morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2021-05-04
From: Franklin NC, Winding Stair Gap

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: mist

We did not want to miss the bus that comes by the hotel or do a lot of walking this morning because of dark and threatening skies, so we walked across the street at 7 am to go to McDonald¢s. The doors were closed....but the drive thru was open. So we walked down the drive thru and waited....and called out, but no response. Then a car came with a very nice women who let us order first. We walked to the window, got our food, along with buying extra for lunch on the trail, and enjoyed it in the motel room. On the bus up we met Smiles and Jetpack, two women who have completed the PCT and CDT, and are going for the triple crown (that's the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail). As the bus climbed the grade to the pass, it got darker and darker and the rain got heavier. We get out of the bus, and the two women are already across the road when lightning strikes with a thunder clap. We all let out a yell. Smiles is gone in a flash but we leapfrog with Jetpack and ask her questions about the CDT. All the while it is raining hard while lighting and thunder rumble.We leave Jetpack as we climb to the high point of the day, Wymah Bald, that has a two story stone tower and observation deck. As we get to the top, the lighting starts again but eases up for a few minutes as MoJoe and I do a 100 yard dash on the open mountain to get to the tower. Big let down as it leaks, and the enclosure is flooded. Down the mountain we go another 1.5 miles to an AT shelter that is very nice but packed with hikers. Jetpack gets there as we eat our Scottish lunch. Smiles is already there. MoJoe and I are cold, and the rain continues in buckets. But, out the four of us go, but not before MoJoe takes out insulated gloves, and I get my gloves along with biker waterproof glove covers.  Luckily, after about 30 minutes the rain turns to drizzle and we power on to Cold Spring Shelter. We get to the shelter, but it is very small. There are two hikers already there who have totally soaked the inside with their wet packs. Since the rain eased up, all four of us climb a short ridge and quickly set up our tents as the rain starts again. As I type this I¢m trying to get the energy to cook dinner in my tent.
Date: 2021-05-05
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: Sassafras Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: light rain

We had another big day of long descents and long ascents (> 4000¢ up). The highlight of the day was meeting Hannah, another trail journal poster, at Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) totally by chance. She has very humorous well written posts.NOC is a small resort area deep in a gorge along Nantahala River. Did I mention that Nantahala is Cherokee for land of the noon day sun, because that¢s the only time it¢s sunny. There is white water rafting, a kayak course, and a tourist train. We ordered take out lunch and dinner. I ate a steak sandwich while drying my gear and packed pizza for dinner tonight. We also did a quick load of laundry.While walking today I heard a load crack above me and immediately stopped and looked up and saw 2 to 3 inch diameter branch 8 feet long fall exactly where I would have been. Later in the day we heard an even louder crash near us in the forest. All the rain and wind is affecting the trees. tomorrow we head for the tallest east coast dam.
Date: 2021-05-06
From: Sassafras Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Resort
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: broken clouds

We started off with a very cool clear day, and at Cheoah Bald saw a beautiful sunrise view with a few clouds and fog in the valleys.Lots of miles with ups and downs with my legs feeling weak from the day before. Our goal was Fontana Dam Shelter or bust.  As we started our 2,000 foot plus drop into the valley, we were excited to have views of the lake and dam. Our plan was to resupply for four days from the marina at the lake.It was just shy of 5 pm when we got to the highway and marina road combo....and just as we stepped onto the pavement a shuttle pulls up and stops in front of us. We ask the driver about the marina store and a hiker getting off tells us it¢s not good and to go the two miles into town to the grocery store. But this is the last shuttle of the day. So MoJoe and I look at each other and say this is meant to be. As we are driving along, the driver tells us about the resort and hotel rooms, and I say to MoJoe that we are spending the night at the hotel (there were no shuttles back). As we get out of the van at the store, there¢s Jetpack. So we talked and end up having a wonderful delicious dinner with Jetpack and Smiles. Both MoJoe and I ordered to go sandwiches for tomorrow, while Smiles ordered a big pizza to go.On the animal front, I saw rabbit, MoJoe thinks he saw a deer, and we both saw a snake. The snake could have been rattler or a gopher snake.
Date: 2021-05-07
From: Fontana Dam Resort

