morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-04-22
From: Double Spring

To: Ice Water Spring
Miles today: 13.8

Well if yesterday had the best views on trail so far today was the best day of trail magic. The day starting in a cloud as we climbed Clingman's Dome. I had hoped to make it up their for sunrise but the weather didn't cooperate. The hike up to the highest point wasn't bad at all. Unfortunatly it was a complete white out. After climbing to highest peak I figure it has to be all down hill from here.The next 8 miles went very quickly hiking with Pebbles and Cleanshave has we noticed all the down trees from the high winds earlier in the week and we made it down to Newfound gap. Right before the road, trail magic. Cold mountain dew cans. Just what I wanted. By taking the trail name mountain dew, cleanshave I was entitled to two.When we arrived at the parking lot with North Carolina/Tennessee border sign we were quickly met by the Williams family here on vacation. They were fascinated with our hike and offered us beer, cheese and crackers. Then they also offered us a ride into Gaitlenburg. As we drove the 15 miles down to the valley the clouds disappeared and the sun came out. The town was packed. What a fantasy land. Tons of tourist traps like the ripley's believe it or not museum, haunted houses, multiple restuarants and souvenior shops. PLus Dollywood is only a few minutes away. Pebbles, Cleanshave and I were the biggest attractions in town. People would stop and take pictures of us with out packs on, talk to us about hike, and even wants pictures with us. It was very interesting walking around. We were able to resupply in town then it was time to find lunch. We went into the brew pub for burgers and beer. The first waitress we met said she was cleaning a table off for us. It was the farthest one from the customers. We must have some great hiker oders. Good food and happy hour price beers. Great lunch.Then it was time to hitch back to trailhead. After a few minutes we were picked by a couple looking for the vistor center and thought it was the same place. Well, two miles later they pulled into the visitor center. Back to the road to stick our thumbs out again. A few minutes later, a women with a pickup truck pulled over and said hop in the back. We climbed back up the hill and back into the clouds. WE thanked for the ride and she said "both her sons are cops and they hate the 3 things she does, smokes, gambles and picks up hikers" as she was one her way to casino. A trifecta.Finally, headed back into the woods around 5. Four miles later we were at the shelter buzzing from the days events. At the shelter we ment the circus group, just a crazy group of hikers. Alot of fun to be around with some very strange stories. The temp outside dropped quickly when sun went down but we started a great fire inside the shelter so it will be toasty tonight. What a great day on trail. Amazed by the kindness strangers have given me. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Date: 2011-04-23
From: Ice Water Spring

To: Cosby Knob
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: clear sky

Last full day in the Smokys and they didn't disapoint. First, full day of sunshine in the Smokys. A lot of long ridgewalks with amazing views. I was able to see just how rugged the smokys really are. We never dipped below 5000 feet all day and the trail was very gradual. It was a fairly easy 20 mile hike with enough time to take long breaks along the ridge.More trail magic from a day hiker. He gave me a pack of gum and some powerbars as we chatted about the trail. He hopes to thru-hike in the near future. With it being the weekend in the smokys alot of weekend hikers are out in full force. The shelter was very crowded but I was still able to squeeze in.
Date: 2011-04-24
From: Cosby Knob

To: Max Patch Summit
Miles today: 24.0

Last day in the smokys. A quick 8 mile hike down to davenport gap the smoky mountain are behind me. I will be coming back to hike them again, hopefully when all the flowers are in bloom. I also found out today was easter sunday on trail in passing from another hiker. Then waiting for us right outside the smokys, more trail magic. Mark Jones, an AT section hiker had set up a grill to cook up been and cheese quesidillas. He also had fresh fruit, gatorade, and candy bars for hikers passing through. It was great magic and we all spent a good hour eating. Two miles later we passed through Standing bear farm. Another amazing hostel for hikers with short term resupply. Again hung out their for over an hour eating ice cream until about 3 when we decided to hike on. It was a tough climb out but we made to ground hog creek shelter by about 7:30. Pebbles and I decided we wanted to camp up on Max Patch summit, a fully exposed grass bald, that night so after a quick dinner of creamy garlic shells and some yuengling lager from some other hikers, I had enough calories to make it the final 7 miles up max patch.The light started to fade and by 9:30 we were under head light hiking through the woods. The forest at night is a differnt place. Very quiet. It was clear sky so the stars came out in full force. We summited max patch around 10:30. What a unique experience. 360 degree views looking down on the surrounding towns and sky full of bright stars. We could even see cars winding around the mountain roads. After taking in the experience it was time to set up my tent which I faced east for sunrise.
Date: 2011-04-25
From: Max Patch Summit

