morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-12
From: Tray Mtn Shelter

To: Deep Gap Shelter
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up to a beautiful red sunrise and 63 degrees this morning, but after just a couple minutes a fog bank rolled in, blocking the sun and dampening all our gear. With the damp conditions we decided to pack up as quickly as possible and head out. Got on the trail by 8:50.By 10:00 the sun had burned away the fog and we found a nice spot at Steeltrap Gap to eat a late breakfast and air out the tent and sleeping bags. Got going again by 11:30.Walking is easier going today, but the humidity is up and the black gnats are out in force. We stopped for lunch at Swag of the Blue Ridge at 12:30. Lunch was a Clif Bar and a bag of peanuts.Back on the trail by 1:45, we were surprised by a voice calling from behind us. It was Dances with Poles. His girl friend co-hiker, Dreamweaver, had gotten off the trail and waited in Hiawassee for a ride home for four days. DWP had waited there with her and started hiking again today - behind us. We were glad to see him again.Finally saw a scarlet tanager today. We've been hearing them in the trees the last few days.We hiked up the last mountain, Kelly Knob, a mile long climb of 1200 ft in 48 minutes and made it to Deep Gap Shelter by 4:45 with thunder sounding in the distance.We are the only ones at the shelter tonight, so with the threat of storms over night, we set up our tent inside the shelter.Tomorrow will be a short hike of only 3.6 miles to Dick's Creek Gap where we can get a ride into Hiawassee. We need to buy more trail food and fuel for our alcohol stove. Really looking forward to town food, a shower, and a real bed.
Date: 2014-05-13
From: Deep Gap Shelter

To: Dick's Creek Gap - Hiawassee
Miles today: 3.6
Weather: light rain

Since we were heading to town today, we packed up and headed out by 8:20 without eating breakfast. While packing up, we discovered that we left our sil-nylon tarp back where we had lunch yesterday. Woofie used it as a pillow, but I didn't see it before we left. I'll have to buy a new one before we leave town, because that's our quick shelter if we get caught in a storm.Ate a Clif Bar for breakfast around 9:30 before climbing over the last mountain, Powell Mountain, and heading down the other side toward to road where we met our shuttle driver, John, by noon.Got to town and into the Budget Inn in Hiawassee. It was quick shower, clean town clothes, and off to the all-you-can-eat (AYCE) buffet for lunch. We're staying two nights here, we'll get lots of rest and town food before heading out again. If we're lucky, the wave of approaching thunderstorms will pass through before we leave.Posted another 20 photos today. Also, pls sign our guest book.
Date: 2014-05-14
From: Dick's Creek Gap - Hiawassee

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0

Today is a zero day, meaning no miles hiked, officially, that is. It's most of a mile to our favorite eating places, so we probably walked close to 5 miles today, just in town.The goal for today is recovery with a capital "R." Beside recovering from tired legs and feet, we recovered from four other problems, three of which we could have avoided.First, we're recovering from universal mosquito bites. Our decision to stay in the shelter the night before last was a big mistake. While we thought we were enjoying the shelter, the mosquitoes were enjoying us -- two free meals delivered right to their doorstep. We stopped at the Rite-Aid next door to get some anti-itch medicine and ointment. Feeling much better now and will sleep a lot better than last night. Could have avoided all that discomfort if we set up our tent and got in like we usually do.Second, we recovered from losing our tarp on the trail. We called our friendly trail shuttle guy, John, and he drove us back to Mountain Crossings at Neels Gap to buy a replacement. Could have saved about $200 on gear and transportation if I'd remembered to pack it up after that lunch break.Third, I got my favorite hiking pants restored to being water repellent again. The outfitter in town had a spray can of silicone water guard that another hiker had donated for other hikers (me) to use. At least that didn't cost me anything but time. Could have avoided that entirely if I hadn't machine washed my pants.And fourth, we stopped in and looked around in an antique store that is right next to the AYCE buffet where we ate lunch again today. I couldn't believe it when I heard Woofie say she was going to buy something. She found an old book about the Hudson Valley, where we originally hail from. She's going to mail it home tomorrow. So, now she has recovered from shoppers' withdrawal. There's nothing I could have done to avoid that.
Date: 2014-05-15
From: Hiawassee