To: Spence Field Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: broken clouds

I ate chicken waffles for breakfast for the first time this morning at the Fontana resort. Then I found my first joint (fresh, left it on the ground).After breakfast, we caught a shuttle back up to the marina and started on our way at 9:20. We got to walk across the dam (tallest on the east coast, 480¢, concrete gravity). The dam also had two separate sets of horseshoe glory holes as spillway and emergency spillway. After the dam walk, we came to the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Smiles and Jet got there at the same time, and we all dropped our permits in the box.The climb up was cool. The top of the mountain had snow flurries this morning. Luckily, for now I¢m very warm because I¢m in front of a nice fire in a stone fire place. The NPS shelters are beautifully constructed out of stone with ample space to cook. I¢m also on the second deck for the first time in a shelter. I don¢t know what I¢m going to do if I need to pee in the middle of the night. We¢ll see how cold it gets tonight and especially tomorrow morning. Lastly I had a text warning 4 days ago from the NPS about bear activity here. I hung my bear sack on cables.
Date: 2021-05-08
From: Spence Field Shelter

To: Mt. Collins Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

We have now hit the highest point on the AT with a climb to the top of Clingmans Dome at 6,643 feet. At the top, there was a very cool observation tower designed as a curving concrete ramp on columns. It reminded me of a ride in Tomorrowland at Disneyland. The view was nice under a cloud deck along with 20 mph winds and a 45 degree temperature. We also passed the 200 mile rocks.We woke up to a very cold morning in the dark. Last night we had a cacaphony of snorers. There ws the Whistler, the Rumbler, the Wheezer, the Curly, and of course, the Chain Saw. I saw another Ridgerunner today. I forgot to mention yesterday¢s Ridgerunner had one artificial leg and a huge pack. We have another big long day tomorrow to get us within striking distance of I-40 and Standing Bear Farm, a hostel. Happy Trails
Date: 2021-05-09
From: Mt. Collins Shelter

To: Tri Cone Corner Shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was one of the nicest overall trail days. The trail tread was good and the scenery north of Newfound Gap was beautiful. We went around Charlie¢s Bunion where there was a sign that read "Closely Control Your Children," and it was Mother¢s Day. I called Donna from Newfound Gap to wish her a Happy Mother¢s Day and woke her up since it was only 5:45 am in California. Sorry, Donna. We had an ultra distance runner past us that had started at Fontana Dam and was running to I-40, some 70 miles. I got two big holes in my quilt last night and I was covered in feathers. So this evening I was Susie Seamstress sewing up my quilt and then putting Tenacious Tape over it. At the end of the day, 20 hikers or more bunched up at the shelter, and then the rain started. People are going to overwhelm Standing Bear on the trail, so I was able to contact a shuttle and reserve a room at the Best Western. Hopefully, the plan works because we have thunderstorms forecasted for tomorrow. We did find out that, unfortunately, two hikers were struck by lightning last Tuesday when we started out of Franklin. Meanwhile, I¢ve been sneezing like crazy from people storing up ash and trying to start a fire with wet wood.
Date: 2021-05-10
From: Tri Cone Corner Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm Hostel
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: light rain

Wow, what a night. We got to the shelter last night after the top row platform was already all taken and just before it started to rain. Getting there before the rain was good, but we ended up in the sub-platform under the main platform with just two feet between our platform and the underside of the platform above us. I called it the submariners. I figured if the roof leaked the people above us would soak it up.The real rain started around 10 pm. Torrential downpours not seen in Marin. It was so loud it drowned out all the snoring. I stepped out to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night right into the mud bog.We hustled out of the shelter in the morning and made it down the mountain covering 18 miles in just less then 7 hours.Meanwhile, the night before I had lined up a shuttle and hotel in Newport. But the shuttle driver pushed the time ahead to 4:45. So, I cancelled my hotel room and the ride, and we just kept walking to Standing Bear Farm Hostel. When we arrived, we got pizza and resupplied for our hike into Hot Springs. Thankfully, we got a very hot shower. The shower was like being outdoors with a glass bottle wall.  We did some laundry in a sink with a wash board and attempted to dry our clothes with a dryer that didn¢t really dry. No matter, we used our room heater to do the final dry.  Lastly, who showed up but Hannah, the woman who started the trail the same day as us and also writes a fun trail journal. I didn¢t talk to her that much because my soot allergies from last night seem to be a cold and not allergies. It¢s 6:15 and time for bed.
Date: 2021-05-11
From: Standing Bear Farm Hostel

