morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2023-03-15
From: Standing Indian Shelter

To: Long Branch Shelter
Miles today: 17.2

Hiking Day 8Standing Indian Shelter to Long Branch Shelter 102.1-85.9= 17.2 Ending elevation 4431 feetWe woke up to an ice cold morning at 29 degrees, it was all we could do to pack up and get moving.Too cold to eat, we would do that in a couple hours when we found some sun and left the wind.Since entering North Carolina, I notice that we are going up, hiking along at more than 4,000 feet and frequently over 5,000 feet. Also, the ascents are amazingly steep. On the approach to Mt Albert (5,189 ft) we climbed forever, even at one point up a log ladder. It was grueling, but at the top we were rewarded with some of the best views we¢ve seen: the mountains blue across the Coweeta basin. Lots more rhododendron forests¢¦now with droopy leaves; Kerry says the ice does that and that the ice/freeze and that they will recover. I figured out that we are also seeing wild azaleas (shorter bushes and smaller leaves).In Georgia, the path was relatively clear, but here we are navigating blow downs frequently: many are recent but I think some have been here for awhile.We saw the most wonderful icicles hanging from rocks and amazing ice formations almost since the first day, Ice that looks like shards of glass, like flowers and some like hair growing out of the ground. Kerry has some photos of them.We were walking most of the day in black mud, deceptively slippery¢¦we had a couple of close calls in the spill department. Night has come and we elected to stay in the shelter again tonight. It¢s warmer, so I¢m hoping to sleep better.People we met (staying here tonight)Melanie and Andy walking home to MaineGutterpunch from SC, served in the military and loves dogsIn the shelterKaty, Melissa and Nicole Nimo on a SB section hike. Cancer survivors.FirewalkerUpstairsJenHoliday and Chaps are here too
Date: 2023-03-16
From: Long Branch Shelter

To: Wayah Gap
Miles today: 13.2

Hiking Day 9Ending elevation at Wayah Gap 4,143 feetWhat a day! First of all, Kerry and I agree that Long Branch was the best shelter we have stayed in, so far. Fairly new, it boasted two floors. The roof was only high enough to sit in and in spite of bumping our heads several times, we found the smaller space marginally warmer (that might have been psychological, because it was, in fact, warmer last night). The one complaint I have is that we had snorers on both side of us and, add insult to injury, one of them, having had a great night¢s sleep, started banging around at the crack of dawn and woke us up from our only restful sleep all night. Oh well!We had hoped to cover the next thirty two or so miles to NOC in the next two days but we have been watching the weather all week and the forecast is for rain tomorrow, followed by heavier rain toward nightfall. Having the option of going into Franklin and avoid the rain and cold was too tempting to pass up. We walked the 3.7 miles to Rock Gap, breakfastless against the cold again, to be greeted by the Captain who offered us hot dogs and hot coffee, which were gratefully accepted. One might think we would be tired of hot dogs or at least not interested in them for breakfast and one would be wrong. We were hungry and it was cold¢¦.the food and hot coffee, and a cookie thrown in, we¢re perfect.As we were sitting there, Zen, from Gooder¢s Grove Hostel showed up. He was driving hikers up to Wayah Gap, 9.5 miles ahead to slack pack back. He offered for us to join the group and since we will lose tomorrow to the rain, we accepted¢¦.and that¢s how we were able to walk the extra miles today, not quite as far as we planned but close enough!It was another stunningly blue day walking up and down mountains covered in the grey dormant trees whose branches, like the arms of wraiths, appeared to stretch up to touch the sky. As the day wore on, we started to smell smoke¢¦.apparently a prescribed burn near Helen.As I write this, I¢m sitting in a real bed, freshly showered (again) awaiting my clean clothes to finish in the laundry. We feel totally spoiled¢¦.this is not the West Coast backpacking we are used to!Felix, having had a great doggy day (like us a long walk without his pack) and now, a full tummy, is blissfully asleep on the floor beside us.People we met todayDanny BoySeveral dogs with their people on the trailRest Stop, Double Back and Thumper with whom we shared the ride to Wayah Gap and who are also staying at the hostel.Lots of other people too.
Date: 2023-03-17
From: Zero Day 2

