morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-03-15
From: neels gap

To: low gap shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: overcast clouds

walked eleven miles to low gap shelter where me and the guys all planned to meet up the night before. it was the first day of the trip where it didnt rain and it was a blessing. we all stayed near the shelter in our tents to aviod the shelter mice. i got a neat picture of one walking up walking man's stick. at the picnic table before bed laughs were easy. im starting to settle into the hiking state of mind. it's such a simple awesome life. all we do is walk, and it's really hard but it's not stressful. we smile when the sun comes out and we laugh when we get rained on cause thats all you can do. even though the weather sucks and it's been freezing im the happiest ive ever been.
Date: 2010-03-16
From: low gap shelter

To: tray mountain shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: scattered clouds

did fifteen REALLy hard miles to get up to the tray mountain shelter. it was the longest day ive done yet and it hurt. crossing one of the roads a trail angel left a cooler full of cold drinks and food for hikers and it was definitely trail magic at it's best. It was the first day i've had where the sun was actually out for more than five minutes and we loved it. the climp up tray mountain was hell but the views on top were beautiful especially when the sun went down and i got some great pictures. boston and walking man didnt make it to the shelter that night they stayed a few miles down the mountain and tented. our little family now is me, zip code, nobody, boston, moonpie, lil brown, and walking man and we call ourselves the hawk mountain hooligans cause we all had a dreary wet night at the hawk mountain shelter.
Date: 2010-03-17
From: tray mountain shelter

To: blueberry patch
Miles today: 11.0

did a quick eleven miles to get to the road and me and lil brown hitchiked into gary and lenny's house where they have a hostel called the blueberry patch named so because of there blueberry organic farm. the rest of the hooligans made it in after me and little brown and gary was nice enough to give us a lift the rest of the seven miles to town to shop for a while and eat before bringing us back. Gary and his wife lenny are two of the nicest souls i have ever met. they are very religious and told me all that ways that god has blessed them and filled their lives with love and me, boston, and walking man attended macedonia southern baptist church with them that night. it was my first time in a baptist church and my first time in any church in a while. the experience was great. the whole church welcomed us and called us out by name and tolde everyone where we were from during the service and we were taken in with open arms. the preacher talked about how young people today are all looking for direction but are so often led astray because they don't know where to look and it hit home hard for me and really made me think about my journey on the trail and in life. he also talked about how relationships these days are all backwards and that when people are dating and they break up it's like the worlds ending but yet he sees married couples walking away like its nothing all the time. he said he wished that young people today would build relationships on friendship first and actually build something that will last and that hit home to. Great Day!
Date: 2010-03-20
From: hiawassee

To: muskrat creek shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

day eight! Crossed state line!!!!! North Carolina!!!! did only eleven miles to muskrat shelter where there were tons of us staying. got an amazing picture of the sunset over mountains from atop a tree atop a cliff. as i was taking the picture heard a huge rumble below me and realized i was hearing a rock slide. i could hear huge rocks snapping trees in half all the way down the mountain. very cool. Right as we crossed the state line there is an oak tree in the trail that everyone always gets a photo of. Got a sweet picture of the whole crew in front of it will have to put it on here in a little. Met bulldog a blind hiker doing the trail! Also met cowgirl and addy. cowgirl is a thru hiker addy is section hiking before going back to work in the bob marshall wilderness soon. All very awesome people.
Date: 2010-03-20
From: muskrat shelter

To: betty creek gap
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: scattered clouds

was the last one to wake up and leave the shelter but soon passed everyone. got to talk to addy the section hiker i met the day before on and off all day and she told me about her work in montana that im very interested in. She gave me her e mail address and im going to check out her wilderness program that she works for next year for sure. i'd like to have a job like that one day so im going to for sure look her up when im done with the trail. me and cowgirl pushed on to camp at betty creek after a long day. we were the only thru hikers there but there were some weekend campers. its only been over a week but i enjoy thru hiker company much more we have the same issues in are minds we dont worry about work on monday.
Date: 2010-03-21
From: betty creek gap

To: franklin nc
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

woke up early and took off early. it was cold and windy when i left and i had to climb up albert mountain by myself. this mountain was the real deal. at the top its basically like rock climbing its so steep your grabbing on to rocks and pulling yourself up. cant remember the elevation but it was up in the clouds. crazy mountain. about an hour later it started to rain and it has not stopped since. me and cowgirl planned to camp by the roadside tonight and come into town tommorow and do chores and hit the trail late in the day so we wouldnt have to pay to stay the night. we hung around at a shelter for an hour or two stayin dry from the rain killing time and then we took off but by the time we got to the road we hadnt passed a flat spot to tent in miles and we were soaked. End of story we got a ride to the town of franklin where me and her and her sweet dog kelly are staying the night in a room. got some groceries had a pizza! and are doing laundry now. We've made it over a hundred miles now! big problem though is that we will be at the smokies in a couple of days and the weather report is that the smokies are not passable. 30 inches of snow with more coming. If i get there and it's that bad i will have to skip that section and come back and do it later in the summer which is a huge bummer but the smokies are the real deal and you do not want to be caught 6000 feet up in three feet of snow in a white out. anyways alls good. will try and put pictures on here later tonight and hopefully update in a few days at the nantahala outdoor center.
Date: 2010-03-22
From: franklin nc