To: Walnut Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: overcast clouds

The night at Standing Bear was very nice in our mini cabin above the creek. The cabin is mostly complete but don¢t take two steps out of the door or you¢ll fall into the creek. Pizza dinner, cabin, and one day resupply was $56 for each of us. The stay included a shower, and hand wash rack and a real dryer.We got to a grade with 3 hikers that started walking ahead of us. They were fast hikers and we lost sight of them. Then MoJoe and I saw a clean wool cap on the trail. I picked it up and three minutes later came upon a hiker checking all of her pockets. I walked up to her and asked if the cap was hers, and it was! Another find.I set up my tent but with only one person in a small log cabin shelter I shifted to the shelter. Then we had hikers come in and take a couple more spots.An amendment for yesterday¢s post is that we had trail magic at Davenport Gap, the second so far. We got to a gravel road and a section hiker, Tumbleweed, was finishing up and gave us pizza slices. It was perfect timing for us to power on to Standing Bear.
Date: 2021-05-12
From: Walnut Mtn. Shelter

To: Sunnybank Inn
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

I was dreaming this morning that someone was banging the hood of my car when I realized heavy rain was beating on the shelter¢s tin roof at 5:15 this morning. What a way to start the day. I did not sleep well, but I needed to get up, get dressed, and head out into the pouring 45 degree rain.MoJoe and I kept a quick pace in the rain making 10 miles in 4 hours before our first break. No views today.MoJoe made reservations at a hostel that is a very old Victorian style house. Elmer lives here with his dog and cat. No laundry at the hostel or in town (went out of business), and no real way to dry our gear (we got a fan and space heater but threaten to blow a fuse), but the hostel has a music room. We tried to do a quick dash to the local cafe then to the Dollar General. Meanwhile, while at Sunnybrook I got weak WiFi (no cell service in Hot Springs) and got a text from my sister-in-law saying she doesn¢t have enough gasoline to drive far. It was confirmed when we went to the Dollar General, and the gas station next door had a sign ¢No Gas¢. Those Russians! At least that¢s what I¢ve been told, Russian hackers. You hike the AT thinking you¢d be away from politics, but noooo..... it follows you everywhere. We had planned for her to pick us up and stay with her overnight at her home in Arden, NC to resupply, do laundry, and all the other miscellaneous things that need to be taken care of. Now, plans may have to change. She says she has enough gas to get us but not enough to take us back or vice versa. Anyone know of someone who is going our way to Arden or Asheville on Saturday? We sure could use a ride. Back at Sunnybrook, the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1840 and was enlarged in 1875. The building has been used as a boarding house for decades. AT hikers have stopped here as early as 1948. We are in Earl Shaffers room, where he stayed in 1948 in what became the first publicized claimed hiking trip in a single season over the entire length of the AT. No one believed it could be done. (Also-notable, the town was used to house WWI German navel officer POWs)One of the highlights to the end of the day, was playing guitar with the caretaker, who played banjo and guitar. We even knew some of the same songs. I¢m taking lots of medication and now off to bed.
Date: 2021-05-13
From: Sunnybank Inn (Hot Springs)

To: Little Laurel Shelter 
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: clear sky