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0

As the weather changes, so do our plans. We had planned to get back on the trail today, but the wave of stormy weather that rolled in yesterday is still hanging around, so we are, too. There were flash flood warnings last night. Since there may still be some dangerous spots on the trail, we're staying in our room, safe and dry, until tomorrow.It's now been two weeks since we started our hike, and I'm beginning to think about something I never thought about before. Whiskers. Never had any before, thanks to my career in the military, so it's a totally new experience for me. And I'm not sure it gonna go well. My face doesn't feel like mine anymore. And it doesn't look like I expected it to, either. The white whiskers are outnumbering the black ones, and they seem to grow twice as fast as the others, too. I'm trying to get used to having a beard. After all, it is a trademark of being a hiker.Woofie sees my appearance changing. She says it's like having a new hiking partner everyday. I see her getting stronger and slimmer, so I can say the same thing.
Date: 2014-05-16
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Plumorchard Shelter
Miles today: 4.5

We're finally back on the trail today. The heavy storms have passed through, and it was sunny and clear, but a lot colder, 37 degrees when we got up. By the time our shuttle driver, John, delivered us to the trail it had warmed to 55.Our hike today was a short one, just 4.5 miles to the next shelter. The cooler temps and renewed strength from two days of rest made even the uphill climbs seem easier.   By noon it got up to 62, and we were able to hike without jackets.The next town on the trail is Franklin, NC, which is just over 40 miles from where we started today. At our hiking pace we figured it would take 7 days of hiking. That translates to having to carry about 12 lbs of food, or twice as much as we're used to carrying. So we left half of our supplies at the motel, and plan to have John pick us up half way to Franklin and bring us back to the motel at Hiawassee on Sunday night. Then we'll be returned to the trail with the other half of our food supplies, leaving us only a four-day hike to town.About an hour before getting to the shelter, we saw dark clouds roll in and the temp dropped by 8 degrees. Just as we got to the shelter, it started to rain, so we made it there just in time to stay dry.Also at the shelter were a father with his three sons and two dogs. They're just on the trail for the weekend, staying at this shelter tonight, the next shelter to tomorrow night, and getting off at Deep Gap, where we plan get off also to get back to Hiawassee. They spent the afternoon fixing up the shelter area by collecting trash left by inconsiderate hikers and by paving a small muddy area next to the shelter with rocks from around the campsite. He said he always tries to leave a campsite better than he found it. I was quite impressed. Toward evening they built a nice warm campfire, and we all enjoyed the warmth and conversation.Tomorrow we cross into NC, our first major milestone. We almost made it all across GA without getting rained on. That might have been a hiker record.
Date: 2014-05-17
From: Plumorchard Shelter

To: Muskrat Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: overcast clouds

The day started off sunny and 47. We wanted to get going on our hike early so we left the shelter without cooking breakfast. We stopped for a breakfast break after about an hour. While we were there, the family and their dogs passed by on their way to the next shelter. The sun had warmed the air to the high 50s by then.But as we walked on during the day and we got higher in the mountains, the temp dropped back into the low 40s, and it started raining. We put on our rain gear and pack covers and hiked on. We stopped for a lunch break at 2 pm during lull in the rain. As we climbed the mountain, we were getting farther up in the clouds, so the rain was more like mist in the air and we could almost see the sun breaking through the cloud tips. Today was our first day actually hiking in the rain. Woofie wasn't sure she was having fun any more.We finally got the the shelter by 4 pm, and it was still raining lightly. The family and their dogs were already settled in at the shelter. Fortunately, the weather cleared late in the day, so after supper, we all enjoyed another warming campfire.Tomorrow there is the possibility of rain again, but we only have four miles to hike to get to the road where our shuttle ride back to Hiawassee will meet us. We'll be warm and dry tomorrow night for sure.
Date: 2014-05-18
From: Muskrat Creek Shelter

