morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-25
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: Damascus, Va
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: clear sky

We were able to do alot of miles today because we had food on our minds. We didnt get much sleep last night because we camped on the hill above the shelter. It was a lovely perfect flat spot but it was almost too good to be true. Around 11 I was woken up by Gray shining a flash light out the tent flap. I had slept through the first of what would a long night of bear and animal arrivals. Laying there our tent seemed become pretty mesley compared to solid walls. The bear did return but was quickly spooked off by our siren device. The deer on the other hand did not fear anything and proceeded to linger breathe while chewing extremly loud. We woke early to get a good start to our day. While coming down McQueens knob we heard the similar cracking and snaping in the brush. A small bear was standing on his hind legs peeking over a log checking us out. Not too bad to see a bear from afar.
Date: 2016-05-26
From: Damascus, Va

To: Damascus, Va
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we decided to sleep in and have a zero. Our choice of hostel fit our needs with a hot shower and great company. Chuck the owner of the Woodchuck Hostel was extremly helpful and kind. Hazel helped us figure out our calorie situation. So hopefully now we will have more energy during the long days of hiking ahead. We stoped in to the Mt. Rodgers outfitters to get some advice on better quailty shoes. I found out I have been in the wrong size for the past 400 miles We treated ourselves to burritos at Hey Joes to end a perfect rest day. Tomarrow we shall leave Damascus with fresh rested bodies and minds.
Date: 2016-05-27
From: Damascus, Va

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

We woke up early today to get everything cleaned up and organized. Normally when we spend an evening in town its hard to get up and going. It must have been fate because when we were at the post office sending ourselves a few things ahead Dusty our trail friend had arrived. One cold rainy day on the trail we had tea at the shelter with him. Perfect and just what we needed! He had been a bit behind us because he nursing a foot injury. We had a perfect breakfast with him while catching up. He was getting his foot checked out because he thinks its may be broken. Send good vibes his way in hopes its not broken. So we bid adue and headed back onto the trail. We didnt get started till about 1230. There was a few climbs in our day but nothing too crazy. We crossed the Virginia Creeper trail a few times and that was a really nice trail. Great to see families out together fishing and riding bikes. It was dark when we hit the shelter but 14.5's not a bad day.
Date: 2016-05-28
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Before the Grayson Highlands Gate
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: broken clouds

After today I felt nothing would stand in our way. Except maybe sore tired feet. The new shoes are really helping but breaking them in makes for some grumpy feet. We were trying to make it past the shelter in th Grayson Highlands. The first climb of the morning we went up about 2000 feet in about 4 miles. So its really hard to keep up a steady pace because of constant change in terrain. Mainly the rocks get to me. I started the hike with a slight pain in my hip that only really got worse while going uphill mostly all day. We took a break at Buzzard Rock. There are a bunch of weekend hikers and day hikers out because of the Memorial Day weekend. We didnt see a fellow through hikers all day. We were coming down the other side of the mountain and ran into Skinny Man a section hiker that does interviews with thru hikers. He was from Wilmington,Nc and his youtube page is Chasing thru hikers. So look for our interview in future updates. At the bottom of the mountain there was trail magic waiting for us. 2 ice cold coolers full of sandwhichs, pickles, plums, beer, and pepsi. It dosent seem like much but it makes your day to rest and share a sandwhich that a special someone left for you. We continued on to the parking lot where there was a real bathroom and a trash can! Its the little things that excite us now. We continued our day climbing Mt. Rodgers. We made it to where the trail seperates to the Mt. Rodgers sumit trail and took a break at the shelter. There was tents everywhere sprinkled along the trail. It warms my heart to see people camping and enjoying the outdoors. However, with more crowds comes a litterd busy trail. We pick up so much trash it was crazy. There was an area that opened up and a herd of wild ponies were grazing right next to the trail even a few colts running around enjoying life. Gray and I were surrounded by ponies when we looked at each other and commented how extremly lucky we were. The trail continued from a dirt trail to rock climbing including the fatmam squeeze. Where you squeeze through a rock tunnel. We tented right outside the Grayson Highlands fence because we ran out of daylight. Even though we didnt quite make the miles we wanted to we felt like today was a great day.
Date: 2016-05-29
From: Before the Grayson Highlands Gate

To: Hurricane Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: overcast clouds

