I get some crackers. Then Marathon is not happy we missed part of the trail so we go back to where we bypassed to ensure we complete the whole AT. We pass some college students from Chattanooga with a friendly few words and move on. At this point pretty much all the snow is gone. We make good time..about 2 mph that includes any breaks to adjust gear, get a snack or eat a quick lunch. A little later we hit the third trail magic of the day. Oranges, rolls, sodas and peanut butter cups. Weekends are good for trail magic and we crossed a lot of roads today where as yesterday not so much. We talked to a hiker that was sitting down...he was 67 and had thru hiked the trail in 2015. Hope I am in that good of shape when I am that old. We had a long uphill climb ahead of but at the time we were unaware of that...just knew we had about four more miles. I don't know if it was just that bad or we were tired. Finally after climbing and climbing and climbing we made it to a stone fire tower. Once again the views were amazing. They had pictures showing the names of the mountains and showed where the Smokies started. The on the other side it was where we had been. It was amazing how far Mt Albert was, we had been there the day before and could barely make out the fire tower. A little less then a mile later we made it to camp and got set up for the night.
Date: 2016-03-07
From: Wayah Bald Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 16.5

3/7/16Once again a beautiful day. I know rain is coming so I'll take this. It was one of the warmer nights we have had and I was able to break out the shorts two days in a row. The day started out with pretty typical trail at an elevation of 4729ft. My feet bothered me a little...it was a big 18 mes yesterday. As any runner knows you push through the discomfort and it normly goes away, and that worked today. Had two thousand feet climbs a d then it was down hill to 1749 ft. Tomorrow we get to climb back up to 5062 so it will be a draining day. I heard that is the biggest straight uphill climb on the trail. Haven't noticed a lot of pine needles until today, one place they were pretty thick and slippery. Other places had a lot of leaves on the trail, they like to cover up things that trip you or twist your ankle. At one point the trail followed a mountain ridge and the mountain droped down on both sides of you. There were trees though so it would have been hard to fall very far. Right after that there the a steep decline with big steps downward. Pretty hard on the knees, I felt it but when the trail leveled off the knees felt fine. My feet are doing well, mole skin on the blisters and wearing a second pair of socks they are recovering nicely. Staying at the Nantahala Outdoor Center bunk house tonight. A river passes by and it is big with the kayakers when the temps turn warmer. We ate at the restaurant...big burger, fries and a beer hit the spot. I did go for the brownie ala mode and it was huge and didn't disappoint. We will see what happens but trying to hit the Smokies in two more days. I got a few pics from my phone loaded but have more on camera. Having trouble getting them loaded on my phone. May have to get to the library and get them on this site. Until tomorrow
Date: 2016-03-08
From: NOC

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: scattered clouds

3/8/16Well unfortunately Encourager had to leave the trail for a while...we had spent the last three nights at the same shelter and had some good laughs. Hope you can get back out there and get some good hiking in. Also thanks for the prayer and the trail magic. Going into today I knew it was going to be tough day. Almost 16 miles and lots of elevation. This morning we were slower than the average 2mph because of all the up hills. Ran into Mr Leonard, (67 yr old that hiked AT last year) We stopped and took a break with him at an overlook. Stopped a couple other times to snack and rest before lunch. At lunch we got to looking at the map and the hardest part of the day was over. We still had a tough .5 up hill but the worst was over. I think going in with the mindset that it was going to be tough made the day much easier. We had a big climb to start the day then up and downs that totaled over 4000ft in elevation gain. Tomorrow we are off to Fontana Dam, on the other side are The Great Smokie Mountains. The Smokies are about 70 miles from end to end on AT. A lot of hiking is in the 5000 ft range with Clingmans Dome reaching 6655 ft the highest point on the AT.
Date: 2016-03-09
From: Brown Fork Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter 
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: clear sky