To: Deep Gap (USFS 71)
Miles today: 4.0

Since it was still raining last night when we set up our tent, we hung a large tarp over the area where our tent would go so we could get it set up without getting rain inside the tent. After enjoying the campfire and retiring to our tent for the night, it started to rain again and rained through the night. Since it was still raining this morning, we had to pack up in the reverse order -- back packs, tent, and then the hanging tarp so we could keep everything as dry as possible.We were ready hit the trail by 9:30. We said "See ya later," to the man and his family. I decided to give him the trail name Rainman, because we've not hiked a single rainy day since we started our hike until we met him, and it's rained all three days we've been with him.As soon as we started hiking away from the shelter, it stopped raining, but it stayed foggy and cold at 47 degrees. The first two miles were flat and easy walking, so we covered them in just an hour. But the second two miles were up one side of a mountain and down the other to get to the road. The path was slippery and had obstacles like rock scrambles and trees that had fallen across the trail. We had to climb over one and under and through the second.Even so, we made it to the road at Deep Gap by 12:30, two hours earlier than we'd told our shuttle driver to meet us. So we had to sit and wait in the cold. Fortunately, someone was waiting there in their car for the rest of their party to arrive, so they offered for us to sit in their car to stay warm while they waited. Trail magic, offers of any kind of help to hikers, usually food or drink, comes any many forms. We were very thankful for this trail magic.Our faithful shuttle driver, John, arrived and brought us back to our motel in Hiawassee. The last time we were here, the manager had asked us to move to a different room the second day so a repairman could work in our first room. Well, to make up to us for the inconvenience of changing rooms, he put us in the best room he has, a double size room with a king size bed and a jacuzzi in it, all at the same hiker rate. We're staying a second night.
Date: 2014-05-19
From: Hiawassee

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was a sunny and warm day, so we were able to dry out our packs, tent, and tarps. Woofie put all our clothes in the washer and dryer and also dried out our sleeping bags in the dryer. And I had time to try out some different ways to put up our cover tarp.John, our shuttle driver, was busy taking hikers to the trail and bringing others back to the motel all day. We saw him several times today. His wife came along on one of his trips to see what all the action was about. Tomorrow John will pick us up at 9:30 and will deliver us to the trail before we say farewell to him for the last time. We've really enjoyed the time we've spent with him in his truck.During the day we met Big Easy, a 30 year old musician from Florida; Loner, a 50+ retired trooper from Alaska; and a 26 year old guy from Indiana hiking with his girl friend. It's amazing to meet hikers from all over the country in just one day at this little motel. It reminds me of my time in the military, where I met people from everywhere.Hikers loves town days: hot showers, warm beds, and a variety of restaurant foods. The best part of a town day for me is being able to walk around without carrying toilet paper in my pocket.
Date: 2014-05-20
From: Hiawassee

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 2.7
Weather: clear sky

I discovered that the Total Miles on my journal pages (a distance calculated by the website when I post new entries) is 2.7 miles lower than what the trail manuals say. So this entry fixes that. I must have entered some inaccurate daily miles entries somewhere along the way.
Date: 2014-05-20
From: Deep Gap

To: Carter Gap Shelter
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: scattered clouds