We woke up to rain hitting our tent this morning. So we kind of decided to sleep it out. Which was perfect because when we did wake up again the rain had somewhat stoped and the tent was getting dry. We were camped close to a parking lot and it was pretty funny seeing the herds of people going home because a little rain. I looked around for some water to make breakfast and tea. A really nice guy gave us the rest of his water and we didnt have to purify it! We packed up quickly and started on our way. Grayson Highlands State Park was really beautiful but very rocky. The first stream we came to we refilled our water and quickly made it to the shelter on the opposite side of the park. We took a break at the shelter and a ponie was hanging around begging for some food. There was a double sided ladder we had to climb to get over the barb wire fence.The areas outside the park were extremly muddy. I was rock hopping to cross a particularly muddy spot when I sliped and went crashing down. I hit my elbow pretty hard but I will probley only have a bruse. Gray was there to help me up. Mainly rocky terrian all day. Which mainly means if its rocky I go slower to make sure I have good footing. Gray and his strenth came to my rescue again when I was holding onto a tree trying swing around the tree from rock to rock. Easy task with no weight on your back. I did the heave and swing while the weight in my pack shifted pulling me back to where I started. Gray looked back and saw me hanging there with a sincere cry for help. He easily grabed my pack and helped get upright. I dont know what I would do without him. We made it into camp early my feet were hurting and Grays getting a bad cold. Time for some rest! We got word that our hiker friend Dusty got an xray and his foot is not broken! Just over strenched his ligaments. Our trail frind M&M has to get off the trail for a month because she broke a bone in her foot. Sending best wishes her way for a healthy recovery and safe return to thebtrail!
Date: 2016-05-30
From: Hurricane Mtn Shelter

To: Marion, Va
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We camped out below the shelter because the shelter was .1 off the trail. Not too far but far after a long day. Gray didnt sleep well at all due to his cold. So we had to get into town so Gray could rest up. We climbed alot today but wow the views made it really worth it. There was a really beautiful we stoped and just took some time to watch the falls. Almost half of the day we could smell people grilling somewhere off the trail. It was easy to get into town there was a really nice guy that picked us up. Now it istime to rest and hoping Gray feels better tomarrow. I hope everyone took sometime out of there weekend to reflect on the real reasons of Memoral Day.
Date: 2016-05-31
From: Marion, Va

To: Marion, Va
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Gray woke up feeling a little bit better hes still coughing a bit but not as bad. We slept in super late which felt really nice. If you need to go anywhere here around town you can just call the local transit. Only 50 cents per ride which it perfect so we didnt have to walk all the way across the town. We went to the post office to pick up our package and some letters. As always we were hunrgy so we stoped in this cute gift shop that makes sandwhiches. It was perfect and exactly what we wanted. There is nothing to eat around the hotel but fast food. Camping and making trail food gets old after a bit and we crave fresh real food. The gift shop had cute stuffed animals I got an elephant for Libbys new baby girl. We took the bus back to the laundry mat and now we have clean clothes to wear. The bus driver even told us that the bus will take us back up to the mountain. Perfect its extremly hard trying to catch a ride out of town. If we were trying to hitch a ride people dont know there is the Appalachain trail near by. They think normally your a bum and speed past us. We came back to the hotel and just rested the rest of the day.
Date: 2016-06-01
From: Marion, Va

To: Marion, Va
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I slept in until 9 and Gray got up at 10 something. Seems like Grays cold is getting better but he still has a nasty runny nose plus a wicked cough. We had our usual Apple cider, honey, and tea combo. It helps clean out the kidneys and just makes the body feel better. We took the bus to the post office again to send all of our cold weather gear home. Just our luck we will need it again lol. We went to a Japanese resturant and we ate a bunch of food. I had the sushi lunch and Gray had habatchi. After we took the bus to Food City and did our resupply for the next 4 days. We had to increas Grays calories he was skinny to begin with and was loosing too much weight. He goes through about 25 to 30 bars in 4 days. I watch him eat a ton and he still looses weight. I dont like the whole shopping part but I love organization afterwards. I love to organize and make everything perfect plus im a huge planner. A planner to the point where if my plan gets messed up I stress out. This hike is helping me go with the flow and be okay with no plan at all. Now its time for a nap! ?
Date: 2016-06-02
From: Marion, Va

To: Marion, Va
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Well we were planning on getting back on the trail today but that didnt happen. Grays still coughing and has a runny nose. So the cure for that... sleep, food, and nothing else. Normally I cant sleep in or need to be doing something so I dont feel like I wasted a day. Rest is important though. We left once to get lunch and we have been naping and laying around all day. The hotel had to install curtains which requies them to drill loudly into the wall. Thats why we went to lunch so they could do our room. Gray got a sleeping quilt to replaced the sleeping bag he has. He hulked the zipper open and bag needed to be replaced. We also got a Insight emergancy GPS. So in the unlikely event that something goes sour we will be safe.
Date: 2016-06-03
From: Marion, Va

