morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-04-05
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: scattered clouds

It was a cold night, but I stayed warm in my sleeping bag. There was a very heavy layer of frost on everything in the morning. I was one of the last two people to get packed up and out of the shelter in the morning. You could only see about 100 ft because of the clouds.I bundled up in layers. Capeliene pants and shirt as a base layer and my nylon pants and long sleeve shirt over them. I added my fleece hat and a balakava over that. Then some fleece gloves I picked up at Fontana Dam. I was quite comfortable hiking in these clothes. The the winds were breezy and gusting all day. The sun started to burn through the clouds around 11. I thought this was a good thing, but shortly the ice on the trees started to melt and the wind turned it into a sleet storm under clear blue skies. I stopped at Derrick Knob Shelter for lunch and then headed up to Double Springs Shelter for the night. I got here aroun 5 had dehydrated vegetable lasagna and climbed into my sleeping bag to write a few journal entries. No cell coverage here, so I will post them later. Tonight is going to be very cold again. The next three days are suppose to be cold too. I will reach Clingmans Dome and New Found Gap tomorrow. I am probably going to hitch into Gatlinburg. I can stay warm out here with the night time temps below 20 and daytime highs about 50, but I can't say I enjoy it. A couple days in town to sitout the cold spell sounds good right now.It's 7:20 and time to bundle up for the night. Brrrrr.
Date: 2007-04-06
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: New Found Gap - Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: scattered clouds

I think it was even colder than yesterday when I woke up, but it may just be the shelter didn't hold the heat in as well. I was not as warm through the night and had to rub my feet together to keep them warm. The lower bunks in the shelters seem to be better protected from cool drafts. I tuned in the weather band on my radio last night. It was suppose to be low 20s last night, 14-19 degrees Friday night, and below 15 degrees Saturday night and daytime highs in the 30s.I was up earlier today and out on the trail a little before 8:00. Every thing was covered with frost again. I had decided to get into Gatlinburg for a couple days until it warms up. I had to climb 1100 ft up to Clingmans Dome in the first three miles today. It was overcast again, but there were the best views I have seen so far. There was frost on the trees, some low clouds in the valleys, and some clouds overhead. I stopped often to look and take pictures. I hardly noticed the up hill climb.It was mostly down hill from Clingmans Dome to New Found Gap parking lot. I passed Jubilee and Flint taking a break near the Mt Collins Shelter. I stopped to talk for a few minutes and then moved on. I passed a couple more hikers a few minutes later. About 2 miles from New Found Gap I met Josh and Gabriel walking up the trail with a box of Krispy Kreme donuts and some brownies. I had one of each and talked to them for a few minutes. Josh thru-hiked the AT in 2004. I told them I was planning to hitch into Gatlinburg. They offered to give me a ride if I was still there when they got back to their car. I continued to New Found Gap and the parking lot was full of tourist. A couple men asked me about my hike and talked to me for a few minutes. A lot of people pointed at me and I could here comments about me beibg a hiker. I tried to hitch for about 20 minutes with no luck, then Josh showed up and gave me a ride. We picked up Moby down near the Sugarlands visitor center and headed to Gatlinburg. Moby and I are splitting a room at the Grand Prix Motel. I saw Little Red and the Wolf in town on the way to lunch at the Texas Roadhouse Restaurant.Well I am now up to date on my journal. I hope to upload some more pictures tomorrow along with washing clothes and staying warm.
Date: 2007-04-07
From: New Found Gap - Gatlinburg, TN

To: New Found Gap - Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I spent the day in Gatlinburg. Washed clothes, ate lots of food, visited the Happy Hiker Outfitter, and reviewed the weather forcast.Scholar, TDS, and some more hikers came into town today. Matterhorn and Nobo Hobo headed back to the trail.I will decide in the morning if I am going out or staying another night.
Date: 2007-04-08
From: New Found Gap - Gatlinburg, TN