To: Franklin, North Carolina
Miles today: 0.0

Zero Day 2, Franklin North Carolina Kerry and I shared a king bed at Gooder Grove Hostel last night but I did not sleep well. I tossed and turned and counted several hundred sheep but my sleep was restless.And today was a shockingly sad day. We got up and had a luxurious cup of coffee in the kitchen when Tennessee Slim, Zen¢s helper, came in in tears. Zen, the kindly, middle-aged man who owned the hostel died last night. He picked us up at the trailhead yesterday and we drove with him down a long dirt road to Deep Gap to drop off another hiker, Campbell, before driving into town where we bought dinner for all of us at Bojangles on Zen¢s recommendation. In the few hours we knew him he told us his Dad, who died in 2012, had owned the Macon County News (newspaper) where he had worked with him with a particular interest in investigative reporting. These days, not in touch with his mother, brother and sister (he seemed a little wistful about this), it was obvious that he put heart and soul into the hostel and shuttling/taking care of his hikers. He was intense, taking calls, sorting out logistics and staying on top of a hundred details every minute we were with him.When you walked into the hostel, there was a sign that read, ¢3 Rules: 1) Be kind, 2) Be kind to clean and 3) Be helpful to others.¢Today a constant gray rain fell, and even though it was expected, it felt like the sky was mourning Zen. The police and EMS workers came and the work of shutting down the business, diverting hikers and canceling shuttle and other obligations began with help from some of the hikers who had been there for awhile.We had a reservation at the Saphire Motel in Franklin because Zen had already told us he only had room for us for one night¢¦so there we went. Jen came too. I had been thinking that the trail was an allegory for life, one foot in front of another, one day at a time, but perhaps it is also an allegory for death¢¦.you can¢t know with any certainty when the journey will end.We met Shera (pronounced, She-ra) again¢¦he told us that He was walking on the Florida Trail and 600+ miles in, someone threatened to string him up and hang him. This combined with other frightening incidences convinced him to come North and switch to the Appalachian Trail, which is how we met him.On a happier note we met Turtle (again, I think) and his 15 year-old dog, Pup. He showed us how to make a rain poncho for Felix and gave us some other sage tips for hiking the AT with a dog.In the evening we went to a Mexican restaurant with Jen and then on to the ¢Lazy Hiker¢ for more conversation, some good local music and a beer¢¦a nice ending to a rather sad day. Tomorrow, we have an early start! Back to Wayah Gap!
Date: 2023-03-18
From: Wayah Gap

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)
Miles today: 21.4

Hiking Day 10! Ending Elevation 1727 feetToday, we intended to hike to Weser Bald Shelter about 16 miles away, but decided to push on to Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) because temperatures over the next few days are projected to go as low as 10 degrees and given the opportunity to sleep inside we thought it was worth going the extra miles to make it happen. We¢re not sure what we will do tomorrow¢¦I¢m going to sleep on it!The results of yesterday¢s rainstorm were on full display in the trees high on the mountains. Climbing up to Wayah Bald the trees had held on to the rain and turned it into little hairs which flew off them like snow when wind blew. The white forest gave the appearance of looking at trees covered in spring blossoms. One mountainside looked like it was covered in enormous balls of white crystals, while other more distant ridges had silver ridges. A magical winter wonderland, three days from the spring equinox!It was cold¢¦.Kerry saw the temperature drop o 22 degrees on the North side of Wayah Bald near the top. The temperatures rose by 10 degrees when we periodically went lower and walked on the leeward sides without the wind.We stayed high most of the day and walked ridges with amazing views on both sides. When we weren¢t enjoying the views, we were negotiating the numerous blow downs which were especially wicked coming down from Weser Bald to the NOC. More trail magic, sadly, the Burningtown Baptist Church turned out in force to share hot dogs and other food at Burningtown Gap, but at 1:15 we were the only hikers they had seen all day. They were disappointedly packing up, the hot food already gone but they kindly shared bananas and cake with us. We were suitably grateful!One funny thing¢¦about half way through the day, Kerry looked down at his pants and declared I was wearing his pants! It was true, somehow we¢d swopped in the darkness of the morning and not realized it! I thought my pants were big and couldn¢t figure out how I was losing all that weight!Helene, the owner of Gorge Us Stays picked us up about 8 PM (yes, we had some night hiking!) and brought us here. We showered, washed our clothes (again, what a luxury¢one might think we¢re out for a stroll), shared a frozen pizza and some chili. Then blessedly, SLEEP!People we met today"Thumper" (from Gooder Grove)¢¦returning home to CanadaRobert, as usual, the English guy, passed us"Just Try" and "Black," day hikers at Wayah BaldLots of day hikers
Date: 2023-03-19
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 13.6

