morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-11-15
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Uncle Johnny's Hostel
Miles today: 8.1

Matt's entry: It's funny but I get to do the web updates for the hostels I guess! Today our plan for the day was up in the air. I was glad about that. When we woke up at 5:30, the weather was OK, but when we started out at 6:30, it really started dumping on us. Rain like we haven't really seen since up north. CATS AND DOGS. So, since it was still dark, visibility was aweful. Crazyhorse and Kate were up ahead, and Seth, Becca and I were a ways behind. I couldn't see their headlamps and I wasn't sure if I was on the trail or some deer path for a while. Turns out after awhile (and after it got light out) that we were on the trail after all.After the rain finally stopped, the temperature started to drop quickly. Kate got really cold, and we decided to bail out just before lunch. Funny story there...We called Uncle Johnny's hostel. No answer. So, I walked back down the hill to the road, hoping to get some hunter to take us there. Just as I got to the bottom of the hill, a jeep pulls up and a couple gets out and they have day packs. A dude in a little hat comes around from the driver's side, and introduces himself to me. It was Uncle Johnny!!!So, once again the trail took care of us, probably with more than just a little help from the Man Upstairs. Kate had a fever and was achy for most of the day, and we spent the day resting and getting warm. She was feeling better by the end of the day, and so Seth and I went to get some refreshments and food. It was great stuff, and everyone was doing much better by bedtime.
Date: 2008-11-16
From: Indian Grave Gap

To: Erwin TN - Uncle Johnny's
Miles today: 8.3

Kate's entry: I woke up feeling MUCH better. CB took us to breakfast and Johnny picked us up. We decided to slack the miles between Indian Grave Gap and here after it stopped sleeting so arranged a shuttle for noon. I caught up on internet and we all chilled until then.The walk was GORGEOUS! Up on the ridge it was covered with snow and it was just a pretty walk. Mostly downhill and enjoyable. We had a nice time and it only took us about 3 hours. Then we got CHINESE! Songbird and I have been craving it forever. Then we watched movies. Johnny reported he hadn't got a hold of the reporter, but would try again at 8 am tomorrow. ..so we are just going to see how tomorrow goes. If she'll be later, we'll slack back to Johnny's again, do interview and then head out...so we shall see.
Date: 2008-11-17
From: Erwin TN - Uncle Johnny's

To: Spivey Gap
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

Matt's entry: This morning started pretty leisurely. I was up before 6, made some coffee. The pipes in Uncle Johnny's bathhouse froze last night. I played my new chess game, which I downloaded for the phone yesterday. It works pretty great. We went out for breakfast with Uncle Johnny, and a reporter came to do an article about Southbounders late in the morning. It was pretty nice.I guess we are going to be in the Erwin Beacon (or the Erwin Record). I am surprised that the town has two papers actually.This evening I caught up on my journals and am listening to mice run around on the leaves outside. It's cold; I think my boots are going to freeze tonight. I am not looking forward to waking up in the cold tomorrow morning...
Date: 2008-11-18
From: Spivey Gap

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Kate's entry: It was COLD when we woke up - little did we know how much the cold would affect the day. I put on every piec of clothing on - long underwear tops and bottoms, tank top, underwear, fleece, windshirt, down vest, pants, socks, raincoat and rain pants. EVERYTHING.I started out relatively comfy besides the usual start of the day cold toes and fingers which usually goes away in about 30 minutes. By the time we were ready to crest Little Bald Mtn, there were a couple of things going on: we were in a snowstorm, the snow was REALLY slowing us down, the temp was dropping and Songbird was getting cold. We decided to push for Big Bald Shelter to warm Songbird up. She was in rough shape. We started to heat some water, but as we did that, the rest of us were getting cold. Hot beverages all around and we all got into our sleeping bags and stayed there for about 2 hours until Songbird was ready to move on. We then continued - after Matt informed us it was 15 degrees - at NOON. that wasn't even including windchill and man was there wind!! The summit of Big Bald looked like it was out of a picture book all covered with snow and leafless trees. The drifts up there were up to, no exaggeration, up to my KNEES! That's snowshoe snow. Songbird was slowly becoming not ok - I think she was warm but afraid to get cold again. We reached Sam's Gap, which would be the only major road for many miles. We debated what to do - more so, Songbird did. She decided to push on. I'm worried about her. She seems very conflicted on what she wants to do. We arrived to the shelter in the dark and quickly set up. Ate. Already have seen a mouse in the shelter - it's like a switch was turned on with these things. To bed after a long day.
Date: 2008-11-19
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: clear sky

