morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2020-03-23
From: Cold Spring Shelter

To: NOC
Miles today: 11.5

Day 13 - Cold Spring Shelter to NOCMile 125.2 to 136.7, 11.5 milesMorning temp - 39.2Lots of heavy rain, lightning and thunder overnight. Still raining when I woke up, but just stopped as I got all packed up and broke camp. Still looked like rain and was still pretty cool, so put on poncho, rain pants and rain mitts for rain protection and extra warmth. It warmed up a bit so took off rain mitts after a couple hours on trail. Rained a little off and on throughout the day's hike, but not too heavy. Early part of trail was literally a stream so had to be careful not to step in a really deep puddle. My waterproof hiking shoes are nice knowing I can slosh in a puddle and stay dry as long as it's not deeper than the sides of my shoes.Big climb today was 800 ft ascent up to Wesser Bald. There was nothing to see so no reason to climb fire tower. The rest of trail today was a few more short ups, but mostly downhill. Some parts of descent were pretty steep slowing me down quite a bit. Overall, did the 11.5 miles in 6:08. That's 1.88 mph, maybe my fastest pace yet.Passed Tree and Danja along the way. Met them the night before as I pulled into Cold Spring Shelter. Unfortunately, they are getting off trail because of the uncertainties of trail support during these trying times.Arrived at NOC at 3:42pm. A number of hikers milling about, a few just about to catch a shuttle to gas station store a mile away. Went in and started charging power pack and phone. Grabbed an Italian sub, heated it up on microwave and washed it down with my first beer in 12 days - a 16 oz Arragant Bastard, 7.2% abv. That was so good.Read a Guthooks comment that there was a stealth campsite along the river, so followed directions to find it (go to train tracks, follow green fence to right, go down steps, find camp). Washed hair using spigot at front of outfitter across the street from store Went back to general store, bought lots of junk food (candy bars, pastry, donuts, etc) for 3-day resupply to Fontana Dam. Store was closing at 6pm, so got 3 bars on my power pack and full charge on phone, so should be good for 3 days. Bought a roast beef sub and another beer for dinner. Put on my pack and went to "Hobo Island" to set up camp. Found a spot at end of area and met Kelly from Maine who was also camping there for the night. Unfortunately, she had to get off trail for a few days to nurse a foot injury. We talked for a bit as I ate my sandwich listening to the constant roar of the Nantahala River that was flowing quite well.Set up camp. Mom called so we talked a little while. Checked alot of online stuff for the first time in days. Deployed Ursack once more and called it a night.Fortitudine VincimusHarpo
Date: 2020-03-24
From: NOC

To: Stecoah Gap
Miles today: 13.9

Day 14 - NOC to Stecoah GapMiles 136.7 to 150.6, 13.9 miles, 7:50 hrs hike time, 1.78 mphNo rain overnight. Packed up, said goodbye to Kelly complementing her on her great bear bag hang, and went back to general store. A number of thruhikers milling about including Ben and Amy that I first met at Silar Bald Shelter and again the morning after the stormy night at Cold Spring Shelter. Sound like they might try to push on. Others not so sure.Went in and got a good cup of coffee and bought a Chicken Ceasar wrap and a pint of Left Hand Brewing Milk Stout for dinner.Started climb up Cheoah Bald at 11am. Started to rain shortly after I hit trail, but I expected it and already had on my poncho and rain pants. Arrived Sassafras Gap Shelter at 3:20 so decided to push on. Rain stopped briefly and I thought that was it for the rain, but I was wrong. Was really on the cool side, probably low forties, so wore my rain mitts to keep hands warm. The rain was very steady and pretty heavy at times so my rain gear held out no longer and I was getting soaked all the way through. Hiking shirt and pants felt totally soaked, socks were squishy. Started feeling chills the minute I slowed down or took a break so kept up the fastest pace I could. This was perfect weather for getting hypothermia. Hands were still cold with just rain mitts so put Smartwool gloves on as base layer. Eventually, they got soaked as well.By the time I got to top of Cheoah Bald at 4:01 and took my gloves off to check in and take a couple of pictures, my hands were very cold. Started trek down mountain and started warming back up. I knew I could make the 5.6 miles to Stecoah Gap within three hours since I have been doing about 2 mph on flats and descents recently. As it warmed a bit on the descent, was able to take off gloves and mitts without hands feeling cold.The trail followed a ridgeline near the final part of the descent doing some small ups and downs not knowing when I'd finally be dropping down into the gap. I was out of water shortly after sumitting Cheoah so I knew I had to get off the ridge before I'd find a mountain stream. Finally, looking ahead all I could see was the mountain on the other side of the gap. The trail had to start descending down into the gap and I'd find water soon. Sure enough after a while I found a very small stream going across trail that I was able to get maybe a half bottle of water at a time to filter. Guzzled at least a half liter, filled up my bottle and was now ready to find a campsite for the night.Arrived Stecoa Gap about 6:50. Nice parking area with trash cans and picnic table. Still soaked head to toe. Possible stealth site a mile ahead. Sheriff SUV parked looking for speeders. Small grassy area just beyond picnic area. Decided to pitch tent right here. Sheriff never bothered me. I really needed to get those wet clothes off and into my dry camp clothes. All is well now. Gonna eat that Chicken Caesar wrap and down that beer!NOC to Cheoah Bald, 3326 ft climb over 8.2 miles in 5:01, 1.6 mph. I kicked Cheoah's ass today!Fortitudine VincimusHarpo
Date: 2020-03-27
From: Fontana Dam Shelter