Hiking Day 11We slept better last night¢¦the sleep of the very tired¢¦and warm. Helene drove us back to the NOC and I bought a sandwich for lunch and some snacks. I also bought an OR hat to keep the sun off my face. Today I wore a beanie, a fleece hat with the sun hat on top. I think I must have looked ridiculous, but I needed all three. We finally left the NOC at 10 a.m. this morning. It was bitterly cold today, the high 36 and the low 18 degrees. Kerry and I commiserated that the bones in our faces hurt from the cold.That said, the sun shone golden on us and kept our spirits up. There was still plenty of ice on the ground but the magic in the trees was gone; blown away on the wind. In addition to the usual mountains we climbed up and down, there were plenty of icy wind blown ridge lines to walk along.We had hoped to spend the night at Brown Fork shelter two miles farther on, but due to our late start, it would have been nightfall before we got there. We saw Jen in the mid afternoon and we all decided that it might be better to stop at Stecoah Gap and go to a hostel. She found Craig, at Cabin in the Woods, and he had space for us all in one room. We gladly made the reservation.When we got to Stecoah Gap, a team of people were just wrapping up an all day trail magic event, and they offered us drinks and chips, which, as usual, we accepted gratefully. Craig took us back to his house and fed us pizza and beer. We met Fitzi, another hiker staying there while waiting out a leg injury.It was a good day. Tomorrow it is supposed to start warming up¢¦I hope so because the day after tomorrow we head into the Smokies.People we met today: besides Jen, we met one other older hiker (didn't get his name) on the trail today, and "Fitzi," staying with Craig at Cabin in the Woods,
Date: 2023-03-20
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Fontana Dam Road
Miles today: 13.7

Hiking Day 12: Ending Elevation 1,759 feetThe first day of spring and this morning, for the first time in days, the temperatures climbed from 26 degrees at 9 a.m to the 50s by afternoon. The sky was blue and the sun was shining¢¦this always makes me happy!East of the San Francisco Bay, where we live, stands 3,849 foot Mt. Diablo. On that mountain is a very steep trail called Burma Road. It is so steep that going down it is a bit scary¢¦once you get going it¢s hard to stop. Our friend, Scott Williams claims going up this trail is the best preparation for the AT. Today, we went up the equivalent of Burma Road at least 10 times¢¦and down it too! It was that kind of day.The woods are quiet¢¦you can see forever through the tall trees, and it all looks gray and brown against the endless dead leaves on the ground. It¢s almost as though the animals have left for warmer, greener climes. I don¢t think they¢re hiding, because Felix would know¢¦he¢s very curious. Every once in a while he puts his ears back or sniffs the air, but it¢s usually another hiker. I think the animals will return when the trees leaf out and there¢s more food and places to hide. We haven¢t even seen a squirrel!There aren¢t a lot of birds either, we hear the occasional bird: woodpeckers and owls, but not a lot of bird chirping. Reminds me of Keats: ¢The sedge is withered from the lake, And no birds sing.¢We did see a single Robin yesterday at the NOC.We thought about going on to the Fontana Dam Shelter tonight, but as we pulled up to Fontana Road, the last bus of the evening was leaving for Fontana Lodge and the thought of a good meal before our foray into the Smokies was too much providence to turn down, so we didn¢t. We had a great meal and a shower and tomorrow we head into the Smokies, so we will be offline for a few days.At the lodge we met up with some other hikers we have met along the way. We¢re enjoying meeting different people from different states that we would never know, but for the trail. I am so grateful we got to sleep warm the last few very cold nights. I worry most about Felix who Is not used to temperatures below freezing, but things are looking up¢¦Some people we met today:"3P" (as in 3 professors)"No Doubt""Freeze"We reconnected with "Holiday" and of course, Jenn
Date: 2023-03-21
From: Fontana Dam Road