After a pleasant stay at the Inn last night, it was off to an early morning breakfast at the diner. I had the Smokey Mountain Special that comes with gravy and biscuits, hash browns, 3 eggs, and a pile of bacon. I did not finish. Luckily so because we had a 6,000 foot climbing day.At the end of the day, I was feeling pretty good at our effort until an 81 year man and his wife came by, who had also started from Hot Springs, and passed us by to get in another 3 miles or so for the day. Yes they are triple crowners. Jetpack and Smiles also kept going at the end of the day. Jetpack walked with us part of the day, and we leapfrogged a few times.As I was eating dinner, I bit down on hard piece of rice or a pebble, and now have a tooth ¢clicking¢ problem. Nancy, my sister-in-law in Asheville, is going to try to find me a dentist who will see me on Saturday. Yes, Nancy and a friend have enough gas between the two of them to come get us, and we are going to spend the night in Asheville. Woo Hoo.Weather was good today, no rain, mostly clear skies and temps from 45 to 55 degrees. Sleeping in a tent and feeling better.
Date: 2021-05-14
From: Little Laurel Shelter 

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: scattered clouds

At this morning¢s breakfast I was feeling pretty good about things until I spit out a tooth. Actually it was a crown that came off from last night¢s hard Knorr rice debacle. So I texted the info to Donna and Nancy and by the end of the day Nancy was able to get me in to see her dentist Sunday morning. I told them they moved mountains and molars to get me a dentist.This of course throws off our fine hiking rhythm. I told MoJoe he can continue on without me, but he¢s staying with me even with the many unknowns. MoJoe¢s phone is also malfunctioning, maybe because of a bad battery, so he¢s going to see if he can get it replaced.Meanwhile, on the trail, we had many fine views down into the developed valleys below us as we navigated boulders on Big Firescald Knob and Big Butt (really). But, what would the day be without rain. First, we had a hail downpour just when we were passing a shelter and were able to take refuge. A little while later, we had more hail, then some sunshine, then about an hour of rain. The day ended up cold and partly sunny
Date: 2021-05-15
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: SamÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap, I - 26
Miles today: 2.4
Weather: few clouds

It was a big day today where a lot got done thanks to many, many people. We came off the mountain and were met by my sister-in-law, Nancy, and her friend Teresa. Teresa was so kind to drive the 45 minutes up and then back to Asheville because Nancy still could not find gasoline. Teresa also drove us directly to an electronics repair store so that MoJoe could have his cell phone battery replaced. Nancy and Donna both worked really hard to find a dentist to see me on the weekend. Nancy was finally able to contact her dentist, Dr. Adam Hodges, who was willing to see me at 5 pm on a Saturday to work on getting my crown back on my tooth. He was an awesome guy and did a great job repairing the tooth. I was lucky that I had the crown and that there was no decay or other structural problems. Thanks Dr. Hodges!We also fit in lunch at a great specialty taco outdoor restaurant, the White Duck, and a supermarket run. Then we got pie at a pie store. Then on to REI for food and a few gear repairs. Earlier, Donna had sent a box to Nancy's with my Patagonia R1 (colder than I thought), new CNOC bag (existing leaks), and cookies for everyone (delicious). I added a OR cap (sun hat not working in rain), and Nancy previously picked me up new Kuhn convertible pants (a zipper broke on the ones I'm wearing) and wool socks (I think the Darn Tough gave me the rash, not poison ivy)Nancy and Ted have a beautiful new house along the 12th fairway of a golf course. While eating dinner on their screened porch MoJoe saw our first black bear wander across the golf course. I missed out by the time I got up to look.The dinner was takeout from a really good restaurant, I had baby back ribs and this great corn side dish, plus key lime pie.So, by the end of the evening we are well fed, showered, laundered, and have a working phone and working choppers. MoJoe is ready to go, but I¢m too pooped to finish up my food sorting and packing for the next leg.
Date: 2021-05-16
From: SamÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Gap, I - 26