To: New Found Gap - Gatlinburg, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I woke up and checked the weather forcast again. Low teens expected tonight, so I decided to stay another day. I heard Little Red and The Wolf went back out today. I had breakfast with Scholar and met some more hikers today. It sounds like most people are staying in town another day.I walked around town for a while to kill some time. A black SUV pulled over on the side of the road and 4 more hikers climbed out. It was Sleeping Beauty and Brian, who is now called Couch, and two new hikers, Dritwood and Logan (I think). I have not seen Sleeping Beauty and Couch since I left Franklin a 100 miles back. No sign of Hungus and Earthquake. Sleeping Beauty said they are farther back.The lows tomorrow night are suppose to be back above 20 degrees, so I am heading back to the trail in the morning. Worm has an SUV while his friends and fsmily are here, so he is giving us a ride back to Newfound Gap about 8 AM.It should be just one more night in the Smokies. I'm looking forward to getting back on the trail.
Date: 2007-04-09
From: New Found Gap - Gatlinburg, TN

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Worm gave me, Scholar, B Squared (formerly Moby), and TDS a ride back to Newfound Gap this morning. I started hiking a little after 9 AM. The trail was cold and covered with snow and ice in most areas. I spent most of the day trying not to fall down. A couple hours into the day I cam across two hikers taking a break along the trail. I called out "What's up slackers?". It was Hungus and Earthquake who I hiked with a lot early on but had not seen since the day they slack packed (day hike with little weight in the pack) near Franklin, NC. I stopped and talked to them a while. Scholar and B Squared caught up to us then we all hiked together for a while. We separated again as the day went on and all met again at Tri-corner knob Shelter. Matterhorn, Nobo Hobo, Little Red, The Wolf, Birch, 3 section hikers from Ohio and a couple others were there. The shelter was packed full. It was another cold night in the upper teens or low twenties.I am looking forward to warmer weather to return soon.
Date: 2007-04-10
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: broken clouds

I was the first one up and on the trail today at about 7:30. I was planning a long 18 mile hike to Standing Bear Hiker Hostel. Most of the other hikers were not planning to go as far. It was cold so I got moving as soon as possible. I have not been cold when hiking, just when I am stopped. The morning went by quickly. There were clear skies, no wind, and cool temperatures. A little uphill and then a lot of down hill. I was surprised how quickly I reached Cosby Knob Shelter. I covered about 7.7 miles in 3 hours. I decided to stop and cook my ramen and green beens for lunch. I met Wrong way and Cassey from the NOC out doing a section hike.After lunch it was more downhill. I decided to take the 0.6 mile (one way) trail out to Mt Cremerer lookout tower. It seemed like more than 0.6 miles. I turned a corner and the trail started going down hill. I know the towers are always at the top so I wondered if I had missed a turn. Fortunately there was a day hiker, Jessica, on the trail. She confirmed I was going the right direction. We talked for a few minutes and then I continued on to the tower. Great views from the tower. This would be the last lookout point in the Smokies.When I returned to the AT, I soon caught up with Jessica again. We hiked and talked for a while. I gave her a summary of biodiesel and solar energy. (check out my friends at Piedmont Biofuels, www.biofuels.coop). Jessica is taking a some time off before going to college and may hike the AT herself one day. We talked for about 20 minutes and then she turned off onto another trail to return to her car. B squared was resting where the trails split. We continued down to Davenport Gap Shelter. I signed the journal and took off two layers of shirts. It was now about 65 degrees and no sign of snow or ice anywhere, since the elevation was less than 2000 ft. I am glad to have experienced the cold ice and snow in the Smokies, but also hope I don't see any more on this hike.I am Standing Bear hiker hostel tonight. There are about 10 other hikers here tonight including B squared, Scholar, Chico, YoungnDum, Dirty Ernie, Troll, and Double Bird. I had a pizza and soda for dinner and picked up my resupply box. Tomorrow I will head out towards Hot Springs and should be there in three days. It is suppose to rain all day tomorrow
Date: 2007-04-11
From: Standing Bear Hiker Hostel