To: siler bald shelter
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: light snow

were leaving the hotel today on the 12 o clock shuttle up to the trail. since its going to be a late start i think im only going to do like 4 or 5 miles to the next shelter. weather reports looking bad, real bad. supposed to rain and snow on and off all week and its really cold out now. Not much you can do about it though. I have a huge blister on my right foot and im pretty much at a limp right now and my bag is heavy with resupply. i would love to be able to take the whole day off here but i just cant afford to spend another night im to poor. this is my eleventh day hiking. I read somewhere before i left on this trip that if you backpack for two weeks you will be in the best shape of your life. i feel that coming on for sure. I can feel the strength in my legs and i can feel my endurance being ten times better than before i left but the problem is that without days off your muscles and joints are hurting all the same every day. it's all good though the worst day out here is better than the best day in indiana going to work or doing whatever.
Date: 2010-03-23
From: Wayah shelter

To: Nantahala outdoor center
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

Pushed on furthur than I thought I would the day before and did almost twelve miles to the wayah bald shelter. It was very very cold and snowing hard. I think the elevation was around 5200. For the first time I was worried. It got around 20 if not below that night and it was cold but I made it thru ok. So today when I woke it was freezing and within a few hours of hiking it was above 60 down the mountain. It's really stressful onthe body to go from one extreme to the other and I'm feelin it. Sitting here now by the beautiful river at the outdoor center. Smokies are only thirty miles away and we got a good view of them today and the snow at the top is scary. Pushed way to hard today so I need to rest my legs somehow before the smokies. Anyways no complaints. Feelin nothin but love. Appreciate all the support I've gotten from friends and family at home. Woot woot!
Date: 2010-03-23
From: Nantahala outdoor center

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Just thoughts. No hiking. If there's one thing I've learned about life from my brief time hiking it's the obvious comparisons between the two when it comes to happiness. In backpacking the less you bring the easier it is to move and therefore the happier you are. In life people carry to many burdens wether it be drugs, money worries, worrying about the other sex or whatever it may be. So in life or hiking, go lite it's worth it.
Date: 2010-03-24
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Package I was waiting on didn't show up today so I had to sit here all day and wait till tommorow. That being said today was amazing. All we did was sit by the river all day and watch kayakers. Beautiful day even got sun burnt sitting out. A hiker I met named dr. Evil who I guess is a lawyer is letting me sleep on the couch in his cabin for free so I'm feeling lucky. This is such an amazing place I could stay here for weeks but I'm feeling the urge to hike so hopefully the mail comes in time tommorow for me to do a quick ten miles. Supposed to rain the next couple days but oh well. I'm ready to explore and ready to get to the smokies.
Date: 2010-03-25
From: noc

To: some shelter
Miles today: 7.0

got my maildrop at around noon and finally got to leave the noc. since i left so LATE i only did 7 miles to the first shelter cant remember its name but it it at least 14 people crammed in it. sleeping shoulder to shoulder in a wood shelter is an experience thats all i will say. it was nice though and kept us out of the wind.
Date: 2010-03-26
From: some shelter

To: some shelter
Miles today: 15.0

i apologize for not ever remembering the names of shelters.... anyways did fifteen miles in a wet gloomy day that really bummed me out for the first time on the trail.but after an hour in my sleeping bag listening to the beatles on my ipod and i was ok again. the smokies are only seven miles away and its looking like the weathers not going to be to bad for our trip through so everythings lookin up
Date: 2010-03-27
From: some shelter

To: fontana dam 
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: clear sky

beautiful day so far. sprinted the 7 miles to the roadhead and met up with cowgrl who had camped ahead of me the night before. i was surprised to see her this day but i caught her just in time as she was meeting up with some very nice folks she had met who are taking her dog for the week we are in the smokies since dogs arent allowed. anyways they gave us awesome fresh food and gave us a tour and a ride up the road to the store and the post office and right now i am using their computer to update. they are most certainly trail angels. i planned on going up the mountains today but its so nice i think im just going to take an easy day here at the dam and enjoy the sun and take some pictures. might be a week till i can update again so if your reading ill talk to you in 6 days or so hopefully
Date: 2010-03-28
From: fontana dam 