To: Deer Park Mnt
Miles today: 16.6

I woke up about 6 and was able to catch a great sunrise on top of Max patch. After breaking camp quickly, I laid my sleeping bag out in the grass and passed out again. Cleanshave woke me us up around 9:30 when he arrive on the summit. I finally got the motivation to pack up and hit the trail about 10. It was a slow lazy day on trail and just strolled the 16 miles to shelter.It was a sad end of the day though. Just as I arrived to shelter after filling up my water, my left shoulder strap broke. After a good duct job I figured it should be able to make into Hot springs tomorrow to see if I can get it fixed. First little mis-hap on trail.
Date: 2011-04-26
From: Deer Park Mnt

To: Elmer's Hostel
Miles today: 3.2

The duct tape strap seemed to hold well for the 3 mile walk into town. CLeanshave, pebbles and I arrived about 9 just in time to get a hot breakfast at the dinner we didn't have to cook and wasn't oatmeal or poptarts. Coming out of the dinner was Goldie and Checklist. We haven't seen them since fontana and it was great to meet up again. Also, Raisins, we I met back in Georgia was in town. He passed me when I was passed on max patch. They all decided to zero in town tonight and hike out with us tomorrow.After a big breakfast we checked into Elmers hostel. An old victorian house reconized as a national historic site. What an amazing place. Hot springs is a great little town. One main street with 1 bar, an outfitter, library, post office, a couple restuarants and small markets. A great trail town.After spending some time on the phone with EMS I was able to get them to send me a new pack to Erwin, TN a few days away. SO in the end it all worked out. Put some more duct tape on and it should hold the 60 some odd miles to Erwin.Finished the night off at the bar with all the hikers in town. We were the only people in the place. A fun night for all but im ready to get back on the trail tomorrow.
Date: 2011-04-27
From: Elmer's Hostel

To: Spring mtn shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I got a late start leaving Hot Springs. After a pretty big good breakfast at the hostel it was time to resupply. Again as usual I got way to much food, 7 days worth for a 4 day journey to the next town. Oh well. Finally left Hot springs around 11:30. It was a pretty gradual start as I planned to make it to the shelter 20 miles away. With a storm about to strike and just leaving town I wasn't feeling very motivated. Traveled with Pebbles most of the day and took a lot of long breaks.Made it to the 1st shelter 11 miles in as the clouds became darker. In the shelter register I noticed 9 other hikers had already made the push to the next shelter before the rains came. This shelter was empty so instead of heading to next shelter and probally getting rained on, I decided to take a dry spot in the shelter. A few other hikers wandered in and we ended up squeezing 8 people into the 5 person shelter with a tarp drapped over the front. The storm came in very fierce. Hit winds and heavy rains beat down on the shelter walls. We were all dry and warm inside though. In my opinion a good decision to stay. Will try for 30 tomorrow so I can make the post office in Erwin by noon.
Date: 2011-04-28
From: Spring mtn shelter

To: Flint mtn 
Miles today: 21.3

The storm last night was intense but by morning it was lightly misting which eventually stopped by 10. Tons of trees were scattered across the trail. A lot of new obsticals to climb over and under. Last nights storm did some serious damage to the trail. I found out later from another hiker who was in town that a tornado hit this area. The winds circled up around the high peaks and then hit they valley below. Tornados hit as far as Mississippi and in this county alone 4 people were dead with 3 still missing. It was a very intense storm.As far as hiking went, Pebbles and I were trying to push 30 today to make out mail drop. Aside from climbing over trees the terrain wasn't to tough. We strolled into flint mnt shelter about 21 miles away to find Checklist, Goldie, and cleanshave waiting for us. It was great to see all them and that immediatly made my decision not to push on. I guess I will have to zero in Erwin and get my new pack on monday. I need to slow down anyway to walk into trail days in mid may. It was great night at the shelter with group back together.
Date: 2011-04-29
From: Flint mtn 