To: Atkins, Va
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Well we hit the trail again feeling well rested. We missed the 11 shuttle back to the mountains so we then had to wait for the 2 shuttle.The shuttle pick up was infornt of walmart so we were entertained people watching. It was so loud and people were acting a fool. Reminded me why I enjoy the quiet of the woods. We actually got picked up by a guy named Jim who gave us a ride back up the mountain. Didnt start hiking till like 230. The terrian was okay at first but then the rocks came. The rocks by themelves are ok bit its a hard combo with rocks and a steep incline. Today was mostly hiking straight up a few mountains. We crossed a few roads and alot of open fields. By the end of the day we hitba level patch and that felt nice. After alot of rest my hip and feet started to ache. A day has not gone by without some ache or pain just have to take this trip one step at a time. We came to a major hwy and were greeted by a motel from a murder movie (Flickering light included) and a trucker gas station. We decided to get a room and had a hearty dinner of gas food snacks. We sat around talking to the other thru hikers here Tim, Dusty, and snow white. So tired and sore today but one step closer to our goal.
Date: 2016-06-04
From: Atkins, Va

To: Atkins, Va
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up early and packed everything up to hit the trail after breakfast. We walked down to the Barn resturant and had a hearty breakfast with Dusty. After we had one hour before we had to check out. We layed down for a nap planning on checking out at 11. Well we fell asleep amd woke up at 1. The desk clerk was nice and automaticlly rolled us over another night. My hip was extremly sore so I iced it today. Then fell asleep and didnt wake up till 5. Snow White, Dusty, Gray, and I walked the Mexican Grill. It started to poor while we ate. After we ate we sat and talked a bunch. The rain came pouring down like crazy. A nice day to get out the rain and nap.
Date: 2016-06-06
From: Atkins, Va

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

Finally got back on the trail. We took Dusty out for breakfast and stuffed ourself with food. It was called the 2x4 with 2 pancakes, 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, 2 pieces of sausage, hash browns and toast. Thats a lot and I finished every bite. Plus I didnt feel over stuffed is this what they call the hiker hunger. We left the resturant and hit the trail. Passed under the overpass and off the road into a pasture. Today we passed through a bunch of fields that are owned by a bunch of private owners. That normally means we have climb over a bunch of stiles. Thick ladders that cross over fences or barbed wire. Takes me a bit go over them Gray thinks my preformance is priceless. So instead of dodging roots and rocks we were dodging cow pies. We hit the forest again and soon came to a climb. We were both discussing great sandwhich ideas when we heard a distinct rattle. In a moment I jumped a foot in the air high steping (like that would help) all the while bGray was pushing me foward. A funny scene for anyone who would have seen. When we got a good distance away from the rattle we turned around and not even 5 inches from where my foot was an American rattle snake. He had 7 rings on his tail plus he was really wide. That gave us the extra boost to the top of the mountain. The last climb of the day was tough but we passed the 1/4 way sign. Put a smile on my face I felt very acomplished. After today we only have 1630.5 miles to go. I say bring it!
Date: 2016-06-07
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Chestnut Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: broken clouds

june 7I love hiking with Gray because no matter how tough or easy the day is I get to share it with him. I woke up to my usual alarm which is Grays watch. That dosent bother me a bit what does is he never seems to hear it or wake up to it. If any alarm goes off im up lol So I let Gray sleep in which means we started our day at 930 but with us both moving sluggish we didnt hit the trail till 1030. Coming out of the shelter we went down for a bit then came a not so bad hill. Which means its short only because your hiking straight up. After crossing a bridge over a heavy flowing creek we took a bit of a break. 2 beautiful black and blue butterflys landed on Grays pack. Gray saw a water snake down where there was a split in the creek. This whole day was a steady climb up with a slight down just to get your hopes up. We were at the point on the trail where it was flat for .1 mile. I looked ahead about 25 feet a head of us a bear ran across the trail. I made the comment that it must have been a cub because it seemed really small. Not soon after the bear ran across our path 2 actual cubs were hot on her trail. So we saw a mama and her 2 cubs as the coast was clear we contine walking ahead and Gray stops. To our left where the mama bear ran from was a 3rd cub looking for food paying no mind to the fact that his ma had took off without him. He came up to trail about the same distance as before. Gray whistled and the cub stood up on his hind legs looking at us then took off. The miles slowly went by and we just decided to have a slow day. It was perfect we suned in a field of wild flowers, stoped to look at plants we could find. Gray found 3 bunches of chicken of the woods (a mushroom). We made it to the shelter and its really nice. 4 walls and an actual door. We set up our tent and made some tea. We may not have done the miles we wanted but we had a fun simple day together. Looks like we may be in for a windy night.
Date: 2016-06-08
From: Chestnut Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Campsite
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