To: spence field shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: moderate rain

ive been running into two girl hikers named lightning, ringleader, and ringleader's brother monkey on and off since the third day of my hike. They are filming a documentary about the their hike on the trail. The A.T has so many books and movies about it already but i believe that their film will be successful because of how fun the atmosphere around them is. last night we walked up to the dam at sunset and they filmed all of us dancing across the dam lookout and doing silly things. It was some of the most fun ive ever had. Hiking the trail is like being six years old again. It takes the most simple things in the world to make u happy and to fascinate you. This is one of the most rewarding things about my hike so far is the simplicity of life. anyways... Today was the beginning of the smoky mountains. going from fontana dam at around 1700 feet up into the smokies where most of the walking is above 5000 is a chore to say the least. The first four miles were all uphill but not extremely difficult. At about seven miles in it started to rain and it did not stop! rain and 35 degrees is some of the most dangerous weather you can face and if your not smart it can be very bad. So the first day in the smoky mountains was not to much fun. by the time i climbed into the shelter evrything i was wearing including my boots were hopelessly soaked. Oh well.
Date: 2010-03-29
From: spence field shelter

To: silers bald shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

Waking up in the morning and crawling out of a (somewhat warm) sleeping bag and putting on wet clothes is one of the most unpleasant things i think i've ever done. If you have never had the experience and would like to try soak a pair of clothes and throw them in a refrigerator and when you wake up tommorow put them on and go outside assuming its 30 degrees. Lots of fun! of course day 2 in the smokies was nothing but what else rain all day long. Only did twelve miles today and they beat me up badly. When i got to silers bald shelter i stuck my head around the corner expecting to be the only one there only to see ten kids from oberlien(probly spelled wrong) college on spring break. I at this time was the only thru hiker at the shelter and was surrounded by college kids talking about how badly they wanted good food from home. This was the second day of their trip mind you and im on day 18. Thank God tickbite, prophet, and some other hikers arrived so i wasn't alone and the college kids turned out to be pretty cool after a little while although they completely hogged the fireplace. Another soaking wet day with my boots and clothes somehow even wetter than the day before. Supposed to be sunny tomorrow and tomorrow is a big day because we go through clingmans dome which is the highest peak on the entire trail at around 6500 feet maybe.so there are still reasons to believe the smoky mountains might be something more than water and fog.
Date: 2010-03-30
From: silers bald shelter

To: newfound gap
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up on this day as tickbite was crawling back into his sleeping bag after coming back into the shelter from outside. Is it sunny outside i asked? No, everythings covered in ice he said. !!!!!! Can't seem to catch a break. Another cold wet morning putting on freezing boots and hiking fast to warm up. within a mile of the shelter the landscape changed dramatically. All of a sudden the only trees to be seen were evergreens and i was walking through deep snow drifts of 4 or even 5 feet. For the most part the snow was frozen over and you could walk on top but every few hundred yards a step would take you up to your waist in snow without warning. The sun did come out on my way up to the top of clingmans dome. This was one of the hardest days of work in my entire life but probably also the most beautiful day i have ever experienced. Everywhere i looked on my way up the mountain the sun was shining through the trees illuminating the ice covered trees and shining off the snow in the most amazing way. I took many pictures though none did justice to what my eyes saw. Pretty soon i was up above clouds looking down upon endless mountains shimmering at the tops as sunlight reflected off the frost covered tops. I will try and put some pictures of this day on here and hope that some will see what i saw. After climbing the dome me and tickbite decided that since we were soaking wet and exhausted for the third day in a row we would go into gatlinburg for the night from newfound gap. The walk to newfound gap was only a couple miles but the snow made it near impossible. Many times i wanted to just stop and not go any further but what choice do you have but to walk? when we finally reached the gap we popped up over a hill and all of a sudden we see hundreds of cars and tourists taking pictures all over the place and the shock of coming from a mountain into that was severe. we saw lighting, ringleader, and monkey and the five of us got a ride into town from a couple within thirty seconds. Gatlinburg, can't believe i'm in gatlinburg.
Date: 2010-03-31
From: newfound gap

To: gatlinburg
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

So we've crossed the 200 mile mark and we're half way done with the smokies so we celebrated last night at the hotel by drinking some beer and having an all around good time. Found out by jumping on a scale that i've already lost 15 lbs and can't believe how skinny i look in the mirror. talk about a diet. i need new shorts cause the ones i have don't fit anymore. Coming down from the mountains into gatlinburg was like going from day to night. All of a sudden we're surrounded by people and noise and cars and flashing lights and everything else to grab the attention of people with nothing better to do. I dislike this town very much. Gatlinburg is surrounded by beautiful mountains and scenery yet most people seem to be here to take old tyme photographs and eat funnel cake. Its like being at a carnival. Can't imagine why anyone would like this place. Maybe im missing something but it's not for me. It feels good to take a day off and eat and eat and eat but i miss the woods.
Date: 2010-04-01
From: gatlinburg