To: Bald mtn 
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Another slow start on trail. I feel mentally drained today because I was trying to chase mail. Now that plans have changed I can just relax and enjoy the walk. It was a slow day on trail with many long breaks. When I arrived at shelter for lunch, cleanshave had found a lost dog. Apparently the dog's owner just passed away. He always took the dog for hikes so now that it's hiker season the dog just wanders along the trail. He called the owner and returned the dog at the next road crossing. Unfortunally no trail magic for him. At the shelter however, someone had left a few cans of cold beers in the rafters. A nice find.After walking through the trees all day I came upon a rock in the sun. Laid for while and ended up taking a 45 minute nap on trail. It was great. Then I started my climb up big bald. As I gained elevation the winds picked up and tempture started to drop. The top was a fully exposed bald with 360 degree views. It was to cold and windy to stay longer than for a few pictures and I was off to the shelter.At the shelter cleanshave and goldie had gathered a ton of firewood and had big fire going when I arrived. We also had a gerat view for sunset. It was a great night with great company. Loving the AT more everyday. Onto Erwin tomorrow.
Date: 2011-04-30
From: Bald mtn 

To: Uncle Johney's Hostel
Miles today: 16.9

Another good day on trail. Easy terrain and slow moving. A former thru-hiker set up trail magic. Grilled corn and potatoes, soda, candy, and fresh fruit. Every thing I wanted. I spent over an hour there just chillin and eating until finally I decided it was time to hike on. Made into Erwin, TN to uncle Johney's hostel. A decent place but they offer a lot of free shuttles around town. Unfortunately, I need to zero here so I can pick up my pack on Monday. Turned out to be a fun night drinking with foreigners. Checklist and I played German drinking games with Pigeon and oopah from the Netherlands. Those German's can drink.
Date: 2011-05-01
From: Uncle Johney's Hostel

To: Uncle Johney's Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

It was very relaxing day. I didn't really want to zero and of course the sun was out today. I just wanted to hike on. I was able to resupply and it was interesting sitting around the hostel watching new faces come and go. Most of the hikers I have never met before, most of them are real fast and have been doing 25+ days from the start.Lazy day.
Date: 2011-05-02
From: Uncle Johney's Hostel

To: Curley Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.2
Weather: broken clouds

I was able to get on the 1st shuttle to the post office. My new pack was their waiting for me and I was able to send my old one back to EMS. I wanted to get on trail as soon as possible to day so instead of waiting another hour for the shuttle I decided to hitch out. I was picked up my an old lady in a Caddy. She is the first one to inform about Bin Laden. Back at the hostel it was the main topic of discussion as the morning newspaper arrived while I was gone.It took me a little over an hour to finally figure out how to pack my bag. It is 5 liters smaller, everything fits but it's just different. About 11 cleanshave, goldie and I hiked off. It was only 1.2 miles to the NOC rafting outfitter where I hoped to buy more fuel. Their was some guy waiting there and asked us if we wanted to go white water rafting. He said he would even pay for us. So year absolutely we took a free rafting trip down the Nolichucky river. That was my first experience white water rafting and it was a ton of fun. I only fell out of the raft once. Goldie fell 4 times.Although I wanted to hike bigger miles today it turned out to be a great day. 4 miles hiking, 8 miles paddling. That was some great trail magic. Dan the guy who bought the rafting seemed so normal at the time. Then when he got to the shelter he asked where the trash can was and if their was a changing area. It took him all day to hike 4 miles and he wants to do 20 tomorrow. Don't think so buddy.
Date: 2011-05-04
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: scattered clouds