Matt's entry: Today was a long day, but Kate and I pretty much kicked ass. We hiked until 7 pm. I was so happy to see the shelter. We are sharing the shelter tonight with tennessee slowpoke aka Terry. He seems like a nice guy.Today, Becca and Seth went back to the gap and callled a shuttle to Hot Springs. The merc was at 15 F when I was woke up and Becca hadn't slept all night I guess.She is having a rough time. I hope her time "off" to sleep and rest helps her decide if this is something she wants/is able to do. I guess she has circulation issues in her feet , so hopefully that isn't what's making her so cold. Today at our break we saw a red tailed hawk and we also followed some bear tracks for a long while along the AT. That was cool. Also we saw fox tracks in the same area and deer as well. We took the scenic ridge trail (not the bad weather trail) and id it in about 52 minutes because we were losing daying. We even stopped to take pics. It was cool.I was sad to lose Seth and Becca, but it was fun to walk with Kate alone again. We talked and it was fun. Tomorrow, Hot Springs! Today, we crossed the 300 mile mark! YAY!
Date: 2008-11-20
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Hot Springs NC - Elmers
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

Kate's entry: It was not AS cold when we woke up this morning. We got moving early. We were ready for Hot Springs. By 8:30, we had 5 miles under our belts. We pulled into Spring Mountain Shelter for snack and water, but alas no water was to be found from the spring. G-man was there - he's doing the trail South from Harpers Ferry and has thru'd twice before. He said he saw Lightning Rod and Songbird last night at the Hemlock Hostel. They were slacking today and would be walking into Hot Springs tomorrow. While we were there, a beautiful orange tabby cat came up to us, and started to follow us down the trail. We gave it some food and decided we'd try to get it to Hot Springs and find someone who would take it. Unfortunately, it wouldn't cooperate. It wouldn't really follow us. We both tried to carry it; it jumped out of our arms. I tried tucking it in my coat. Matt tried to have it ride between his pack and back and then in his pack. It kept jumping out. For 2 miles, we struggled along with it...Until as I held it, it bit me - not a break through the skin bite...BUT enough for me to worry about it biting again and injuring me. Cat bites are no joke. We both felt bad. If we were were closer - but we had 9 miles to go. poor thing. We rolled into Hot Springs at 3:30, hit the post office, went to Elmers. Elmer is a nice guy and his place is this great old Victorian house. We strategized some slacking for either tomorrow or Saturday before Jan gets here. We have a lot to organize for the next few weeks. We had a great dinner with Crazy Hourse at the Old Smokey Diner. We started to lay out plans and I'm tired.
Date: 2008-11-21
From: Hot Springs NC - Elmers

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Matt's Entry: Woke up and had an amazing bfast: fresh pancakes with walnuts and blueberries. YUM! Another couple here has a farm up north and runs it as a non-profit. Sounds cool. They were neat folks. G-man, a hiker sectioning from Harper's Ferry to Springer is here today. Came in last night before us - we met him when we met the cat. He's cool - works for the USGS in the S.Pole. He knows a lot about winter camping/gear. I am seiously thinking about getting a down coat/vest. I wasn't sure where to get one, becasue the lame outfitter here is "out" He has them in the spring. I nearly had a meltdown when I heard that. Kate suggested I have Lee's get it to Jan and she bring it down with her. So I called Kay and got a vest and some more socks. My socks are constantly getting wet, so I figured another pair would be good to have.It's still really cold out. I am a bit worried about the Smokies, but hoping the vest will help. Today we were originially going to walk, but because of "snow" school is closed and they are not running shuttles up the mountain. Just as well, I guess. We did chores today - laundry, internet, groceries, etc. All th usual. Also L-Rod and S-Bird came in today.Kate and I figured out a tentative plan that should have us finishing Dec 5-7. It's strange to be planning the end, but it's kind of exciting too.Jan will also be brining some scotch. I guess liquor is just hard to find down here.FYI, the laundromat here is a joke. Everything is broken and the little convenience store is filthy. There are little kids running all around and the fridge section next to the beer is their personal use. Bizarre. Ate at the diner again - the food is great.
Date: 2008-11-22
From: Hot Springs NC - Elmers