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: broken clouds

We had a wonderful time in Asheville thanks to Nancy and Ted. We went to breakfast at the Broken Egg this morning. Breakfast was very good, I had a smoked salmon eggs benedict. Ted and Nancy drove us to the trailhead, and off we went with tooth and phone repair behind us.We went over Big Bald in the morning which provided nice vistas. We came upon a SOBO women with two Red Bone Hounds with trackers following her. They were not her dogs, and she was laughing that she was being tracked. About 40 minutes later we came upon two more Red Bone Hounds going north with trackers. They saw us and stopped, and the male started growling and being aggressive. I thought that if I was mauled to death at least they would be able to find me with the collar trackers. MoJoe and I talked to it nicely, and then when it relaxed, we took two steps until it growled again. We did this repeatedly until we were able to pass the dogs.Tonight is my first bed in Tennessee, but there ain¢t no privies in Tennessee, or bear cables for that matter. For some reason, as someone told me, Tennessee shelters do not have privies. When we got here this evening, MoJoe and I were thinking about tenting, but someone said that heavy rain is forecasted from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m., so we changed plans and packed into a small concrete block shelter with four other guys.
Date: 2021-05-17
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 23.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We had a fairly peaceful night even with all us hikers packed like sardines in the shelter. We were all early risers and MoJoe and I were walking by 6:45. An early start was good because we needed to do almost 6,000 feet of climbing today.Down the mountain we went and across a major river in the Nolichucky Gorge. We passed by Erwin, Tennessee where most hikers were headed to have food or stay the night. Up we went through a lovely forest with a rushing stream. We saw a medium size snake with brown, tan and black marks. Don¢t know what it was (not a rattler), maybe a copperhead. Near a shelter and behind a log, I found a bear vault with just two coffees in it. I kept the coffees but put the expensive bear vault in the Shelter. The day¢s highlight was as we crested the Beauty Spot (a bald) on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. The bald offers a panoramic view of the Cherokee National Forest. Some people in a nearby parking area waved us over. They were part of the Billville group returning from the annual Trail Days Festival and hosting Trail Magic. I got a beer, a chicken wing, and corn chips. They were very nice and claim to be the longest continuous trail group going to Trail Days, the largest backpacking event in the world. AT Trail Days was last weekend in Damascus. We just missed it. We will be there in the next few days.MoJoe and I are currently the only people in a shelter tonight, but there are lots of tents around us. We had threatening skies this afternoon but no rain today. Two days in a row with no rain! Woo hoo!
Date: 2021-05-18
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Stan Murray Shelter
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: overcast clouds

We had a peaceful warm night last night with just MoJoe and me in the shelter. We took off early and a few miles down the trail nature called for MoJoe. As I sat down on a log to wait, a big coyote came bounding between MoJoe and me and stopped to look at me. MoJoe made some noise and the coyote thought it was between two predictors and took off fast. The big climb of the day was a 2,200 ascent of Roan Mountain. We went past the highest shelter in the AT at over 6,000 feet. We won¢t get this high again on the AT until Mt. Washington in NH.As we came down, we stopped at a parking lot and a nice gentleman offered to take our trash. He has hiked the trail before, and we asked his trail name: Three Fingers. You guessed it, he was missing his ring finger. He lost it by hooking his ring on the edge of a pick up truck. Ouch! We are back in a shelter tonight by ourselves. It has been overcast, cool, and threatening rain for the last three days, but no rain!
Date: 2021-05-19
From: Stan Murray Shelter

To: Upper Laurel Fork
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Little Hump and Big Hump Mountains were tackled first thing this morning. The views would have been spectacular as they are big grassy knobs, but we were encased in a cold blowing fog. The prior night went well for me although a bit cold as the wind blew into the shelter. MoJoe, on the other hand, was startled by a mouse running over his head.As we came down off the peaks, it got warmer and the skies cleared. It turned out to be a beautiful warm day. We have been dodging in and out of North Carolina and Tennessee, but today we said farewell to North Carolina for good. We also passed the 400 mile sticks.I got a little dehydrated this afternoon and ended up drinking 2.25 liters of Nuun electrolytes to get my energy back. We saw a beautiful 5 inch long tortoise in some grass (took a pic if someone can ID it), and we passed a nice small cemetery in the middle of a forest. Tonight we are camped at the confluence of two creeks, so I hear the gurgling of the creeks. Tomorrow is a question mark as to where we stay. We need to resupply about 20 miles out at Hampton, TN for the last push to Damascus, VA.