morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-05-12
From: Low Gap

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: overcast clouds

We got our second try at getting over Big Bald this morning and made it before the rain! It was cloudy and miserable when we started hiking but by the time we reached the summit the sun was shining and we had a great view! We pushedtrough some rain this afternoonto get as close to town (Erwin, TN) as possible to get in tomorrow to make it to a pizza join that offers a hikers favorite acronym, AYCE (all you can eat)!!
Date: 2017-05-13
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: overcast clouds

We made it! Sloshed into town this morning in the pouring rain and hunkered down at Uncle Johnny's Hostel where we got warmed up and dry before they gave us a ride to the pizza buffet! We, along with a crowd of hungry hikers, cleared the buffet of pizza multiple times before we were all too stuffed to move. We got another shuttle back to the hostel and did the only natural thing after eating multiple pizzas each, nap! We'll resupply and head  back to the trail as soon as we can walk again.
Date: 2017-05-14
From: Erwin, TN

To: Curly Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.3
Weather: light rain

We had a pretty lazy day today, hanging around Uncle Johnny's Hostel while our gear dried out in the sun and maximizing our rest time. We didn't get back out on the trail until around 6PM, but only had a few miles to hike in to the next shelter where we're stopped for the night. Most everyone from town today is here as well so it's good to see friends. Over the past few days we've met and hiked with Sunflower and Lex, a pair of friends from Atlanta, GA (although Lex is originally from Long Island!) as well as Radar who we caught up to in Erwin! We also met SOBO (Southbound) hiker Super Mario (wears red suspenders and hat) who is doing a non-traditional hike starting in Harpers Ferry (the midpoint of the trail) and hiking south to Springer Mtn, then flying up to Katahdin and hiking down to where he started. *Hoot is still behind, but feeling stronger and pushing to catch up to try to get the gang back together again. Fingers crossed!
Date: 2017-05-15
From: Curly Maple Gap Shelter

To: Cherry Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: clear sky

We had quite a day today! What started out as any normal day, a seemingly endless climb up mountains with no peaks (hikers joke that the trail only goes one way, and that's up), turned into a stunning hike up to a place fittingly named "Beauty Spot" as it is one of the first completely open summits we've hiked. We had fantastic views of the mountains and valleys all around us, and to top it off, past thru-hiker and trails angel Onesimus was at the top with some amazing trail magic! He had a whole buffet for hikers, including grilled chicken, bean and rice burritos (for the vegetarians), watermelon, sodas and ice cream sandwiches! After climbing all day we were in heaven, and sat thoroughly enjoying ourselves for almost 3 hours. :O In our defense, part of the reason we sat so long was because we had heard from Hoot that he we only a few miles behind us and we were hoping to let him catch up. Unfortunately, he didn't make it before we had to push on but we did see our friends  Wolf Girl (worked with wolves at her job before the trail) and her adorable dog Parker who has a genetic condition that causes him to lose some of his fur, so he carries and sleeps in his own doggy sleeping bag. When we did finally drag ourselves away from the amazing food and views we hiked up over Unaka Mountain, passing through a beautiful spruce forest on its peak (over 5000'), and the down into camp at Cherry Gap.
Date: 2017-05-16
From: Cherry Gap Shelter 

To: OverMountain Shelter
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: clear sky

We had planned to wake up early today to do some serious miles to make up for the last few days of slow starts and extra long trail magic breaks. Usually at least one of us gets up on time on early days and wakes the other if they aren't already up, unfortunately, today was not one of those days. We both slept in and we got a much later start than planned, putting us in a position to be hiking in the hottest part of the day (around 1PM-4PM) which we can usually handle, but today was forecasted to be in the mid 80s. We know come July and August we'll be hiking in temperatures like this most days, but with tree cover still minimal, hiking in this heat in direct sunlight can get dangerous. We decided to push as far as we could until it got too hot and reassess from there. We made it just over 9 miles to the next shelter before we had to stop for lunch and to cool down. After eating and drinking as much water as we could and still feeling overheated we decided a midday siesta in the cool shade of the shelter might be what we needed. We must have been more wiped out from the sun than we realized because both of us fell asleep and only woke up when hiker 'Hot Foot' came into the shelter for a rest. By the time we got back on the trail it was almost 4PM, but with things starting to cool down and feeling recharged from our nap we decided to try and really push it and hike a little into the night, just seeing how far we could make it. We rolled into Roan Mountain Shelter, the highest shelter on the AT (at 6193') and our original planned stop for the night, around 7. Instead of settling in, however, we decided to have dinner there and then push for Overmountain Shelter, one of the biggest on the AT (an old converted barn, able to hold over 20 hikers), another 7.1 miles on. We hiked down Roan Mountain as it got dark and hit the Roan Highlands (a series of bald mountains with amazing views of the surrounding mountains) just as the sun was setting. Radar hiked out ahead of us today so we weren't sure exactly where he stopped for the night until we passed him camped out a few miles before the shelter we hoped to make it to. It was after dark when we passed so he was already out for the night, as most normal hikers would be at such an hour. We finally made it into the shelter just before 11, way past hiker bedtime (usually around 8:30/9) and it was such a clear night we decided to cowboy camp (sleep under the stars) on the grass  outside the shelter.
Date: 2017-05-17
From: OverMountain Shelter