To: Birch Spring Tentsite
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: clear sky

March 27, 2020Day 17 - Fontana Dam Shelter to Birch Spring TentsiteMile 165.7 to 172.3, 6.6 miles, 4:55 hiking time, 1.34 mphMorning temp: 47.3Did not sleep real well for whatever reason. The spotlight that shined into my tent didn't help. Got up around 7:30 am and packed up. Couldn't find two spare stakes. Looked and looked and but couldn't find them here. No problem, still have a few more spares.Walked down road to PitStop and bought food for 8 days. High resort prices made for an expensive resupply: $162.82!Store clerk called shuttle for me and I got a ride back as close to shelter as possible. Roads were barricaded so had to walk about a mile up road to shelter. County was going on complete lockdown. No travelers allowed in.Made it to shelter and met a girl, Sierra, who had spent the night there. We talked a bit about how she had planned on doing a section hike starting at Fontana Dam and going through the Smokies, maybe further. Paid my credit card bills before they went overdue at the end of month, changed into my t-shirt as it was quite warm already, said "See you on trail" to Sierra, left shelter at 11:15 and headed for the dam. Nobody at the dam visitor center and nobody on the dam to stop a pedestrian from walking across. Kept walking on road that veered to right. Saw the first sign for Great Smoky Mountain NP and took a selfie.Finally came to the point where the trail entered the woods. No ranger standing guard to keep me off trail. No signs posted to say park is closed. So I went back into the woods ready to traverse the entire 75 miles or so of AT in the park in one shot.My hopes were to make it to Mollies Ridge Shelter - a 12 mile hike. But, the climb was quite strenuous and I didn't seem to have a real high energy level so when I got to Birch Spring Tentsite at 4:10 pm, I was ready to call it a day - one of the earliest stop times I've had since starting trail. It was a good decision.About an hour later Sierra arrived and set up across the stream. We talked a little more, I played some harmonica and that was it for first day in Smokies.Fortitudine VincimusHarpo
Date: 2020-03-28
From: Birch Spring Tentsite