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 13.4

Hiking day 13, Ending elevation 4,580.We picked up some odds and ends (food) at the Fontana Marina to see us through the Smokies, and then headed across Fontana Dam and started up into the mountains on the other side. A repeat of yesterday in reverse! It was 10 a.m. before we got going but we made pretty good progress and arrived at the shelter some time after 5. The Park Service makes it clear they want hikers to stay in the shelters and we plan to comply!I was very proud of myself¢¦the permit I applied for required an estimated entry date to traverse the park and I had given March 21 as a wild-assed guess¢¦and here we are entering the park on the very date!We met a lot of new people today, I sense this is part of the experience on the AT, people pass each other for a while and the people you see change over days and weeks. Another allegory for life, perhaps? People become very close for a short time, sometimes they remain in one¢s life, but more often than not they¢re gone and we¢re off to new experiences. Later, Snail, a slow hiker, was lamenting this very experience.The sun shone today but tomorrow it will rain, at least it got up into the 60s today. This is our first night back outside in the last five¢¦.it should be warmer although at this elevation who knows?One more thing¢¦our first deer today, thankfully, Felix didn¢t see them.I¢m thinking about the Hendricks martini I had last night¢¦it had 5 olives, which I shared with Kerry (3), Jenn (1) and one for me¢¦I¢m really just a one olive woman! The memory will have to keep me going until the next one!Some People we met today:"Spartacus"Levi"Snail""Oz""Drive Thru" and "Frosty" (we met on the Fontana Lodge Shuttle)"Mountain Turtle"
Date: 2023-03-22
From: Mollies Ridge Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.1

Hiking Day 14: Ending Elevation 4,869 feetThe rain started last night, pattering on the translucent roof from the early hours of the morning. It was forecast to begin clearing by 11 a.m. instead it lasted all day. In fact, it became more intense as the day wore on. Eventually, it stopped late in the evening.We walked along in fog¢¦a cloud filled with rain all day and on the high ridges icy wind made sure we stayed cold and miserable. Even the little poncho we made for Felix fell apart after 8 miles so he was a wet doggy. We learned that we are not fully equipped for the rain. On other trails, we found rain pants to be a hindrance, but in this part of the country, I think we need them. When we got to this shelter, where apparently people have stayed holed up all day, there was no room for us and we were too wet and cold to go on. Instead, we cowboy-camped on the dirt floor, just to be dry. We got some grumbles from an old guy who thought we blocked his exit to a midnight pee (in fairness, we did create an obstruction to be navigated but we were desperate!). We also received some random acts of kindness: "Good Vibe," from the north of Germany, offered up his place in the shelter to one of us and loaned us a trash bag and pad to help us out when we said we¢d stay together. And "Road Soda" loaned us a space blanket to keep Felix warm. In the end, we had a warmer night than the night before!I was so sorry for the views we missed in the whiteout today. Hopefully, we¢ll get some views tomorrow.Yesterday, I was thinking of martinis, tonight I would be in heaven with hot chocolate!Last night, "Drive Thru," a 34 year Army veteran with PTSD, was in the shelter and he would cry out in his sleep occasionally. He told us this morning that Felix came over to nuzzle him in the night. I apologized but he said it was very sweet. Felix taking care of people. Unfortunately, today, this same couple arrived after us and decided to walk on in the rain and darkness to the next shelter almost 4 miles farther on. They said they arrived there after 10 p.m. to the last two available shelter spaces. I don¢t think I physically could have continued.That¢s all¢¦I¢m tired and warming my feet in front of the fire, drying my clothes, listening to the rain and trying to steel myself to find the courage to go out and relieve myself before I sleep!Some people in the shelter:"Good vibe""Oz""Road Soda""Wrong Turn""Nine Lives""Truncle""Tripod" (the latter 5 were doing Trail magic at Stecoah Gap)"Mountain Turtle"
Date: 2023-03-23
From: Derrick Knob Shelter