To: Roaring Fork Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The forecast for today was morning rain showers changing over to a steady soaking rain for the afternoon. Many of the hikers at Standing Bear decided to take a zero and stay at the hostel. I was optimistic and decided to hike out along with Little Red, The Wolf, and B2. The morning involved a long hike up to the top of Snowbird Mtn where there is an unusual looking FAA tower. The wind was gusting to about 40 or 50 mph on top of the mountain. It almost knocked me over a couple times. The temperature felt like it was in the 30s. I spent a lot of time adjusting my clothing today. It seemed like the weather was changing every time the trail turned. When I would reach the top of a hill it would get windy and cold. I would put on my long sleeve shirt and rain gear. Thirty minutes later it would be sunny and calm and I would start sweating. Some of the day I hiked in shorts and a T-shirt.We stopped for lunch at Ground Hog shelter. Everyone was cooking Ramen. I was the first one back on the trail, but everyone soon passed me. When we reached Brown Gap, Apple had a tent set up and was providing hot dogs and sodas. We spent about thirty minutes there.The clouds were getting darker so everyone wanted to get moving towards the shelter, which was still about 5 miles away. We had to climb over Max Patch on the way. Max Patch is a huge open field on top of a mountain. It is suppose to be a really beautiful place to visit. Today however it was in a cloud and it started raining a couple miles before I got there. You could only see about 100 feet and the trails were sloppy slippery mud.I finally reached Roaring Fork Shelter about 6 PM. I fixed some black beans and rice for dinner. At this point I am just glad to be out of the rain for now. Sleeping in the shelter. The shelter journal says there was a bear here last night that grabbed a guys sleeping bag and started pulling him out of the shelter. The guy yelled and the bear left. I hope the bear doesn't come back tonight.
Date: 2007-04-12
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Deer Park Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

It rained fairly hard last night, so I am glad I was in a shelter. However I did not sleep well. The 3/4 length foam sleeping pad is wonderful when sleeping on the ground, but extremely uncomfortable when sleeping on the wooden platforms in shelters. I have to constantly change positions to avoid pains. There were no bears around last night, but we heard something crunching around the shelter and The Wolf found a cheese and peanut butter cracker in his shoe this morning. Apparently a mouse was storing it for later.My legs were feeling very sore in the morning, but seemed to loosen up after walking a while. I saw Little Red and The Wolf several times throughout the day on the way to Deer Park Mtn Shelter. I slowed down and fell behind when the terrain turned to down hill slopes. My right ankle started hurting a lot. It is actually my shin several inches above the ankle. When I removed my boot this evening I noticed this area is swelled up. I am not sure what caused it. It feels like I kicked something, but I don't remember hitting it on anything. Other than that it was a great day for hiking. I am in my tent tonight for the first time in over a week. You have to sleep in the shelters in the Smokies. I am hoping for my best nights sleep in a while.I am just three miles from Hot Springs, NC and will be headed there for breakfast in the morning. Hot Springs is the first town where the AT goes directly through town. It is well known as a hiker friendly town. I plan to stay there at least two days, depending on what happens with my leg. I will also be going through my gear and trying to reduce weight. I'll check with the local Outfitter and see if I can get a better pair of legs, since my current legs have given me so much trouble.Now for some needed rest on a bed of pine needles! Aaaaah.
Date: 2007-04-13
From: Deer Park Mtn Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC - Sunnybank Inn
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: clear sky

I slept well in my tent last night. I got up early and was on the trail by 7:10 this morning. Little Red and the Wolf left before me and B2 was not to far behind. We all were headed for the same place, the Smoky Mountain Diner for breakfast. I had the breakfast skillet, which was huge. I couldn't eat all of it. The Wolf had the same thing and finished all of his.The AT runs straight down Bridge Street through town. There are trail markers embedded in the sidewalks here. This is one of the 5 towns I have identified as being a great place to spend a few days on the tral. The next will be Damascus, VA. After breakfast I took a walk around town and then back to the Sunnybank Inn at 11:00 to check in. I checked in for two nights, but after checking the weather report a few minutes ago, I am thinking I will stay for a third. It is good for my legs to have time to heal anyway.Hot Springs is great. The local outfitter has a great selection of stuff. I am going to look at changing my shoes, if I can find some that fit tighter so I don't have to wear three pairs of socks. The socks are comfortable, but cause my feet to sweat a lot. I am going to head over to the hot springs spa before 6 PM for the $12/hour soaking in the springs.The Sunnybank Inn is an old Victorian house and its awesome. I am in room 4. I signed up for dinner and breakfast there. Dinner is a 4 course organic vegetarian meal and they say no one leaves hungry! After dinner I'll probably head over to the Paddler's Pub for a while. Unfortunately I cannot upload pictures here. Maybe at the outfitter later.Life on the trail is great.
Date: 2007-04-14
From: Hot Springs, NC - Sunnybank Inn