To: Spencer Field Shelter
Miles today: 11.5

March 28, 2020Day 18 - Birch Spring Tentsite to Spencer Field ShelterMile 172.3 to 183.7, 11.5 miles, 6:47 hiking time, 1.7 mphMorning temp: 53.6We left Birch Spring Tentsite at 10:11. Trail profile was much more forgiving today than yesterday's 2200 ft climb out of Fontana. And, it was even warmer today. Well into the 60's so was able to hike in a t-shirt again. Never would've believed anyone if they told me I'd be hiking the Smokies in a t-shirt on the AT end of March!No great views on today's hike, pretty uneventful. But then, just before reaching Spencer Field Shelter at mm 183.1 we came upon a family of three black bears, probably a mommy bear and her two good-sized cubs. I saw two of them first about 30 yards ahead hanging around a large felled tree on downhill side of trail. I stopped and whispered to Glitter, "check out the bears ahead." It was magical. Within seconds, the two bears took off down the mountain and then we also saw a third bear follow behind. So exciting! We saw a family of bears in the Smokey's!!!We got to Spencer Field Shelter at 5pm and, of course, nobody was there. No reason to pitch a tent especially since we are expecting a good storm to blow through sometime tomorrow morning. Glitter took top bunk, I got the lower.Shelter has a nice heavy duty tarp to keep the wind and rain out of the sleeping area. But, there was also a fireplace inside the sleeping area. We gathered wood and brought inside so we could make a nice fire. It hasn't rained for several days so the all twigs and branches were fairly dry and Glitter was intent on getting it started without using my last fire starter.Having spent a couple months living in New Orleans inspired Glitter to bring a string of blue, green, purple, yellow ambiance lights that she strung just above the tarp and hung some Mardi Gras beads to complete the decorations. We had the coolest looking shelter!All Glitter used was a paper towel and lighter to get the fire started. We had a pretty nice fire going for most of the evening. Since it was just after 9 o'clock on a Saturday night, I played and sang "Piano Man." After that, we watched Billy Joel's version that I downloaded from YouTube. Glitter brought a real mini speaker system that we played the music from my phone. Great sound! Billy does it just a little bit better than me. A few more videos including an introduction to Jacques Brel (Les Vieux) and it was time for "Silent Night" on harmonica before going to sleep.Fortitudine VincimusHarpo
Date: 2020-03-29
From: Spencer Field Shelter

To: Silars Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.8

March 29, 2020Day 19 - Spencer Field Shelter to Silars Bald ShelterMile 183.7 to 195.5, 11.8 miles, 8:20 hiking time, 1.42 mphMorning indoor shelter temp: 52.3Rain was supposed to start at 8:30 am based on Weather Channel forecast that I got the night before. Instead, the storm started around 6:30 am, which was good in that it was only supposed to last a couple of hours and now we can get an earlier start on trail without starting out in rain. It was a pretty intense wind and rain that lasted a good hour. Fortunately, only a few thunderbolts. Sure glad I was in a shelter and not in my tent. No way all my stuff would stay dry in a storm like that. By 9 am, the skies were beginning to clear and started seeing some sunshine. Should be a little cooler today, but a nice day for hiking.Stopped in Derrick Knob Shelter at 3:45 pm for a few minutes to camel up. Haven't run into any other hiker yet today. Old Chief stayed here two nights ago.Arrived Silars Bald Shelter at 7:35 pm. Didn't see anyone on trail today. It was just me and Glitter.Glitter realized that the rain and cold weather in the days ahead would be conditions beyond what she prepared for and besides that, her power pack was dead and iPhone on life support. So, she decided to stick to her original plan and bail at Newfound Gap. That meant we needed to get to Newfound Gap in time for her to get picked up and for me to continue on past the gap another 3 miles to Icewater Spring Shelter. That would make for a 15.3 mile day for me, so it was an early night to bed so we could get an early start in the morning.Fortitudine VincimusHarpo
Date: 2020-03-30
From: Silars Bald Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: overcast clouds

March 30, 2020Day 20 - Silars Bald Shelter to Icewater Spring ShelterMile 195.5 to 210.8, 15.3 miles, 9:31 hiking time, 1.61 mph.Morning indoor shelter temp: 38Got a good early start on trail at 9:20 am and made it to Clingmans Dome observation platform at 11:37 am. The place was deserted. There were some clouds, but visibility was pretty good while we were on the platform. The wind was blowing pretty good as expected.I thought there was an outside chance the visitors center would have an outdoor receptacle where we could recharge, but I walked all around the building and didn't find one. At least one of the vault toilets in the parking area was open, so got to use that. And, of course, the visitors center was deserted as well.Glitter called Park Dispatch (using my phone, hers was dead) to see what her options were for getting to Gatlinburg. Dispatch gave her the numbers of a few shuttle drivers, so she called them and all went to voicemail. So, she called her mom and dad and left messages. She called back a few minutes later and finally talked to her mom and told her we'd be at Newfound Gap around 5:30 pm. I gave her my phone to call her mom once more as we got close to Newfound Gap to reassure her mom we were on schedule.We actually made good time got to Newfound Gap at 4:50 pm and it was a relief to see her mom's car in the parking lot. She was out taking a little hike so I didn't get to meet her mom. It was time for me and Glitter to say goodbye, so a sweet hug and I was on my way to Icewater Spring Shelter. Got there at 6:51 pm. Of course, I had the shelter all to myself.There was a nice bundle of branches in front of shelter, so I collected more and brought inside. All shelters in the Smokies have a heavy duty tarp that shields the interior sleeping area from the outside elements. Got a really good fire going. It was great. Stayed up late until fire burned out.Fortitudine VincimusHarpo
Date: 2020-03-31
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: overcast clouds