To: tri corner knob shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

got a hitch first try out of gatlinburg from a nice couple who used to live by the trail in virginia. The trail in the smoky mountains got so much easier half way through. All of a sudden your on nice smooth ridgelines that go on for miles with not to much up or down and it was very enjoyable. the sun was out and only a few miles were through heavy snow. Can't wait to come back sometime and hike this part of the trail again, i found it very enjoyable.
Date: 2010-04-02
From: tri corner knob shelter

To: davenport gap shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

did 15 miles to the last shelter in the smoky's just one mile from the end of the park. Today it was 80 degrees all of a sudden which was very rough to hike in after being in snow just a day earlier. left my ipod off the trail where i stopped for a snack and didnt realize for a good hour that i had left it. going back in the sun with little water as fast as i can hoping to god it would be there was about as depressed as i've been since hitting the trail. Luckily though it was there and it wasn't to much time wasted. when i got to davenport gap shelter i was the only thru hiker there but there were 6 high school and young college aged kids from knoxville on their yearly camping trip. These kids were the most annoying odd kids that i've come across. You don't realize how immature you are in high school but when your a few years older and your around 17 year old boys you do and im still a pretty immature person but good god! Luckily lightning and her traveling group showed up and t.p and some other hikers so i didnt have to spend the whole night listening to just them. Only one more mile till the smoky's are done!! The smoky's were beautiful and i will come back some time but they kicked my ass and im ready to leave and start a new chapter of this hike.
Date: 2010-04-03
From: davenport gap shelter

To: campspot
Miles today: 18.0

Left the smoky mountains today which was great. Right as i got out of the park the trail followed this pretty little stream that had an amazing little waterfall that i sat by while i ate breakfast. Saw a little salamander swimming in the pool which made me smile. The big thing for the day though that had me pumped up was to get to max patch. For those who don't know max patch is a bald mountain. No trees just grass all the way across and on top. One of the coolest views on the trail and just an amazing change of scenery. While i was on top relaxing in the cool wind two ladies whose names i forget unfortunately and a little kid walked up and sat down next to me. Seeing me in my dirty hungry looking state they gave me a buffet of picnic foods they had with them. Chicked salad, donuts, chocolate easter eggs and all kinds of other food. i had a nice talk with one of the ladies who was very interested in my trail experience and she gave me the name of a college nearby that she thought i might be interesting in going to when i get back. Meeting people out here who are so generous to you out of the goodness of their heart is one of the best things about trail. When your at home you watch the news and you read the newspaper and all you see is the stories of child molesters and people beating their wives getting arrested or innocent people getting murdered and its easy to start to think of all people in a negative light sometimes. But out here almost everyone is friendly and i feel blessed that i've been given so much. I hope that i can share the kindness i've recieved with others and keep the happiness when i come off trail someday.
Date: 2010-04-04
From: campspot

To: hot springs
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

camped at a sweet spot the night before on the side of the trail all alone by a stream in my tent. In the morning as i walked on realized i was only a few hundred yards away from roaring fork shelter. met fish and uncle j bird, two hikers from pennsylvania who are a few years older than me but seem to have a similar sense of humor. ran into them throughout the day and we ended up hiking the last 3 miles to town together. we ended up hanging out in town for a little while and buying beer and taking it down across the bridge down by the river to a nice campspot where there were already at least 8 other hikers camped out. It was one of the most fun nights on the trail and most relaxing. tommorow i plan on going into town and staying there all day relaxing.
Date: 2010-04-05
From: hot springs

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Got mail from the post office and checked in to the duckett house bed and breakfast a little out of town. i ended up being the only hiker staying in their bunkhouse above a barn which was pretty sweet. spent the whole day drinking beer and eating great food at this sports bar and grill by the river. a local guy told us of this spot just a few hundred yards down the road where you can jump off rocks into pools in the river so me, scout and fish did just that and though the water was freezing it was like 80 degrees out so it felt great. saw an otter in the river which made my day. in indiana i believe otters are and endangered or protected species and this was the first one i had ever seen. i met this hiker named jack straw when we were coming into the smoky's but hadn't really hung around him until the last few days but this guy is a character. he jumped off the bridge into the river by the bar with everyone watching into what looked like 3 feet of water for 5 dollars! i can't begin to describe jack straw but he's fun to be around at least for the time being. went to the bar at night to watch the game and was pretty bummed that duke won but oh well. don't know what im doing tommorow
Date: 2010-04-06
From: hot springs

To: ?
Miles today: 0.0

dont know what im going to do today. it's supposed to be 89 degrees today and if i do hike it won't be till much later. nobody and zip code are here which is really cool since i haven't seen them in like ten days and i might decide to stay the night if i can find a floor to sleep on for free but im definitely going swimming again before i leave.