We said good bye to Georgia for the last time this morning. John picked us up at 9:30 from the motel. Along the forest service road to the trail we saw a young owl sitting by the side of the road. We stopped and took a couple pictures. John dropped us off at Deep Gap by 10:30.The trail today was mostly smooth with only gentle grades up and down. Today's wonderful hike in North Carolina was our reward for climbing up and down the steep mountains in Georgia. We climbed easily up Standing Indian Mtn and down the other side, stopping at the top to eat lunch. The woods are beautiful today, sunny and 75 degrees. We stopped at Beech Gap, where there is a camping area, for a break and a snack at 3:00.Since today is Tuesday, there are very few other hikers on the trail. All of the other thru-hikers are ahead of us now, and the weekend hikers are all back at home or work. We did see a group of 6 young people doing a four-day hike. They picked a good time for it, since the weather is supposed to be good for the next few days. Later we met a couple hiking with a toddler who was riding in her mom's back pack.We finally rolled into the Carter Gap Shelter by 6:15. There's just one other tenter here and no one in the shelter tonight. The shelter is fairly new. The old one it replaced is just on the other side of the trail and has been torn down, but the remnants of it are still there.Tomorrow we plan to go another 8.6 miles to the next shelter, Long Branch Shelter. It's amazing how good it feels to be in our sleeping bags in our tent. We've slept better in our tent than we have in our motel rooms. But maybe we're just more tired on the trail than in town.
Date: 2014-05-21
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Long Branch Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up to another beautiful morning in the neighborhood. Got going by 9:00 am in 58 degrees and sun, but it soon warmed up to 70. As we hiked along a flat section through the green tunnel, I noticed a hole in the vegetation to the right. Just a 20-foot walk through the hole brought us to the most spectacular vista we've seen yet. It was hard to believe that, although we were walking on a flat trail under think rhododendron bushes, we were really hiking along a ridge at 4700 ft above sea level. That explains why we're enjoying 70 degrees instead of the 85 forecast before we left town.By 11:15 we reached Betty Creek Gap - 3.5 miles - so we stopped for a lunch break.A mile after leaving our lunch spot we found that the trail was just playing a trick on us by being so flat and easy. The .2 miles up Albert Mtn were extremely tough, taking us over 30 minutes to cover. It started with a stair climb and turned into a rock wall climb. Hiking poles were useless in some places. We had to plan our next three foot steps to get past a spot, and then to had to do it again...many times.When we finally got to the top, we reached the 100-mile mark of our hike, and the last quarter mile was the toughest patch we've encountered. That must be why they put the trail there, since most people wouldn't take the trouble to climb it but for that milestone of the AT. Also at the top is a fire tower. I climbed up 1/4 of the way, but that was high enough for me. Woofie took a nap.The trail from there to the shelter was an easy 2.5 miles that took us just over an hour. The Long Branch Shelter is a very new one, built in 2012. Also at the shelter tonight are four other people, and we've met them all before, one earlier at the fire tower, two (the guy & girl from the Hiawassee motel), and one who is thru-hiking and started with us on May 1st, but we just haven't run into him until today.Tomorrow we're hiking as far as US64 and going into Franklin, NC. We've booked two nights at the Budget Inn, so we're taking another zero day to recover from today's supreme effort.
Date: 2014-05-22
From: Long Branch Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: light rain

When we woke up this morning at 7 am, it was already 60 degrees. Since Woofie wanted to get to town today, we were packed and hiking before 8:30. But it was slow going when we left the shelter because the trail merged with a nearby stream, and we had to hike in the stream for 20-30 yards before reaching dry ground again.By 10:15 we made 3.5 miles to Rock Gap Shelter, where we stopped for a break to have a snack and sign the register. The next half mile was quite steep, and we were glad to get to the top. We found a nice spot to stop for lunch with a view of the valley and US 64 below.By 2:30 we made it to Winding Stair Gap, where US 64 crosses the AT and goes into Franklin. We called the Budget Inn in Franklin and Ron Haven, the owner, picked us up and brought us to the motel for free.This evening we were treated to supper at Shoney's AYCE buffet by trail angel Surefoot, who thru-hiked the AT in '92. After contacting us through our guest book, she picked us up at the motel and drove us to the restaurant. We had a great time comparing notes on our respective hikes. The food was fabulous, too.Tomorrow we're taking a zero day to rest and resupply - a hiker R&R day.
Date: 2014-05-23
From: Franklin, NC

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

So much for trying to do a hiker R&R day! We spent all day on the Resupply and none on Rest. Franklin is a very spread out town, and spent all day walking around town getting the supplies we needed. We also got some new gear. Our sleeping bags have been a little too warm for us lately as the night temps have risen. So we got silk sleeping bag liners that we can use like sheets on hot nights and just use the unzipped bags as blankets if needed. Woofie also got a new pair of hiking shoes. Her old ones, although they carried her the first 100 miles, have been bothering her toes more and more.Since we didn't get any rest on our zero day day, we've decided to stay for a second zero day. That will give Woofie's feet time to recover and to get used to her new shoes before we start hiking again.
Date: 2014-05-24
From: Franklin, NC