3/9/16Interesting evening last night. A couple of guys came late. The first one was from Turkey and had hiked 28 miles that day. The second guy had done 25 miles. I think they were adventure junkies and were .miserable. Lucky for me I had pitched my tent... Which I debated when I got to camp. Marathon was not so lucky... He got to hear them tell each other how great they were. They also talked about their personal life and it sounded like they were falling a part. If all hikers were like this I doubt I'd be here. Most are good natured folks so I guess you take the good with the bad. So I went back to my tent and tried to get things organized for quicker packing up in the morning, I went to zip my pant legs back on my shorts and one was missing. Guess one fell out while I was hiking...I've been good holding on to my things til now. Well as luck would have it I would find it outside by the shelter the next morning. The good weather is rolling on, we had a nice 12.8 mile hike to Fontana Dam. The worst part was we could see it at 11:00 but it took two hours to hike down the mountains to get to it. You see it but keep going down and going down and around the switchbacks. Finally we get to the road and get a shuttle to get to the village to resupply. The store doesn't open til next week so we go to the gas station to get supplies. It has a nice atmosphere but business is slow...just us two. I order a pizza and get a chocolate milk for lunch. This place is set up for motorcycles. The Tail of the Dragon is 10 miles down the road. It is a famous eleven mile stretch of highway, 318 twists and turns that bikers love. We leave there, shuttle back to where we were and hike a mile to our shelter. Fontana Dam Shelter... aka "Hiker Hilton". It is nice...great view of the lake, picinic tables, bathroom with water, shower and a solar recharge station for phones. The best shelter on the trail. Tomorrow we start the Smokies!!!
Date: 2016-03-10
From: Fontana Dam Shelter 

To: Spencer Field Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: overcast clouds

3/10/16It was a great night at the Fontana Dam Shelter. Left and headed over the dam...the are doing some construction on it so had a small reroute. As soon as you cross the dam you see the sign for the The Great Smokie Mountains. Followed the road for a while then turned up the trail. You have to have a permit to backpack in the Smokies, I had registered before I got to Georgia. You have to print the permit and when you get here you have to date it and stick half the page in the box and you keep the other half. Yesterday we were going down all day, today it was back up 1700ft to 4900ft and ups and downs between. Petty long day...did close to 17 miles. We plan on another long one tomorrow and then going into Gatlinburg on Sat. Staying in the shelter tonight. The only way you can tent camp is if the shelter is full. Five guys here tonight and the shelter holds 16. Good thing I had my permit because the Ridge Runner(Ranger) was here checking.
Date: 2016-03-11
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Double Spring Gap Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: moderate rain

3/11/16Well the rain can but it was overnight. The one problem with the shelters are mice. They haven't bothered me but you do hear them running around. They did get a shammy towel one guy had and chewed it up. All our food is hanging outside on a bear cable so they didnt get that. Pretty cloudy when we took off, we were pretty much hiking in the clouds. We got to a scenic overlook and I had Marathon take a pic and the only thing visible behind me were clouds. I guess you win some and you lose some. We hiked below the clouds and then right back up into them. We got sprinkeled on a time or two. We are pretty much hiking the ridge line. I am told depending which side of the ridge you are on determines if you are in NC or Tennessee. We did come up on some wildlife today...seen a couple of doe in two different places. One was eating, we came pretty close to it and didn't phase her that we were there. Also seen a couple of wild turkeys. I did hear a report that a bear bad been seen in the area too. Seen a terrain change...a lot of grassy areas on top of the mountains...still brown though. Seen a couple of patches of snow, even though it has been pretty warm the last few days. Right before the shelter was nice area with quite a few evergreen trees. We did around 13 miles today. We could see Clingmans Dome (the highest elevation on the AT), well almost seen it, there was a cloud hanging all around it. Tomorrow we will be there and the off the trail to Gatlinburg to resupply our food. Its always good to go to town and eat some good food. Had two other hikers, Fast Eddie, Jenna, Cloey(Ridge Runner) and Obey...good company. Oh yeah...first time I ever tried Spam was today. Probably not going to be on my next shopping list...did provide some energy though.
Date: 2016-03-12
From: Double Spring Gap Shelter