To: Lemon Gap
Miles today: 14.5

Kate's entry: Woke up and organized room and food. Breakfast was another amazing one with Elmer. Then to the post office...last time of the trip I think. Off to Lemon Gap. The road was incredibly windy and covered with ice and snow...in a volvo. It was kindof way freaky. Both the guys felt car sick afterwards.It was a nice hike though. We didn't get up there until noon - again the road with ice and snow in a volvo. It was mostly downhill. There was quite a bit of snow on the ground. Down, down, down. I'm thinking more and more about the end of the trip and what I want to do with my life. I don't have a plan (I know, I know...things have changed)...and I am not totally freaked out not having one. I feel like the right option will come all in good time and I just need to be open to see it. It's kindof neat not knowing. We pulled into Hot Springs around 6 and organized our gear. Matt and I headed to the diner where we were meeting the Girl Scout Gang (Jan, Nancy and Debbie). As we walked the whole half a block from Elmers to the diner, Matt's pack should strap completely snapped and ripped into 2 pieces. UNBELIEVABLE - I was soo thankful that 1) it didn't happen on the trail and 2) Jan and co were coming so we could get somewhere that was big enough to give Matt options. By the time Jan and co arrived, the diner was closed. SOOO we started driving. It was so nice to see everybody!! We ended up in Ashevill. Ate a delicious Mexican place. YUM! Hotel'd up. Stayed up wayyyyy past hiker's midnight and ready to crash.
Date: 2008-11-24
From: Max Patch

To: Green Corner Road - Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: light rain

Kate's entry: Slept in a bit. Made the plan for the day as we ate breakfast. The gang drove the 4 of us all the way back up to Max Patch, pressed food upon us, gave us big hugs and words of encouragement. It was hard to say goodbye to them again...Their visit really helped with all of our morales - good compandy, food and fun times will do that to a thru hiker...Back up Max Patch and away we went - into the rain. It was noon when we started so we didn't think we'd get to the shelter we had planned on. The hike had a lot of climbs. We all felt heavy with food and were not moving very fast. It was dark and raining when we hit Green Corner Road and we decided to head for the Standing Bear Farm Hostel. 3 other sobos were there - Chevrolegs, stretch and captain ozzie. They were entertaining to say the least. We ate and decided we needed to sleep in tomorrow and crashed to bed - soooo tired from the last couple of nights.
Date: 2008-11-25
To: Tricorner Shelter
Miles today: 18.1

Matt's Entry: We left the hostel well rested. It¢s cold again today. Curtis, the owner of the hostel, told us stories about section-hikers this last weekend and told a funny quote: ¢If you sweat, you die.¢ So of course we can¢t stop repeating it!Not sure how far we are going to go today. We would like to move through the smokies quickly ¢ we feel heavy though and today the going was slow.Yesterday, Gman gave me The Van, which I have been wanting to read since Seth and Crazyhorse had it. So far, it¢s pretty funny and it¢s good. Of course my journaling has suffered because of it. Jan left some wine with a note ¢enjoy the goodies.¢ Not sure what she all left but the wine looks good. The plan is to save it for thanksgiving. Seth agreed to carry it first. When we got to the shelter, a dog with a collar was here, but we didn¢t have much interaction with it, because when we called it, it ran away.The shelters in the Smokies are nice. This one has a fireplace, and a tarp across the front of it. It helps with keeping the shelter warm more than you¢d think. We ate our dinner and hit the sack.
Date: 2008-11-26
From: Tricorner Shelter

To: Icewater spring Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: clear sky