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0

Today we got the Rest that we missed yesterday. Started with a great breakfast in a restaurant real close to the motel. Then Woofie got her hair done, so she feels great. (Looks great, too.) In the afternoon we both had ice cream before Woofie found an antique store to browse around in while I caught a nap out front.The best thing today is that we met another thru-hiking couple who are in the room next to ours. Tomorrow we'll share the shuttle ride back to the trail with them, and maybe hike along at about the same pace. It's nice when you see familiar faces at the shelters each day after a long hike day.Tomorrow we plan to hike 8.2 miles to a campsite, passing the first shelter, Siler Bald Shelter, since it's only 4 miles from the trail head. Isolated thunderstorms are predicted later in the day, so we'll see how things go tomorrow.
Date: 2014-05-25
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Wine Spring
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: light rain

This morning trail angel Ken Bowman picked us and 4 other hikers up at the motel and delivered us all to Winding Stair Gap where we left the AT three days ago. We were hiking again by 9:30.Our plan was to hike the 8.2 miles to the camping area we'd picked out. We got to the sign for the Siler Bald Shelter by 11.45 and thought we'd made very good time covering those four miles, so we took the side trail to get to the shelter for a lunch break. When we found out that it was half a mile to the shelter, we were most of the way there, so we kept going 'til we got there. It was an older shelter, built in 1937, but it had a very nice concrete picnic table that we used for our lunch. Forty five minutes later, after eating and a quick Woofie nap, we headed back to the trail. Next we came to Siler Bald. A bald is a mountain top without trees, so there is a panoramic view in all directions. Unfortunately, the AT goes by it, not over it, so we had to do another side trail to climb to the top to enjoy the view. We haven't hiked 115 miles so we could just walk past a chance for a great view without seeing it. So that was another half mile up and then back, but with a 210-ft climb thrown in. By now, we'd added two miles to our day's hike.As we headed back down from the bald, we heard thunder in the distance. And by the time we got back on the AT, it had started raining. So we put on our rain jackets and pack covers and hiked on in the rain.But it was just a small storm. By the time we got to our campsite, the rain had stopped and the sun was out again. We are the only ones camping here tonight. There is a spring nearby and a small stream going past our tent. We enjoyed a nice cooked meal before retiring into the tent by 8:30. It's dark by 9:00, so that's our hiker midnight (bedtime).
Date: 2014-05-26
From: Wine Spring

To: Cold Spring Shelter
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: broken clouds

Woke up to blue skies and 60 degrees. It was so nice at our campsite that we didn't rush to get started. Finally got going by 9:30.The trail was mostly flat during the morning hike, but then turned into a climb as we headed up to Wayah Bald. When we got there, we found that it's a popular spot for visitors and you can drive right to it. In fact, our trail took us along part of the roadway that leads to the Wayah Monument. If felt strange to be hiking on the pavement with backpacks and hiking poles.We spread out our ground tarp wet from the night before to dry while we climbed up inside the monument to explore and take pictures. The monument was built in 1937 and refurbished in the '90s.While we were there the Patton family arrived, and they had fun asking us all about our hike. Then we hiked on another mile to the Wayah Shelter, where we stopped to have lunch and sign the register.It stayed sunny in the afternoon. It was 72 and beautiful. We were surprised to not see any other hikers today, especially since it's a holiday. But as we got closer to Cold Spring Shelter, it started to rain lightly. When we stopped on the trail to put on our pack covers, we turned and saw a big timber rattle snake coiled in a resting position about four feet off the trail. We wouldn't have seen him if we hadn't stopped there due to the rain.We got to the shelter just as it started to rain harder, and two other hikers arrived behind us in the next minute. By the time we had eaten our evening meal, there were six others at the shelter for the night. It's good that we are tenting, since the shelter only has room for six people to sleep.It's raining again now, but we're dry and warm in our tent. Tomorrow we plan to hike to the next shelter, Wesser Bald Shelter, 5.8 miles away. It'll be a short day because it's too far to the next shelter after that one.