It was a restless night. The temperature dropped below freezing. I couldn't get comfortable tossing and turned trying to stay warm. I couldn't get out of my bag until 8:30 and wandering around outside all the leaves and flowers were glazed over with ice. It was a cold morning and their was not chance of drying out my wet cloths. It was an extremely cold day on trail. It starting to rain on me early and when I stopped for a quick breather I noticed that they were balls of ice that were stinging me. Their were no views with the low lying clouds but every now and again I could see Roan Mountain. It was white, covered with ice and snow. It was another unique day on trail hiking past all the trees glazed over with ice. Finally got up and over Roan, the last 6000 foot mountain until NH. At the top the ranger told me the temperature was below freezing and expected to get down into the teens tonight.After Roan we traversed over 4 separate balds. All the tall grass was glazed over with ice. Just an amazing experience. Finally made it to shelter which was a covered Big red barn. Great views from the shelter and even a good view from the privy. It's going to be another cold night on trail though.
Date: 2011-05-05
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Mountaineer Shelter
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

It was another restless night inside the barn. I had every layer of clothing on to stay warm. I woke up at 7 but didn't crawl out of bag until 8. The sun was out and I was able to dry my gear. I was able to get on trail by 10.The morning temperature was still crisp but the hiking in the sunshine was very enjoyable compared to yesterday. In the morning I climbed two fully exposed balds with 360 degree views. It great to be up their on a cloudless day. Then their was long gradual down hill which past into Tennessee. Officially my 3rd state even though I've been hiking along its border for a few hundred miles.I made it to the road by one and made a quick decision that I wanted pizza for lunch. So i decided to hitch the 3.5 miles into Roan Mnt and I was quickly picked up. My 2nd time being picked up in Cadillac. When the guy where I wanted to go I told him I wanted some pizza and he dropped off at the Smoky Mountain Bakery. Brick oven style pizza, $10 dollars for a 12 inch pizza with any toppings you want. It was some of the best pizza I've ever had in my life. I also got a free soda. After filling up on pizza I did some quick resupply of candy and other snack foods then tried hitching back to the trail. I wasn't was lucky this time and had to walk almost 2 miles until I got picked up. I was to start hiking again at 4 and made it to shelter by 7:15. It was great shelter right above a waterfall. It was a peaceful night with a great fire. Hopefully I'll get a good nights sleep.
Date: 2011-05-06
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 15.6

First decent night sleep in a few days. Slept in until 8 and was on trail by 9. A few miles into my day a light rain came for an hour. Wasn't to bad. I was still able to get a few nice views along the way. It was a very easy 15 miles into the famous Kincora Hostel run by Bob Peoples. What an amazing place to stay. A very comfortable atmosphere. More new faces here. Everyone is excited for trail days next week in Damascus.I was hoping to do some trail maintenance while I was here but Bob isn't going out until after traildays. At the hostel helping out are few thru-hikers who have hiked multiple times. Baltimore Jack has hiked the trail 8 times, Trek is on his 9th consecutive thru-hike, and Seco who has nearly 30,000 miles on trail. It has been very interesting listening to them talk trail and their likes and dislikes. They are all very unique characters.
Date: 2011-05-07
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Today is 1 month on trail. Wow how time flys. Pebbles, Goldie, Cleanshave, and Checklist all showed up when I was out on the morning shuttle for food. It was nice to have familiar faces again. Also Pigeon, Lt Dan, Frizzle, and a few others showed up. No real need for me to zero but I plan on walking into Damascus Thursday. Doing a few real short days.It was a lot fun hanging out with the hikers today both veteran and rookies. Great stories from the veterans. Baltimore Jack gave me some free pizza and constantly brought left over food like guacamole, nachos, and veggies. A very chill night as more familar faces like Sweat Pee, Baby Ruthz, Goopah, and Woodstock showed up later.
Date: 2011-05-08
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Watauga Lake
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

Kincora was a very easy place to zero but a tough place to leave. Today I decided to hike out while Pebbles, Cleanshave, and goldie decided to zero. They all hiked the 1st 2 miles with me to Laurel falls. An impressive 50 foot waterfall were we chilled for almost an hour. Then it was time for me to hike on. It was a very calming day walking along the river. A very gentle day on trail. A lot of flowers have come into bloom. Pink rhododendron surround the trail and bright orange fire azaleas are scattered in between. Also I've noticed a lot more leaves at elevation. Made it Watauga lake were some families were grilling out for mother's day. I was hungry so I sat far enough not to invade their space but close enough to be noticed. Sat in grass and looked at my guide and with in 10 minutes I was invited over to this family table for burgers and hot dogs. Success. 1st real yogi, a hiker method of getting what you want with out asking. Their kindness is best kind of trail magic. Just some great southern hospitality. Finally left the lake and continued down the trail which was a very easy 1.5 miles around the lake to the shelter. A great good of hikers settled in. A few familiar faces, Band Aid kid, day dreamer who I haven't seen since Georgia, and Bear sweats who gave me a beer on arrival. A fun night at shelter.
Date: 2011-05-09
From: Watauga Lake

