morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-04-07
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: moderate rain

Ungawa arrived just before dark. During my first of several nature calls during the nite, another hiker arrived and remarked how much he enjoyed hiking over the ridges during the nite. I was thinking to myself that one false step and they wouldn't even search for the body. We had a hikers rain last night and when I got up there was a light cover of snow on the ground. It was a tough hike today. The first 10 miles were mostly covered with ice and snow, and it got heavier as altitude increased. What made it interesting (dangerous) was the wind. The wx forecasters called it "blustery"   I'd call it 30-40 kts. I did call the Fontana Mgr and will await his response. Doc did talk to the mgr about his cabin situation and will apparently get some refund. I took some photos and briefly talked to B2, but stopping even for a short period would bring on the chills. If Berk had to miss a stretch, this wasProbably a good one. I would have made her wear her hiking boots and she doesn't really like them. Before leaving G'burg I did talk to my dermatologist. I had visited her just before leaving and thought all the routine screening was completed. Apparently, one spot came back positive and she wanted to do another treatment. However, she did give me some "do it yourself" treatment cream and I'm going to try that for two weeks.   It's been snowing lightly and more is forecast for this evening. It's pretty cold and I'm planning another early bedtime. It should be a fair hiking day to Standing Bear on Friday and Berk returning Sat. I'll post some photos on Sat if not soonerLife is Good!
Date: 2016-04-08
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Standing Bear Hostel
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Yesterday's hike was the most challenging, weather wise. The winds were reported to have been as high as 55 mph, with temps in the 30-40 range. A lot of the hiking was on the ridge line so there was a lot of exposure for the 1st10 miles. I felt sorry for a SOBO we met late in the day. They were going slow and just started to hike the hardest part and we're still 5 miles from the shelterI went to bed early and left the shelter guys tending a nice fire. I said I would keep the fire going during me nightly nature calls. At the first visit, I discovered the shelter guys had burned this huge pile of firewood. A young hiker, Tim, was interesting. Someone asked when he had a shower last, he said Pennsylvania strange since we're 1000 miles from Penn and there were free hot showers at the Hilton   Later I was answering Qs about my prior thru hike and Tim asked if I was younger then....well yes I was. We were all up early and I was 2 out after Tim   Killer, RoadRunner and I leapfrogged most of the day. It snowed about an inch at the shelter and a little more at the higher elevations. Most of our time was spent at 5-6500' elevation. I saw a bobcat track that followed the trail for about 2 miles. There was another track that I couldn't identify as well. Later I spotted some turkey tracks. We dropped about 3500' this am. At one of the road crossings I met a family from Minn and yogied some water After leaving the Smokies, I met a large trail maintenance crew from the CMC. I arrived mid afternoon at the Standing Bear hostel. Saw Count, Patches, Yosamite, Chatterbox, Machete, Ungawa, Bluebery YY and others. Killer is getting off the trail here and was picked up by his fianc©. Panda, RR, Doc and I are sharing a cabin   I did my wash on a washboard, but was able to use a dryer to dry my clothes. Traded texts with B2 about transferring Berk tomorrow. Otherwise,Life is Good!
Date: 2016-04-09
From: Standing Bear Hostel