To: Mountain Harbour Hostel
Miles today: 9.2
Weather: clear sky

We awoke to a beautiful sunrise this morning over the mountains surrounding the shelter (when cowboy camping at hard not to wake up with the sun). We had more 'highlands' to hike today so we took it slow, taking in the views and enjoying our time out of the woods for a little while. We heard from a few other hikers at the shelter this morning that a Hostel about nine miles up the trail has a food truck that serves burgers and tacos so we're obviously going to try to hit that for lunch! We made it just as the truck was opening and had some awesome tacos and nachos while chatting with a few section hikers as well and thru-hiker Inspector Gadget. Gadget was planning to do some laundry but only had a few things so kindly offered us the opportunity to throw a few things in as well. The little things like clean socks go a long way out here! While we waited for our clothes Radar hiked in and we met more thru-hikers,Vitamin D (from Florida) and Stuck Norris (a long and apparently hilarious backstory that we haven't heard yet, will update) who told us of their plans to got a ride to the upcoming Trail Days festival in Damascus, VA. We hadn't been sure if we wanted to attend the festival as it would mean planning a way to get to and from Damascus (we're still to far to hike it in time) as well as taking more zero days than we have the entire trip before this, but when Vitamin D told us he could get us a free ride with the famous Trail Angel 'Miss Janet' we figured it was meant to be. As our ride would be leaving the next day from the hostel we stayed put and had to have "the best breakfast on the trail" - an enormous homemade breakfast that we can definitely say (so far) has been the best we've had.
Date: 2017-05-21
From: Damascus

To: -
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

We have spent the past 4 days essentially "off trail" at Trail Days. Trail Days is a yearly hiker gathering held in Damascus, VA for current and past thru-hikers to celebrate the trail and everything we enjoy about being out here. The outpouring of generosity and kindness from both the Damascus community and the past hikers present was overwhelming to say the least. We essentially received 4 days of trail magic in the form of free laundry, showers, food and hospitality, only confirming our feeling that the AT hiking community is one of the most generous we have experienced!
Date: 2017-05-23
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: Kincora
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Our goal today was the famous Kincora Hostel, run by past thru-hiker Bob Peoples. Bob runs his Hostel on donations only and gives lots of advice to current hikers from his experiences hiking around the world. We enjoyed the company of his 11 cats and a much needed ride into town to resupply! The most exciting part of our stay was just after we went to bed, when one of the cats (coincidentally named Boots) brought us a present of a bird she had just caught outside. It was quickly evacuated along with Boots who was banished from the bunk room for the night
Date: 2017-05-24
From: Kincora

To: Boots Off Hostel
Miles today: 8.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Feeling refreshed after warm showers and beds last night we planned to hike a solid day today around Watauga Lake. We started off the morning with a beautiful hike past Laurel Falls where Brittany accidentally took a side trail towards the town of Hampton, TN and gave Kevin a good scare when she disappeared. Fortunately she found her way back and caught up with everyone just before the summit of Pond Mountain. We were expecting rain in the afternoon so we stopped for an early lunch at the Shook Branch recreation area, a nice beach overlooking the lake, and enjoyed the sun while it lasted. We ate with fellow thru-hikers Penguin (trail name origin still unsure, will update) and Willy Nelson (wears his long hair braided by Penguin, they hike as acouple), who we actually first met in the Smokies but have been getting to know slowly over our various meetings on the trail. As we were speculating as to how the weather would turn out for the afternoon another hiker friend we've been leap-frogging, Powder King (spend months of trail prep packaging powdered foods such as butter, pancake mix, and eggs in mostly powdered form to create meals slightly more exciting than the standard ramen noodles and Knorr rice sides most hikers eat), came through and told us he had just heard there were tornado warnings out for the area and that things might get pretty nasty later on. After hearing this, we opted to head to Boots Off Hostel, only .1 miles back on the trail and hunker down indoors for the storm. Our budget doesn't typically allow for multiple Hostel stays in such a short amount of time, and we had hoped to get in more miles today but with such dire weather warnings we bit the bullet and spent the night. On the plus side, the Hostel provides a fresh fruit and doughnut breakfast!
Date: 2017-05-25
From: Boots Off Hostel

To: Switchback Creek Camp
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: scattered clouds