To: Double Springs 
Miles today: 21.5

Well I wanted to slow down but the terrain wouldn't let me. A very easy day with some great ridge walks. Just hiked along casually and the miles flew by. Pebbles and Cleanshave caught up to me. They are trying to slack pack the 50 miles into Damascus in 1 day. Pretty impressive.Back to back trail magic. A couple former thru-hikers were set up at a road crossing grilling up bacon cheese burgers, with fresh fruit, candy and sodas. This helps me out for dinner tonight because I ran out of fuel. Now I don't have to worry about cooking. Cleanshave decided to stop at the next shelter with me and bear sweats. 30 miles is still pretty good while Pebbles still pushed for Damascus. Well instead of taking my time getting their I will be in Damascus tomorrow. My first real milestone on trail.
Date: 2011-05-10
From: Double Springs 

To: Damascus,Va....Traildays Festivale 
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Arrived into Damascus around 4pm. Another very easy day on trail and more magic on arrival. Candy and fruit. What a great little town. With a population of another 1200 over the next weekend this small town will play host to close to 30,000. Trail days is the biggest backpacking festival in the world and you can feel the excitement from the other hikers. Really looking forward to it.I arrived a lot earlier than expected and I don't really feel like hiking out and hitching back so I guess I'm just going to chill here for a while. A couple of fun bars full of hikers will keep me entertained and tent city will be up and ready on Thursday. Pebbles and Goldie already staked out a spot for us. Let the party begin.Arrived into Damascus mid-day tuesday, 2 days before traildays begins. Instead of hiking out and trying to hitch back and forth I've decided to stay. I guess I can use the rest and will try to beat the crowd out.Getting to town is so exciting. I get to eat real food, drink beer, and just chill with the other hikers. Taking 1 zero is fun, taking 5 is expensive. I spent way to much money in town but had a great time at traildays partying with all the hikers, taking with vendors and just walking around the town. Even on my zero days I still put in at least 10 miles a day. I also got my 1st blister on trail and it was from my crocs. I was able to change out my sleeping bag which takes 2 lbs out of my pack.Traildays is a crazy time with all the hikers taking over this town. I ran into a bunch of people I haven't seen since Georgia. It was interesting talking about how our hikes have been to this point. Cleanshave, Pebbles, Goldie, Checklist, Tiara(Pebbles friend from home who is going to finish the trail with her), Pigeon, Tenderfoot, Wildchild, and Dash all set up camp out in the woods of tent city. What a great time out their drinking around the fire and wandering into other peoples camps and then chilling with them. Saturday afternoon their is the thru-hiker parade when all the hikers march down main street and have a huge water fight with the crowd. It was good time. But I've been in town for way to long and need to get back out into the woods. Time to hike on.
Date: 2011-05-14
From: Damascus,VA

To: Saunder's Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: light rain

After a fun night partying with other hikers in tent city I woke up late and started to pack up my gear. I made my way towards the starting point of the hiker parade. What a fun experience. I haven't hiked in a parade since little league. This was a full on water fight, hikers vs locals. We came prepared with water balloons and squirt guns from the dollar store but were no match for the locals who lined the streets raining water balloons down on the hikers. They also used their garden hoses, full buckets of water, and super soakers to drench us. It was a lot fun. After the parade was over I decided to hike out and left the rest of the group behind. Checklist was starting tomorrow but he had slack packed south to Damascus from 50 miles north. Goldie and Cleanshave are going to leave Sunday and Monday. Pebbles is going back to Kincora to do trailwork and then start from their with her friend.Rains started to fall just as I left town but it was a quick shower and ended before I reached shelter. It was a quiet shelter and its seems I succeeded in getting ahead of the crowd.