To: Snowbird Mtn
Miles today: 4.4
Weather: broken clouds

Apr 9Snowbird Mtn4.4 milesInteresting evening   As much as I try to like everyone, occasionally I meet someone who I just don't appreciate. Last evening was an example. I was sitting in an easy chair, munching a bag of chips, slamming Gatorades and chatting with Blueberry Yum Yum. Up comes a guy, interrupts us and not even a : How are you doing?, good afternoon, my name is Sue, or may I ask a question....He: How old are you?   Me: Old Enough.   He: I'm 62 and a thru hiker. Me: I completed my 1st thru hike at 64.   Then He left....I like the Standing BearHostel. I shared the luxury cabin with Doc, Panda and Roadrunner. This place is called rustic.   The laundry is a washboard which the 3 amigos seriously lack proficiency. There is a dryer but the result was that they ended up burning all the dirt and smell into their clothes. The common kitchen area reminds me of an 1800s mining camp. The resupply shop has just about everything for a hiker and is very reasonably pricedI spent most of day cold and shivering at the hostel. Yesterday there were about 30 here, now it's only me waiting for Berk and Ungawa who is taking a zero. The PPs, B2 and Berk arrived late. I had givenB2 a large to do list and there was construction traffic delay. Lest I forget a great big shout out to B2 for the resupply, taking Berk and bringing the PPs to see me.   I got trail names for the PPs: Wild Cat and Honey Bee. I don't use use their names on social media but those that know the PPs should understand their trail names.   My tax plan is to be in Hot Springs (33 miles) on Mon nite I left Standing Bear with Berk after 4pm and hiked to 1st stream. There I watered Berk and had a pizza and draft beer ( this is a Saturday) courtesy of B2. I'm glad I'm not still in the Smokies. I hiked another 1 1/2 hrs and stopped at Snowbird Mtn, an FAA control site and called it a nightLife is Good!
Date: 2016-04-10
From: Snowbird Mtn

To: Walnut Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: broken clouds

Yesterday's short hike gained back 2800' that was left from the Smokies. I camped at the FAA tower site behind some large propane tanks. It was a good wind break and nice to have Berk back on the trail. Since I was next to a propane tank, I passed on shot breakfast and had Mtn House's blueberry granola which was very good and lots of caloriesIt was an easy hike to Max Patch. I came up to 2 mules and one asked me how my hike was going, just like my favorite columnist in Houston, Leon Hale I asked if they were related to Leon's mule and they said I Was silly, they were llamas. Llamas? Come se llama, me llama Tic. No, we're not Spanish. The older llama said her name was Wild Cat and her little sister was Honey Bee I said that was amazing because that are the trail names for my granddarlings   About that time another hiker was approaching and the llamas didn't want anyone else to know they talked so the wished me well on my hike and didn't speak anymoreMax Patch is one of my top 5 places on the AT and it didn't disappoint. I was fortunate in2010 to spend the other on the patch wig a full moon... very beautiful   I had a leftover cold pizza lunch with my last growler of beer. It was outstanding. Thanks B2. Today's hike climbed 2600', but I counted 5 200' straight up and downs that would never show up on the maps I continued hiking on to the shelter and stopped for some trailmagic just short of the shelter I OD'ed on double stuffed Oreos, leaving plenty for other hikers and drank the last Mtn Dew. I then got ready for throats little stretch to the shelter and DISASTER. NO TENT!!!! In my rush to leave Standing Bear, I left out my bungee cords to secure my tent. And my morning arthiritis prevented my fingers for really securing the tent. It's getting late, temps are falling, it has been sprinkling lightly and the wind is picking up.   There were a lot of options to consider, but I took the safest and proceeded directly to the shelter. I texted B2 (now Ground Control) to put him on alert to send me a replacement. Another option was the outfitter in Hot Spring$ NC. Rabbit came in at dark and reported seeing the tent on the side of the trail about 4 miles S. Tthere was room in the shelter and I convinced Pookey to trade places so Berk and could be together   I'd think about the tent options tomorrowLife is Good
Date: 2016-04-11
From: Walnut Mtn Shelter