To: New Found Gap
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Slept good, got some more rain overnight. Headed out, still have the evergreens overhead and a green moss on the ground cover...nice change of pace from the bare trees and the dead leaves we are used to. Headed up to Clingmans Dome...the highest point on the AT at 6655 ft. Got there and it was clouded over and very windy. So he headed on, planning to get to Gatlinburg spending the night and beading on tomorrow. The trip down was a little rough, we ran into mud three inches deep and some snow/ice that was packed down with water on it. Made it about half way down and met some hikers going up. Their shoes were clean and could even see white socks...the worst was over . We stopped to get a quick bite to eat and headed on. Passed a few day hikers on the way to Newfound Gap. We came out of the woods and there were people everywhere. This was good because we need a ride 15 miles into Gatlinburg. We crossed the street and some people asked if we were thru hikers. They were trail angels...had sandwichs, chips, cookies and pop for us. Jenna who stayed at the shelter joined us along with a couple of other hikers. Then about 30 mins later they gave us a ride to town. That was awesome....Thanks Godspeed and Mountain Moma(different Mountain Moma than last week). So we came in to town, got a room for the night and some dinner. Went a d got groceries for the next week. Marathon and I both got a dozen cookies. So while we were waiting on the trolley I offered one to a guy also waiting. We told him about our trip and he told us about some of experiences up there...not sure but I blieve he was Native American. He told us he lived in a cave and the trolley driver also told us that's where lived.Late night tonight...up after eight
Date: 2016-03-13
From: New Found Gap

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

3/13/16Woke up...didn't change the clock but that really doesn't matter to a hiker. Went to an all you can eat breakfast. It is odd...it seems I'm always hungry and never really full. After three plates of food I figures I'd better stop or I would regret it when we started hiking. It started raining while we were eating. We went back to the hotel to get our packs and headed to the "Welcome to the Smokies" sign. The folks that dropped us off the day before told us that was a good place to find a ride back up. We put up our thumb and after fifteen minutes a truck pulled over. It already had two hikers in the back and we had three needing to go up. So it wasn't raining when we took off and I didn't have my rain coat on. That soon changed and it rained the majority of the 15 winding miles up the mountain. It was kinda miserable. We got dropped off and thanked them. Got our gear together and ready for the rain and started hiking. I had a rain poncho and shorts...it was a little cool but warmed up as we hiked. The poncho is nice because it goes over my pack and the rain doesn't get between you and the pack. Clouds are all around so not much for views again today. Even though it was raining it felt good to be back on the trail...I was drained before we went to town but the two big meals I got my energy back. I felt the same way the previous time we were in town...I guess it takes one meal to replenish what you lost and one to get you ready for the task ahead. I did get more food at the grocery so hopefully I can keep my energy level up. About an hour and a half into the hike the rain let up but the trial was muddy or it was a stream for the water to escape the higher elevations. We were walking the mountain ridge line and there were steep drop offs on both sides of the trail. After a few hours of hiking one side of the mountain cleared up while the other side remained very dark. When you looked out the clear side you could see the mountains off in the distance and clouds down below...pretty cool. Got to the shelter and just two other guys were there. People started straggling in and we ended up with eight in for the night. I think we all hike similar distances so may be seeing a lot of these folks. Three recent achievements 1)at 190 mile mark....under 2000 miles to go. 2)over 200 miles completed. 3)at 219 mark...10% completed.
Date: 2016-03-14
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Davenport Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

3/14/16It seemed that everyone set their clocks and got ready to hike an hour early in light of daylight savings time. We waited an hour later for the sun to come up. Been eating more and feeling more energetic when hiking. Had rain last night but it ended and we had a good day to hike, a little breezy but the trees shield you from most of the wind. We came out of the evergreens and back to hiking in the woods with bare trees and leaves on the ground. Some areas have large bushes creating a tunnel you walk through. Only had 15 miles today so got to camp kinda early,   joined by three hikers we were with last night and then a group of eight college kids from Maryland came into camp later. So the shelter is full...I think we had one person to many but we made it work.   We have a couple of more miles in the Smokies and then the push is for Hot Springs NC. We still have a couple of days til we get there.
Date: 2016-03-15
From: Davenport Gap Shelter