March 31, 2020Day 21 - Icewater Spring Shelter to Tri-Corner Knob ShelterMile 210.8 to 223.4, 12.6 miles, 6:28 hiking time, 1.95 mphLeft Icewater Spring Shelter at 10:24 am. Pretty cold, in low 30's up here at 5919 ft. Gonna be a rainy day. Looking to make it the 12 miles to Tri-Corner Shelter, but could bail out at Peck's Corner Shelter at 7.4 mile mark.Since I still had two pair of toe warmers I hadn't used yet, I thought today was a good day to be on the safe side and use one of them. By end of the 12 mile hike, my shoes and socks were pretty well soaked through from all the rain. The toe warmers didn't feel like they were still giving off heat when I took them off at end of day, but bottom line is that my feet and toes didn't feel cold while hiking throughout the day.Arrived Tri-Corner Knob Shelter at 4:52 pm. It was a challenging day on trail. Cold and wet, mix of rain, sleet and snow not to mention some helacious wind on the ridges. Good thing rain stopped after a few hours. It was snowing as I was going to sleep and I wondered how much snow would be on the ground when I woke up in the morning.Fortitudine VincimusHarpo
Date: 2020-04-01
From: Tri-Corner Knob Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: light snow

April 1, 2020Day 22 - Tri-Corner Knob Shelter to Cosby Knob ShelterMile 223.4 to 231.1, 7.7 miles, 4:07 hiking time, 1.87 mphMorning temp: 25.4Left Tri-Corner Knob Shelter at 12:13 pm. Took my time getting in trail because it was cold and I only had 7.7 miles to go to Cosby Knob Shelter. Got a couple inches of snow - not too bad. Should be fun hiking through that!Arrived Cosby Knob Shelter at 4:20 pm. Trekked 7.7 miles in 2-3 inches of snow on trail. Started out around 26 degrees and didn't warm up much so no melting going on today. The challenging part of today's hike was getting around all the branches that were hung over onto trail from being weighed down by freezing rain.Ten miles tomorrow and I'll be at Standing Bear Farm hostel for well-deserved rest.Fortitudine VincimusHarpo
Date: 2020-04-02
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: few clouds

April 2, 2020Day 23 - Cosby Knob Shelter to Standing Bear FarmMile 231.1 to 241.5, 10.4 miles, 7:11 hiking time, 1.45 mphLeft Cosby Knob Shelter at 10:19 am. Another cold night, but beautiful sunny day to hike out of Smokies.It was cool to start out hiking in snow and fallen frozen rain and then gradually the trail just turned wet at lower elevations. I would estimate that only above 3500-4000 ft or so got freezing rain and snow.Arrived at Davenport Gap at 4:16 pm - no ranger standing guard at the trailhead. That completed my 6 night/seven day trek of the Smokies without resupply. Then it was on to Standing Bear Farm arriving at 5:30 pm.The top room of the treehouse at Standing Bear Farm was open, so I took it for $45/night. Got a DiGiorno pizza and a few beers and I was all set. The guys that worked the Farm got a good fire going and Mark played some cool stuff on his guitar while I played a couple of tunes on my harmonica. Marc is a pretty good harmonica player (although he didn't have one with him that night) so he gave me a few suggestions for playing.Fortitudine VincimusHarpo
Date: 2020-10-03
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Section Hike 4, Day 0 - 10/03/20 - 0.0 (0.0 total miles for this section hike, 528.6 grand total AT miles)Hello all! Wow, nearly a year has gone by since my last journal post. I had originally planned to do two or more section hikes in 2020 to build upon the section hikes that I did in 2019 but the pandemic has impacted just about every aspect of all of our lives. It may not be one of the wisest decisions I have made but I have decided to get at least one section hike completed this year. I simply cannot resist the cool crisp air and color changes of my favorite time of the year to be outdoors!The plan is for my beautiful wife to drop me off at the PA/MD border (AT Southbound mile marker 1,126.0) around midday on Monday 10/05/20. This is where I terminated my final section hike (Section Hike 3) in 2019. I will be heading south from there with the flexibility to go as far or as long as I like but will most likely only be spending a week or two in the woods. I tend to get a bit homesick beyond that.My wife and I have done quite a few day hikes and even one recent overnighter this year but I am really excited to stretch the legs out and cover some bigger miles and experience more of the AT. Thank you for reading.More to come.
Date: 2020-10-05
From: Mason Dixon Line (PA/MD Border)