To: Hot Springs NC
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

After all of us in the shelter had retired for the evening, scavenger and Whip Lash showed up well after dark. WL: Anybody missing an REI tent? YES!!   Thank you WL, Thank you Lord and the Angels and I were singing the Hallelujah Chorus. The shelter didn't provide much relief from the howling winds all night. And Berk slept all night on my head, sometimes her head and sometimes her butt. I fixed breakfast and sought out WL to give home a substantial reward,but he refused. He said today was his 21st birthday and I could buy him a beer. I ended up forcing him to take a $20 for his beer tonight. The start of today's hike was troubling.   Berk was limping in right front. I checked her paws and nothing obvious. I placed boots on her front paws and these were a non starter. I lightened her load and proceeded on her pace. She still got energized by squirrels and chipmunks, so I decided to proceed. But she got more troubling as we proceeded. She was getting plenty of water and I was stopping for rest breaks quite frequently for her. But she was still laboring. Finally, I took over her whole back pack and loaded up on almost max water. Instantly, she had recovered. More contakerness: We proceeded on a brisk pace but I was watching her closely.   We came around a corner and there was a 30ish couple with 2 loose huskies. I yelled for them to control their dogs. The lady grabbed and leashed the smaller husky. The larger husky approached in a threatening manner. I yelled for the man to control his dog again, put Berk on a sit stay, shortened her cable and stood in front of her. the husky was bearing down fast on us and was within 1 step of me breaking my hiking poles across his head. The man came up and started beating the dog. I said it wasn't the dogs that should be beaten and at the time I thought I was the man for the jobWe got into Hot Springs and the hostel that was recommended as dog friendly had changed owners and were no longer that dog friendly. I made a reservation at a court in town. I saw Candyman at the hostel, as well as Huck, Pluto, Sacajewa and several others. Pluto even gave me some crystallized ginger, which I call chocolate. I ate with Candyman at the Creekside, taking in the hiker burger. I think I'm getting my hikers appetite. Saw Doc, Roadrunner, Panda, Bluebery YY, Magic Mike, Outback and several othersIt's supposed to rain tonite and tomorrow. I'm planning to take a zero and hope Berk gets to feeling betterLife is Great!
Date: 2016-04-12
From: Hot Springs NC

To: Hot Springs 0
Miles today: 0.0

Great day for a zero. Rain all am and doesn't look like Sun will be making an appearance today. No AT&T service here, so difficult to access some secure websites since they require a text confirmation code.   Went to library for some limited computer access, minor resupply at outfitter and $General. Ate lunch at diner and now doing laundry. I've been trying to coordinate my next resupply with GC, which has been a challenge. Hemlock Hollow doesn't know whether they are open or not and no answer from Laurel Trading Post. So, it looks like 70 miles to Uncle Johnny's in Erwin I planned to go to the Hot Springs spa, but several reported it was more like tepid springs and no jets So, I passed on that and will do with a hot shower. Saw Red Hat today. I met her on my worst day in 2009, day 5 into 7 days of solid rain. She remembersThat day and me, and now lives near Standing Bear. Today she is operating the Hikers Ridge Ministry Resource I had hoped to expand some on Berk, this being a zero. So here's my iPhone attempt. She had a prime checkup about 6 months ago and a final checkup just before we left. she got some GI pills which happen to identical to mine. My biggest concern with her is a snakebite, real to me as I stepped over a trophy timber rattler in my 2010 hike. We did some"practice" hikes, but no real way to simulate the AT. Other canine considerations are motels and hostels that will accept dogs. For instance, the highly recommended hostel here has changed owners and no longer allow dogs, and the motel here that does accept dogs charges a premium. For the trail, my major concern was her nutrition She has never been a regular eater and I offer her 2 cups of food twice a day. Her normal food was about 350 kcal/ cup, but her trail food is over 500 kcal/ cup I did slightly over stress her a week or so back, but have been watching her most closely now. Yesterday's performance does have me concerned. Hopefully it was only a one time event. Otherwise I may have to reconsider having her on the trail. With the exception of yesterday, she has eagerly looked forward to hiking. She helps load her backpack and charges forward on her hike command. We're still working On right and left turn. And she really begs for pets from the other hikers. At night she gets her coat brushed ( primarily to remove dirt, twigs, leaves), she gets her paws treated with Mushers Secret and then a full body massage. Talk about canine estasy, her eyes roll back into her head and her tongue is fully extended. I do get quite upset with the number of people who do not control their dogs and allow them to approach in a threatening manner. It's not the dogs fault but I sure would like to teach the owner a lesson. Berk rested much of the day and on a short walk she appeared well and was in full hunt mode. It might be a long stretch until my next stop, so postings might be quiet for awhile or limited to simple waypoint positions. But all this might be moot since there has been no AT&T service lately
Date: 2016-04-13
From: Hot Springs 0