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: scattered clouds

3/15/16It was a great day out...warm sunny and very little wind. We went down hill most of the day yesterday so today it is back up. Plan to do over 18 miles...longest mileage day yet. We passed four older gentleman and talked a little while we were passing...they were from Knoxville and try to get out once a week. As I passed one guy and he continued to follow behind he says " man I can smell you"...lol. They were moving well we were just a little faster...they mentioned one of them was 76. At this point it was a very steep climb and pretty long stretch at that. We started at 1400ft and climbed to 4260ft in just under six miles. We took short break at the top and the broke for lunch about 10 miles in. When we came back out, there were the older gentleman... they were standing there having a quick break and gave us a hard time as we passed again. They did say we were some of the happiest thru hikers they had come across. We continued a roller coaster of hills the next big landmark was Max Patch. It is a bald on a mountain with great views. Before we started that climb we found some trail magic...sodas. I haven't drank a soda in a couple years but decided to indulge. We continued on and ran into the people that left it coming down from Max Patch and they gave us bananas and an orange also...we thanked them and continued on. The climb wasn't too steep and once long ago cattle grazed this land. We got to the top and the view was amazing. 360 degrees of the mountain ranges around us. I don't remember a 360 view like this yet...if we had them it was days we were in the clouds or we were on some sort of tower so there was obstructions to the view. So we took some pics and sat down to enjoy the day and bananas. Other people were around because you can drive to a parking lot about a quarter mile away. As we were sitting there two of the older gentleman we had met came to chat with us for a while. A couple of other thru hikers we had never met stopped by also. After about 30 minutes we put our backpacks on and headed to the shelter. A group of college kids from Minnesota were here so since we are out of the Smokies it is back to tent camping for me
Date: 2016-03-16
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Deer Park Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

3/16/16It was nice to be back in the tent again. Shelter isn't bad when there are a few people but when it is full I prefer the tent. Pretty easy day of hiking, just shot of 15 miles and the terrain was not bad. I will have to say Georgia and the southern part of NC had some pretty steep grade trails, the Smokies had large elevation gains but as steep of inclines. Today started looking like rain but after a few sprinkles the skies cleared and it was a beautiful day. A hiker(Big O) from the last shelter joined us today. We hiked and camped just before we got to Hot Springs NC. Tomorrow we will do three miles and spend the rest of the day in Hot Springs. When we leave on Friday we plan to start hitting some twenty mile days.
Date: 2016-03-17
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs NC
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: moderate rain

Well how quickly plans change. We were going to do three quick miles and hangout in Hot Springs for the day. We went to get a room at Elmer's Sunnybank Inn. It is an old home that has been turned into a bed and breakfast. They weren't ready for us and told us to give them an hour. We went to get some breakfast across the street at the diner. I hadn't been connected online for a few days and checked my phone to find a out a tragedy had happened to a dear friend. So after breakfast I made some calls and got the details and decided to go home. Now the problem is, Hot Springs doesn't have a car rental company. So I went to the visitor center to get some info. Well they were just opening the doors and told me it would be quicker to go to the hardware store or the outfitters for better info. So heading to the outfitter I ran into two tbu hikers I had seen the last couple of days. They were getting into a car so I asked the driver if they could get me to a car rental business. She said sure, so on the ride to Ashville NC I found out this was one of the hikers cousins. It was a 45 min drive and they dropped me off at Enterprise. So I went in as they drove away, seems Enterprise had nothing to rent until later in the day. Fortunately there was a Hertz across the street. I got there and a lady was turning in a car early so I was able to get that vehicle and be on my way. After about an seven hour drive I was able to make it home be with my friend. Not much I could do but just be there for her, sometimes that's all you can do and that's okay. I thank God for providing me what I needed, when I needed it for a safe journey home. My friend is grieving and I hurt for her. There are many questions we have in this life, but having Christ as my foundation and knowing there is something after this life is what gets me through these really tough times :.(
Date: 2016-03-20
From: Home

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

3/20/16I was hoping to be back on the trail today but the rental car company was closed on Sunday so I got to spend an extra day at home. It worked out well...I got to spend extra time supporting my friend and my family was celebrating Easter a week early so I got to celebrate with them. Did I ever tell you I have the greatest family? . It has been an emotional four days and to be honest it was kind of hard to leave. It was sad to leave the trail but I got to say it was just as hard to head back. I guess the best cure is to get hiking . I'm going to miss Marathon, we were a good team. He has hiked about 60 miles since I left, so I will catch him no time soon. I think I can use some time to myself just to think. I'm sure I will see many people on the trail and probably quite a few that I passed the past few weeks. Its always good to see familiar faces. It was about a seven hour trip to Asheville got down to I-40 and got some snow...great big flakes. It was piling up in the grass but the roads weren't bad. Tomorrow I get picked up at 8 AM and should be hiking by 9.