To: Hot Springs, NC - Sunnybank Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Taking a zero day in Hot Springs today. I went to soak in the hot springs spa yesterday. It was excellent. This morning my right ankle is swelled up about 50% larger than normal today. The left knee has some sharp pains. I am just taking it easy and hoping things feel better tomorrow.Dinner at the Sunnybank Inn last night was excellent! Potato and Zucchinni soup then fresh salad, followed by Pad Thai with tofu, and finished off with ice cream and brownie! I went to the outfitter this morning and bought some Montrail Hardrock trail runner shoes. These are low top shoes that I am hoping won't bother my shin and they fit tighter on my feet so I won't have to wear three pairs of socks. I am going to forward my Merrell boots to Irwin in case these shoes don't work out. I will see how I feel in the morning and then decide if I will hike tomorrow or take another zero day.
Date: 2007-04-15
From: Hot Springs, NC - Sunnybank Inn

To: Hot Springs, NC - Sunnybank Inn
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

I woke up to find my ankle and foot was still swollen. I went outside and found it was cold and rainy. I made the decision to spend another day at the Sunnybank Inn. I stayed around the Inn most of the day, keeping my weight off my legs. I looked through some books on natural building techniques, played a couple games of chess against Blue, chatted with Jay Silver Heels (Tonto's real name), walked up town once for a pretzel and a couple bears with Worm and Miss Graceful. The swelling in my ankle change throughout the day. It seems more dependant on how much vitamin I (ibuprofen) I take more than anything else. My legs feel much better and I am not limping now, so I will be out on the trail again tomorrow. It rained and snowed here all day. The snow didn't stick on the ground here, but you can see it in the hills on the edge of town. The precipitation should end tonight and lows should be above 30 degrees.I have almost 75 miles of trail to cover between Hot Springs and the next town of Erwin, TN. I am planning 5 to 6 days to cover this depending on how my legs are holding up.I have enjoyed my time in Hot Springs and am ready to get back on the trail.   : )
Date: 2007-04-17
From: Allen Gap

To: Big Butt Mtn
Miles today: 13.1

I awoke to another cold morning on the trail. The pain in both my legs made it hard to walk around. I took some ibuprofen and packed my things up. The weather was windy and cold today. I climbed to higher elevations where there was still snow on the ground. The trail was covered in snow and ice in some spots and a mucky mess in others. The terrain was very rocky with some climbing required in spots at Big Firescald Knob. The views were great up on the ridge there. To the west you can see a huge valley in Tennessee and to the East you can see the Appalachian mountains in NC. The trail follows the state borders in this section.I caught up with Tom B on the trail and took several breaks with him today. I also met Bowleg with his dog Bono. I also saw the following hikers today: Blue, Blue Sky and his dog Blue, Dirty Ernie, Worm, and Logan.The weather forecast is for rain tomorrow afternoon through Thursday morning. I am trying to make it to Hogback Ridge Shelter. It is 13 miles and only sleeps 6. I am concerned there may already be 6 there by time I arrive and I will have to set my tent up in the rain.I am camping alone again tonight. I hiked 1.5 miles past the shelter and found a small grassy area with a view of the flat lands below.Overall it was a good day, but I spent most of the day thinking about the problems I am having with my legs and what the best solution is. I may take some time off the trail when I reach Erwin to let my legs recover.
Date: 2007-04-18
From: Big Butt Mtn