To: Deep Gap +
Miles today: 13.3

The last night in Hot Springs was relative quiet. I nice dinner at the Iron Horse Restaurant and the a nice hot shower, Berk also. At the outfitter resupply I got Berk a new pad which she much prefers, as she was stretched out fullyI had a nice breakfast at the Smoky Mtn Diner, finished resupply at $General, stopped by outfitter for pack adjustment and then was on my way.   The next resupply planning had really been a struggle. With Berk having issues on our last hike, I didn't know whether I was going to go out for a 1/2 day and then bring her back, or press on to next stop at 70 miles. So, I was leaving HS with pack wt N of 50 lbs!The French Broad river and bridge N of town were quite pretty. I hooked up with the 5x20s. The original 5 were Patches, Count, Yosamite, Doc and Scavenger. Doc dropped out to make some grad school decisions ((very right kid into cancer research) and Scavenger has regularly been behind and in front. They have been replaced by 2 Brits: Boss and Samquatch. It was the typical rough climb leaving town. Less than a mile into it, we were met by a lady and ANOTHER loose dog. She said she had forgotten her leash and no problem as hers was a very friendly dog.   2 steps from Berkeley she starts being aggressive. Lady says the dog has never done that. I was tempted to say that I can make sure it never does it again. But again, stupid pet owners It was a fair hike hike today, although over the 13+ miles, I don't thing 600 yds, 800 max, were level. The Mtn Laurel were smelling great in the am and I was beginning to see the formation of some rhododendron tunnels. I filled up with water at the last shelter and my Steripen died. No problem, I have 2 gas canisters and can always boils water if I can't yogy a Sawyer squeeze filter. As I started to cook dinner, my gas canister went empty. Water ahead is scarce so I filled my 3L bladder, 1L Nalgene bottle and Berks pint+ bottle. It was late in the afternoon and I wanted to hike another couple of hours. I came across the 5x20s and Samquatch had some AAs I could have. When I opened my Steripen, the new lithium batteries had broken apart. I cleaned up the corroded contacts and it was functioning, but not reliable. Since I was carrying almost 9 #s of water and now had a Steripen working, I offered to offload some of my water. I ended up topping off several bottles and the. Went on to hike some more before dark. I found a good campsite and got set up. I was thinking about having a nite mocha and discovered by bladder was missing. Too late to go back and I now had less than a pint I'll have to look for it tomorrow. Also, it's not a good idea to be long distance hiking and lose your shelter and your water. The only thing I can think of worse, is to get hurt or injured. I may have to reconsider hiking if I continue to lose things. Life is Good
Date: 2016-04-14
From: Deep Gap +