Katee's entry: Woke up and started moving. It was chilly but not bad. We had high hopes to hit 20 miles today but we weren't sure if our target shelter was open or not. The views...wow - they were absolutely breathtaking. It was clear and you could see a long ways off. The Smokies are just beautiful Everytime we came to a vista, we couldn't stop loooking...but the snow and ice were slowing us down significantly. As we came to the 12.6 mile away from start point shelter, it was 3:30 already - the next shelter being 8 miles away and possibly closed due to "aggressive bear activity." Change of plans - stay here, make a feast with extra food and Jan's wine, dessert and wala, Happy turkeyday (a day early).It's a great shelter and we started a fire in the fireplace. There's a couple of other hikers in here tonight. They reported the next shelter was indeed closed, so it all works out. We decided to change our smokies plans and give ourselves 3 days to finish instead of 2 - it's tooo icy to consider hiking pre-dawn or post- sunset. We let Pollywog know our change of plans - we'll make it up somewhere in the next two weeks I'm sure. My belly's full, glad to spend our feast with friends. It will be weird not to be home for Thanksgiving - hopefully I can call them tomorrow. I miss them all so much but we'll be home soooon.
Date: 2008-11-27
From: Icewater spring Shelter

To: Siler's Bald Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: few clouds

Matt's Entry: Happy Thanksgiving! It was cold as usual but cleared today. We hit our less than 200 mile mark. Still there is a long way to go. WE have decided to take advantage of our extra day of food and take 5 days to do the smokies, not 4. It will be more fun and less stressful. Climbing Clingman¢s Dome was some hard work. The snow was pretty deep and the trees were all covered with heavy snow that weighed the limbs down. Walking the trail meant snow was getting dumped on us all the way up. There was this funky tower that¢s ada accessible, and we climbed it and had a cold lunch on top. It was really windy up there, but the views were pretty incredible. And, we called our parents/family from the highest point on the trail. The descent didn¢t seem as snowy and we were trying to figure out why the trails seemed more groomed/used. Not sure how the weather will affect our trip. Seth and I built a fire again today and I sat up quite late and read. The van is a great book so far and I was able to dry all of our socks and our boots, too.
Date: 2008-11-28
From: Silers Bald

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: overcast clouds

kate's entry: WOOOHOO! We are officially over 2000 miles. I can't believe it. It was a gorgeous day - it was warm and delicious. We made some great time. We had gorgeous views from Thunderhead and Rockytop. They were breathtaking. We met a lot of people out and about. Tonight we are with two Dad and son pairs - which I think is awesome. I have so many memories of being out camping with my family as a kid and adult that I just really cherish. I'm thankful for all those times with the siblings, my folks, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. They are near and dear to my heart and these guys reminded me of that. What special times! Today was a lot of roly poly. I enjoyed the hike for sure. We came up with a plan to make up some miles tomorrow and are feeling better about finishing when we wanted. We made better time and are just feeling good. All in all, it just was an amazing day of hiking. I just am feeling great and loving life!
Date: 2008-11-29
To: Yellow Creek Gap, Staying in Fontana Dam Village 
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Matt's Entry: Today the miles flew by. Iforgot to mention that yesterday, we were at Thunderhead mountain and Rockytop, TN. I was at Rockytop and it was absolutely GORGEOUS. You could see Fontana Lake. Today it was cool to see the lake get bigger and bigger as we got closer. It was overcast most of the AM and just as we reached the trailhead, it started to rain. Bleh. I was grumpy about it.We had lunch just past the Dam/Visistors Center and checked our phone messages (Kate¢s idea). Pollywog had called and told us she was going to be late so we ecided to walk to the next road, about 8 miles away. I was eager to try to make up some miles. It was misting pretty well, and that turned into rain, but we reached the road just as it was getting dusk. It was so good to see Pollywog!!We decided to stay at the resort village, which was pretty swank. We shared a cabin, and ended up eating at the lodge, which was a disappointment. But the food was ok and the wine was excellent. Thanks to Aunt Judy! We planned out the rest of the slacking for the next couple of days and went to bed EXHAUSTED.
Date: 2008-11-30
From: Yellow Creek Gap

To: US19 Wesser NC - NOC
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: light rain

kate's entry: It was an early start, but the boys made us all French Toast - YUM! We were on the trail by 7. It was foggy. Rain started later - fist mist, then sprinkle, then RAIN. It was a no view day for sure. The terrain was tough, but we motored through it much better than we expected. There were quite a few people out surprisingly. We were happy to see Polywog waiting for us. We got set up in the cabin, showered and ate at a great Italian place in Bryson City. I'm waiting on laundry now so I can go to bed. Matt's sacked out - he's whooped. Too little sleep last night with a big day today.We have another big slack tomorrow - hopefully it will go as fast, but they are predicting a rain/snow mix for tomorrow...so I doubt it. We'll see.
Date: 2008-12-01
To: US 19 to Wayah Gap, budget Inn, Franklin NC 
Miles today: 21.3