To: Ensign Cowell Shelter
Miles today: 9.8

Section Hike 4, Day 1 - 10/05/20 - 9.8  (9.8 total miles for this section hike, 538.4 grand total AT miles)11:30 AM to 3:40 PMPA/MD Border 1,125.6 to Ensign Cowell Shelter 1,135.4Let me start off by saying ¢I love being outdoors, especially in the mountains, this time of the year¢. Since I had a relatively short mileage goal for day one I decided to start hiking a bit later in the day. My wife and I drove to Waynesboro, PA and did a little last minute grocery shopping and had a really good lunch at the Red Run Grill. Both my Southern Style Beef BBQ and my wife¢s Crabby Fries were delicious. After lunch we drove the two or three remaining miles up PenMar Road to where the AT crosses the road. The border sign is only a couple of hundred feet south of there. My wife joined me for those couple of hundred feet so that we could take a photo or two. We then said our goodbyes and back to the car she went as I started my distance-yet-to-be-determined SOBO Section Hike. The afternoon went rather quickly and the forest is beautiful. I only saw 9 other hikers on the trail all afternoon. Four pairs of two and a single. It seems rather overkill to me but a few of those hikers were wearing a mask. I assume that they just put it on briefly as we passed. I simply refuse to wear a mask while I¢m hiking! Distancing works for me! I am even going to avoid staying in the shelters on this trip as part of the social distancing strategy. After eating supper I walked down to the shelter area to hang my food bag on the bear pole and there were three hikers in the shelter. Of course I had to stop over and say hi. I had a great conversation with those guys. Two of the three were very experienced and knowledgeable hikers and we talked about a vast array of hiker topics. Two of their names I actually recognized from all the hiker stuff I read on the web. Happy and Jukebox. Real cool dudes!Well, it¢s about hiker midnight and I have a big day tomorrow. I want to close by thanking by beautiful wife for getting me to and from the trail and for allowing me to indulge in the outdoors the way I do. I love you babe!Good night to all!
Date: 2020-10-06
From: Ensign Cowell Shelter

To: Crampton Gap Shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: clear sky

Section Hike 4, Day 2 - 10/06/20 - 20.7 (30.5 total miles for this section hike, 559.1 grand total AT miles)4:30 AM to 3:00 PMEnsign Cowell Shelter 1,135.4 to Crampton Gap Shelter 1,156.1I did not sleep very well last night so rather than laying in my tent and staring at the ceiling I packed up and hit the trail well before daylight. I actually enjoy hiking in the dark once in a while. The early start allowed me to get good miles in and still get to camp pretty early. It was another picture perfect day for hiking but I only saw a few other hikers today. One interesting couple that I spoke with for a bit was hiking the Maryland section of the AT (Around 41 miles). What made them interesting was that they were both married but not to each other. They told me that neither her husband nor his wife were interested in hiking so their spouses gave them their permission to multi-day hike together. Hhhmmmm. The rocks are taking a toll on my feet again just like they did during my Pennsylvania section hike. I put some Leukotape on the balls of my feet to see if that helps. Tomorrow will be an interesting day.Pretty tired. Hopefully I sleep better tonight. Good night to all!