To: Mt. Collins
Miles today: 13.0

arch 23, hiking Day 15: Derrick Knob Shelter 189.8 miles to Mt. Collins Shelter 202.8 miles = 13 milesEnding Elevation 5,830 feetWe were much warmer last night, I think because on the ground we all cuddled up, and even though I didn¢t feel it the fire was near by. We got going at 8:30 AM which is early for us so far. We had some hard climbs ahead, ultimately up Clingman¢s Dome at 6,612 feet, I think the highest point in the Smokies. A week ago there was snow up there. Today, there was plenty of ice, but the snow was gone and temperatures were in the 50s.We¢ve been in Tennessee the last two days and I didn¢t know it. I asked Jessica and Anderson from Tennessee how you know you¢re in Tennessee and they told me the shelters in North Carolina have privies, while those in Tennessee do not. Tonight we have a nice clean privy (the best so far!), so we must be back in North Carolina.We stopped at Silas Bald Shelter for lunch today and Felix was beside himself when three white-tailed deer walked through. They look about the same size as our deer at home, maybe a little bigger, but these have long white brushy tails, very striking. It¢s a good thing he was on a four foot leash; had he got away, I have no doubt we would not have seen him again for a very long time. All that training¢¦you can take the dog out of the wild but I don¢t think you can take the wild out of the dog. It doesn¢t take much to get that lizard brain activated.We met our second ridge runner today, a fellow by the name of Chris, who was very nice and informative. He was not happy to hear about the overfill at the shelter last night.We both felt a little lacking in energy today, it could have been the cold yesterday, but I¢m thinking we¢re beginning to feel the calorie deficit. It¢s supposed to rain again tomorrow night and the next day, so Kerry wants to go into Gatlinburg to avoid the weather but he¢s also curious about the town, which has been described to us as ¢Disneyland¢. We¢ll see.Some people we met today:"Picky Eater" and his wife Michelle/"Grinch""Frosty" and "Drive Thru" walked another 4 miles last night because there was no room at our shelter, but they are here tonight.Will, from Minnesota, at 73, thinks he¢s the oldest on the trail right now. But I don¢t think so."Sleeze," the young woman sleeping next to me"Good Vibe" is here tooLots of others
Date: 2023-03-24
From: Mt Collins Shelter

To: New Found Gap
Miles today: 4.9

March 24, hiking Day 16Mt. Collins Shelter to New Found Gap mile 207.7 to mile - 202.8 = 4.9 miles Ending Elevation 4,996 feetShort hiking day today. We are now more than 200 miles in. Good Vibe decided to walk with us in hopes we would split the cost of a shuttle in to Gatlinburg. We told him we would be happy to meet him at New Found Gap, knowing that he walks much faster than we do but he insisted on walking with us, ostensibly to practice his English, which is fluent.We had an enjoyable three miles, if slipping in mud or sliding on ice is your thing, or even if it isn¢t because there was no way to avoid either one, Then we reached Indian Grave Gap, where unexpectedly, we came to a road. There were two men, section hikers and a man and his wife out for a day hike, taking a break. We got to talking with the man and his wife, or should I say woman and her husband? Anyway, their names were Heidi and Dave, he in IT and she a former USO performer, current teacher, here on Spring break with their 14 year-old son from Madison, WI. After a brief conversation, they offered to take us to Gatlinburg since they were going there. We followed them the 1.7 miles to New Found Gap, bundled into their car and here we are in Gatlinburg.The ¢burg¢ definitely lives up to its reputation: lots of glitz and kitsch complete with a space needle and Ridley¢s Believe it or Not. But we were happy: shower, clean clothes and the biggest hamburgers (medium rare) I have ever seen.Later, Jenn showed up¢¦I don¢t know how she puts the miles away, we will be in her history soon at the pace she is going! Everyone is fed, sleepy and warm and the potential rain is outside for the night!Some more people we met:"Road Soda" and his trail magic crew from Stecoah Gap in Gatlinburg now heading for Hot Springs. This was part of the crew holed up at Derrick Knob Shelter. Turns out he¢s from Pennsylvania and offered to help us when we get there¢¦he hiked the AT in 2021 and has been out with his other thru-hiker friends trail-angeling. We exchanged phone numbers.