Tryed to make up the lack of miles yesterday. It was a very windy night. The tent shook a lot but I slept well. Convinced Gray to get up early and we hit the trail by 9. We had an instant down hill where we had a chance to fill up our water. Very few water sources in the upcoming miles. We had a pretty steep climb but then we were on a ridge line for a good 4 or 5 miles. We met 2 section hiker and got to chat witb them for a little while. They have been doing sections since 2001. Their trail name is Team Slow Poke. Its 2 sisters in there 60's. They were slack packing (go to camper at the end of the day). After we bid farewell and set onto another 4.5 miles of a slight up then a drastic downhill. At the bottom we took a break at the shelter. Team Slow Poke was there stressing out about there pick up site. The there was supposed to be a road where the husband was supposed to meet them. Come to find out they had an old trail map and the forest service road was no longer kept up. Gray showed them on the Garmin the way they had to go to meet up with there ride. We offered to walk them to the forest service road but they insisted they would be fine. The next section went straight up then a smooth trail. Like too good to be true smooth trail. We continued down and passed over a bridge to service road 615. The water had a beautiful cascade of falls. We set up camp up the hill. We had enough daylight to refill water, make tea, eat, and enjoy a fire that Gray made. Perfect!
Date: 2016-06-09
From: Laurel Creek Campsite

To: Bland , Va
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: few clouds

When we woke this morning it was crazy cold. Like abnormal for June. That being said the only reason we were able to get up early was because today is a town day. I was up first and after a little provoking plus hot tea Gray emerged from his sleeping bag. I have to keep my eye on him because if i dont hear him deflate his sleeping pad it means he didnt actually get up. I could see my breath thats how chilly it was. As we steped off for the day the sun came over the mountain and started to warm us up. The first 1.9 miles was up hill but the hatchbacks made it super easy. We came around a corner and heard a russle beside us. There was a female deer staring right at us. We stoped to watch her she just watched us. She was so beautiful and not afraid of us at all. We also found a little bunny he froze too and we got super close before he hopped off. We took a short break at the top. Gray said its funny how im faster going up hill then down it took us less then a half hour to cover 1.9 miles uphill. It was probley because I had a smoothy on my mind. There was a lot of ups and downs but they all came with a smooth trail. Also you could beat the great views. Finally we made it to a gravel road that lead to the North secenic highway. I was worried for a bit because about 2 miles out you could see and hear a big nasty 4 lane highway. Now we just jad to get a ride 3 miles down the road to a hot shower and food. Steven a old navy veteran picked us up and gave us a ride to the big walker motel. Now normally a motel has a gross feel to it but this place was super clean. It even smelled clean. We droped our gear and went across the road to the gas station where they happened to have a Dairy Queen. We ate and I got a strawberry smoothy. Yum! Now its shower and rest time.
Date: 2016-06-10
From: Bland , Va

To: Bland , Va
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Today I had another lesson in patience. Its funny because Gray and I had diffrent reasons for wanting to hike the Appalachain trail. However, we are both learning patience. Its the capacity to accept or tolerate delay without getting angry or upset. Gray he has patiene with me because im not a fast hiker. He insists on me leading and doesnt get upset when I cant make a ton of miles. I have patience when Gray gets up late and insists on taking another day off. I was all packed and ready this morning to hit the trail. That didnt happen. Instead we went to the post office. On the way out we ran into Tune up, The Butcher, and Water Bug. Tune Up we havent seen since we left the Smokies. Tune Up and Water bug were both Marines. We chatted for a bit. Thenbwent to the grocery store to get snacks. Then we ate lunch at the local diner. I got new socks that are super fuzzy and soft for that comfort item at the end of the day. We got dollar facial packets and had strawberrys with nutella. Super yummy. Tomarrow we will hit trail again.
Date: 2016-06-11
From: Bland , Va

To: Campsite on ridge
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: broken clouds

Hitting the trail again after some nice rest. We were droped off where we hitched a ride from on the North Scenic HWY. Mostly not very nice views at all. A busy fast freeway on one side and a semi fast hwy on the other. This area was probley my least favorite. For a small bit we were walking with rusty barb wire to the left and the guard rail to the right. Eaither way it was a risky walk. We came to the end of that portion and the trail literly droped off out of no where. Even when you got close to the edge it was pebbles and slate that just shifted. Risky business. Once we crossed the road we walked over the highway and searched for our next white blaze. Once we re-entered the woods there was a ton paths that went everywhere. Kind of looked like a hobo hang out and not the Appalachain trail. Gray found the right path. Our only goal today was to make it to the top of the big mountain about 15 miles. Lots of ups and downs even passed 2 shelters. A deer ran up to us really close stoped stared at us. Then Gray said what are you looking for and then the deer bolted away. Made me chuckle like that deer was dared by his fellow friends to buzz by humans. At Lickskillet Hallow we stocked up on water before climbing our big mountain. We walked till about sunset and set up right on top of a ridge with just enough room for our tent. Plus we got to watch the sunset.