Matt's Entry: Today we walked some good miles, but when we started the day, it started snowing. I definitely was tired this am and cranky. Kate would not sit down and chill. I am thinking that if this snow keeps up we will not finish by the 7th. It was hard walking, especially up high, and there were some places with 5-6¢ of snow. I stayed relatively comfy and so did Kate I think. Seth and Becca were definitely cold for part of the day.It was still pretty walking in the snow, but it was dark ¢ 6:15ish when we saw Polly¢s truck lights on. It was nice to see her there. Had a great dinner at Cody¢s Roadhouse. Good Sundae and OK food. I enjoyed it.
Date: 2008-12-02
From: Wayah Gap

To: Mooney Gap
Miles today: 17.2

Kate's entry: This will be my last entry online before we end this puppy in hopefully 5 days. I can't believe it's here though I'm excited to not have to walk every day...And all good things have to come to an end. I'm excited for all the possibilities that await us at home, but right now I'm just fixated on getting home to see friends and family. That is what's most important to me right now and what will carry me through for the next (hopefully) 5 days of walking. Today was a great day - especially after walking through that snowstorm yesterday. We were on the trail by 7:30. There was still lots of snow, but not as much as there was on the otherside of Wayah Gap - today's snow seemed more in the 3 inches range instead fo the 6-8 range. 2 miles in, Songbird reported her ankle was not doing well and she thought she should bail as soon as she could - which was in 4 miles. We called Polywog to make arrangements. Songbird was upset but wanted to rest that ankle so it wouldn't give her problems, hopefully, for the next hundred miles. We were pumping the miles - 6 miles by 10 when we met Polly. Matt, L-Rod and I started to fly through the terrain - less snow, not steep ups or downs. Then we ran into Crazyhorse! It was good to see him. We caught up with him as we walked with him a bit. He's planning on finishing the 8th, so we should see him again before the trip's through. After lunch, we left Crazyhorse and really started moving. The snow was gorgous now that it wasn't flying. We decided though to take the bypass around Albert's Mountain as we had heard it was an almost straight down that was bouldery. Everyone we talked to recommended the bypass as the boulders would be very slippery and the climb would be difficult even if the conditions were good. It was a hard decision to make, but they have those by-passes for a reason and we have never taken one before, so we figured it was time to cash one in. We reached Polly and Songbird by 3;15, got showered, headed to dinner. Had a great dinner. Got organized, made some phone calls, and will be heading to bed soon. 5 more days - hard push ahead, but I know we can do it.
Date: 2008-12-03
To: Mooney Gap to Muskrat Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 17.1
Weather: clear sky

Matt's Entry: We woke up at 5:30 and finished packing up. It took awhile. Then, Polly drove us to breakfast; it was a little local greasy spoon with cheap, good bfast. It was pretty good. Saw a photo in the paper of some kids we saw up on Wayah Mountain. They were on the observation tower waving to the camera. Wild.Said goodbye to Polly and we were down the trail. Almost done with the trip!! Hard to fathom, really, but Kate and I were excited I think all day and feeling good. We wanted to push. Seth and Becca weren¢t so keen on pushing and that was cool with us, so we decided to stay at this shelter. I like hanging with these two. I laugh a lot. It¢s fun. I want to have this much fun after the trip, too. It¢s cool and I guess tomorrow we are supposed to get rain in the AM. I tried the PCT method of hanging a bear bag. It works pretty well, and it prevents bears from eating through where the bag is tied off to (like another tree).
Date: 2008-12-04
From: Muskrat Creek

To: Tray Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: light rain

Kate's entry: GEORGIA!! 3 miles into our hike in the rain, we hit our last state - GA. I can't believe we're here..As of tonight we have 56 miles left. It's incredible. It was a riany and cold day, but we struggled through it. It was just a little past dark when we pulled into the shelter. It was VERY foggy. I can't believe we went 22.8 miles. Big day today. Lots of ups and downs, but the snow all melted. Life is good. It's COLD out. Three more hikes and two more sleeps.