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 18.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Apr 14 Jerry Cabin Shelter18.1Tough day. I was up before daylight getting ready to backtrack to look for my bladder. I left Berk in camp and was hiking shortly after 600 am. I met me NOBO who reported seeing it, but couldn't remember where. To make long story short, I hiked back to shelter with no luck   I got back to camp and broke down to start hiking I leapfrogged the 5x20s we had an early 2500 climb, of which 1100' were over the last 1.3 miles (Mtn math says that's a 16% grade!!!) I was thinking about stopping at a shelter or maybe the next water source. But it was still early and we were making good time. So we pressed on to the next shelter. The 1st challenge was the 16% grade.   Next it was less than a mile to next water and then little over 4.5 miles to next shelter. It was just after 5, the terrain was relatively flat, I should easily hike 1.5 mph and more likely 2.0+ mph. And that I did for awhile. And the we hit Firescald Knob. It was rocky and the most technical part yet. There were places where I had to take Berk off leash. This was probably about a mile in length but I wouldn't want to guess how long it took us to get thru it. We took rest breaks, drank most all our water and got to shelter just before dark. N got tent set up, water refilled and Bear bags hung. "Geo" came around and was offering cookies. We introduced ourselves and Geo said he had hiked with another Tic, a rocket scientist from Houston. I didn't remember him but he recalled it was in 2010, at Shaws Lodging in Monson ME with Tater Chip. (I remember him, last name was Lays). Small world. A lot of the other hikers are noting that this last stretch was a tough climb. Berk and I are going to bed and sleep in late   tomorrow. And we passed the 300 mile milestoneLife is Good!
Date: 2016-04-15
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

Apr 15Hog back Ridge Shelter15.1Our 1 month anniversary on the trail. After the hard day yesterday I was really enjoying sleeping in late. In fact, except for Scavenger who is always the last one to leave, we were it, leaving just before 1000. The hike up until midafternoon was quite enjoyable. Cool wx, light breeze, green meadows and mostly downhill   However, we were brought back to reality I the afternoon. We had a 1600' climb in nearly 3 miles. Mtn math says that's a 10% climb over 3 miles. I did see some surveyor's tape where it looks like the CMC intends to insert some switchbacks into the trail. I had talked to one of theCMC trail maintainers and he said thief goal was to have a max 10% grade.   Good luck on that one, I e seen to many 16-18%ers that I'm ready to leave CMC territory. I leapfrogged with Scavenger, Pookie, Willow and the 5x20s.   Got into camp before 7, set up tent, got some water, ate and ready for bed. A shout out to Backpacker's Pantry Pad Thai dinner - a whopping 920 calories!!   On earlier post I mentioned an anxious moment clearing a ridge only to see smoke and a blazing fire two ridges over with wind blowing towards me. Now I like smoke in that on the end of my 2 last hikes, I smelled smoke coming from the fire at the shelter, hiking end is near My goal is still to arrive in Erwin Sunday night. We'll seeLife is Good!
Date: 2016-04-16
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Spivey Gap-
Miles today: 14.8

I was the first up and the last out of the thru hikers to leave this am. I was hiking before 0800, but all the others were interested in hitching a ride to a diner for breakfast. I passed on that because I wanted to put in the miles today to make Uncle Johnny's on Sunday. I yogied some water from Willow before we left. I quickly made Sam's Gap where I met Ric and Spiro. Ric has bad foot issues and Spiro was waiting for his girlfriend. I yogied more water from Ric and Spiro. Had another 1700' climb with its fair share of 16-18% grade. Got up to Big Bald for some photo ops. Met a nice family and yogied 2 bottles of water   After Big Bald, it's almost 18 miles of downhill...SWEEEET!!!   I did say almost because Big Rocks was another technical challenge.   We were cruising but Berk was fading a bit. I stopped several times for her and she had plenty of water breaks, lying down in one of the streams. It was getting late and I was beginning to think about finding a place to camp or a place to eat or a place to get water. I was hoping one of the 5x20s would pass me and allow me to treat some water.   I was hiking and came up on a pretty little meadow with a vixen all alone. (For Capt Mike: think Philmont 1992). It was a perfect match. Her name is Queen Sweeper, a Czech. She had a nice campsite by the stream and a gravity filter, but she was light on food I got my water bottles refilled and offered her a variety of food. She insisted on trading and I obliged by taking a brownie and a tootsie roll pop. After eating I joined her for a short period. She was ODing on a twin pepperoni pack and was going to devour it in one sitting. It was a perfect matchIt's late. Berk is already asleep and I have reservations for us at Uncle Johnny's tomorrow. Life is Good!