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 13.3
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up early this morning and was ready to hike at 6:30. My legs had the usual pain, so I took some ibuprofin and started hiking. About a half hour later I was crossing some rocks at the top of Big Butt Mtn. I placed the ball of my right foot on an inclined rock. When I shifted my weight to my right foot, my leg couldn't hold my weight. My heel slammed down on to the inclined rock forcing my toes towards my knee. It felt like every muscle, tendon, ligament, and what ever else is in the front of my leg was being torn apart. I dropped down on my hands for a few moments and wondered if I would be able to recover from this. After the pains subsided a little, I cautiously got back on my feet and was able to limp along. My right shin felt as bad as when I had entered Hot Springs. The pain stayed with me all day.The day was not all bad. Later in the morning I crossed Hwy 218 and the trail passed through a field and an area with a few homes and barns. Then the trail entered a beautiful lush green ravine with a small creek cascading down through multiple waterfalls. I stopped here and ate my lunch. It was sprinkling most of the morning, but I didn't put on my rain gear. The small amount of water was drying as fast as it hit my clothes. I reached Hogback Ridge Shelter about 3:30 and knew I wasn't going any further. The last few miles today were extremely painful on my legs. I spent a lot of time today wondering what to do about the leg problems I have been having. I was considering staying a day at the shelter and not hiking at all to allow some time to heal. This was probably my worst day on the trail, because I spent so much time thinking about the pain.I am staying in my tent tonight behind the shelter. Birch and Scholar are also tenting. I met Music Man and Hiking Pole today. They started the same day I did, but skipped the approach trail. It is amazing that we have been out here a month and covered 311.8 miles without crossing paths til now. There is a southbound hiker here also. His name is hubcap. He is carrying a 15" VW hubcap that he found along side a road in Vermont.I have been on the trail for a month now and while I have only covered 1/7 of the miles, I am only three days behind my initial 5 month schedule. Longer days and easier terrain allow more miles per day later on. I hope my leg issues don't cause me to loose too many days.
Date: 2007-04-19
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Whistling Gap
Miles today: 13.4

What a difference a day makes. (Please read yesterdays entry before this one.) I woke up and just stayed in my tent for a while this morning. It had rained quite a bit last night and everything was still dry inside the tent. I love my Rainbow Tarptent from Henry Shires.I laid in my tent wondering what I was going to do today. I wasn't going far if anywhere after yesterday, so I was in no hurry to get started. Around 7:00 I heard others stirring around, so I decided to get up. I asked around to see if anyone could spare some ibuprofen because my supply was running low and I was expecting to take more days to get to Erwin, TN. Blue gave me 8 tablets to get me through an extra day. I took some and realized my legs were feeling about average and my shin was not hurting nearly as bad as the yesterday. I packed up my wet tent and decided I would set it up later in the sun to dry. I also decided I was going to go slow and take lots of breaks today. I crossed under I-26 today around 9 AM. About 30 minutes later the trail crossed a big field. The sky was bright blue with a few puffy white clouds. It was beautiful, so I decided to take a break. I set up my tent to dry and pulled out my sleeping pad to lay on in the middle of the field. It was wonderful for about an hour, then dark grey clouds moved in and it started to sprinkle. I packed up and moved on. Everyone from the shelter and a few others passed me on the way up to Big Bald at 5500 feet. It started to rain harder when I was about a half mile from the top. I saw a water tower to the right and hustled over to it. There was a small concrete building next to it. The roof hung over the walls about a foot. I went around to the back and was able to get out of the rain and wind. I decided to cook my lunch and wait for a break in the weather. While I was there the rain changed to sleet and it got pretty cold. I bundled up and stood against the building to stay dry. After about an hour it had changed back to a soft rain and I decided to press on. It was only three more miles to Bald Mtn Shelter. The top of the mountain was in the clouds. The wind was gusting to about 20 mph and I could only see about 100 feet. The trail was very muddy and slick. I could see the foot prints where other had slid ahead of me. The rain stopped as I climbed down the mountain to the shelter. The shelter was packed full with ten hikers hiding from the inclement weather. I was having a great day and wasn't deterred by this weather. I headed back out into some more rain and sleet on my way down to a camping spot at Whistling Gap. I am the only one here. I prepared some macaroni and cheese for dinner and retired to my tent as it got dark. It is amazing the difference a day can make. Today was the best day I have had in a couple weeks. The leg pains seemed minor compared to yesterday. The duct tape is still on my heels from Monday and the blister doesn't hurt. I should reach Erwin tomorrow with three days worth of food still in my pack. Hopefully I can upload some more pictures while in town.