We left Boots Off this morning after  thoroughly stuffing ourselves with doughnuts and cereal (a real treat) and tried to make the best of some sunny weather while we had it. We made it over the Watauga Dam and up most of the 2000' ascent for the day before the rain started. We planned to push for Iron Mountain Shelter, where we hoped there would be space for us to take cover for the night. Of course, as on most rainy days, the shelter was full when we arrived. As the temperature was dropping and we were soaked and quickly becoming too cold for comfort we regrouped and decided we would push the extra 5 miles to Switchback Creek Camp where we were able to cram 7 people into two  cozy cabins, thanks to the kindness of proprietor Windy, so no one was left out in the cold. Having now spent the last three nights sleeping in various hostels/cabins, it's our most time spent inside since beginning the trail! Needless to say we're ready to sleep under the stars again, as longs as the rain holds off long enough.
Date: 2017-05-26
From: Switchback Creek Camp

To: Backbone Rock Camp
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: scattered clouds

We plan to head into Damascus tomorrow for a resupply so our goal today is just to get as close to town as we can so we can get in early tomorrow morning and push through ASAP. Rain is in the forecast again for tomorrow so we want to get as many miles in before it starts, and as we've already experienced Damascus for trail days we don't plan to linger. We took a long lunch at Low Gap, taking advantage of some sun to dry out or soaked gear from yesterday. When we made it to Abingdon Gap Shelter around dinner time, just under 10 miles out of town, we thought we might stop for the night, but when notoriously loud sleeper "Snorlax" came into the shelter, we decided we had a few more miles in us.
Date: 2017-05-27
From: Backbone Rock Camp

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: clear sky

We made it into Virginia! Our 4th state on the trail! Had a nice day resupplying in Damascus and hiking along the Virginia Creeper Trail (a Rails to Trails bike path through Virginia that is wonderfully flat). We expected rain all day, with ominous clouds making it seem likely, but it held off until just after we got into the shelter and settled in for the night!
Date: 2017-05-29
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Massie Gap
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: clear sky

Exciting day today! We climbed Whitetop Mountain first thing in the morning, which was tough but rewarded us with some amazing views of the upcoming Grayson Highlands. We descended the mountain into Elk garden where we found an even more beautiful view awaiting us, trail magic! A wonderful woman from Cleveland, OH, whose late husband and son had both thru-hiked, makes a yearly trip on Memorial Day to some spot on the trail and feeds and cheers on hikers in memory of her loved ones who hiked before us. It was amazing to hear how much the stories and experiences of current hikers were cherished by someone who has such a dear connection to the trail, and we were sent on our way with words of inspiration, and full bellies to boot! From there we entered the Grayson highlands where we saw our first wild ponies! There were newborn foals with every herd we came across, some still wobbly kneed and learning to walk! We finished this fantastic day meeting up with our friend Becca who lives in Boone, NC. She generously offered to pick us up and bring us to her home so we can shower, do laundry and relax for the night!Oh, and we hit 500 miles today!!!
Date: 2017-05-30
From: -

To: Boone, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We enjoyed a lovely zero day in Boone, NC with our college friend Becca Bauer. She showed us some exciting landmarks like the Doc Watson statue in the center of town and the local Krispy Kreme where Brittany ate enough doughnuts to keep her going for the next week on the trail. All in all it was a great day!
Date: 2017-05-31
From: Massie Gap

To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: moderate rain

It was hard to leave the comforts of a home today but with the rest of the Grayson Highlands waiting for us we at least had some beautiful views to look forward to. With rain in the forecast for the late afternoon we decided to just get as far as we could before the clouds rolled in. The Highlands ponies must have been able to sense the oncoming storm because we hardly saw any out in the fields where Monday we had seen herds. We hit the Hurricane Mountain Shelter around dinner time and decided to stay as the wind was picking up and it was empty at the time. Though a few hikers passed through, no one stopped for the night meaning we had the place to ourselves, a first! (And probably last)
Date: 2017-06-01
From: Hurricane Mountain Shelter

To: Mount Rogers Visitor Center
Miles today: 19.2
Weather: fog

After our short day yesterday we wanted to put in a good day today so we set our sights for the Partnership Shelter, almost 20 miles away. We made it in good time and decided to push just a little further to the Mount Rogers Visitor Center where we could catch the last shuttle into town (the town of Marion, VA provides a 50 cent shuttle to and around town!). Hoot, who we had split from before going into Boone for our day off, was already in Marion so we enjoyed catching up and pigging out on town food!
Date: 2017-06-02
From: Mount Rogers Visitor Center

To: Davis Hollow
Miles today: 13.7

Today was tough, we left Hoot in town, still experiencing pains in his shin, he opted to take some more time off to heal. We got back on the trail with heavy hearts to be split from our trail family again. We we're cheered up by the trail magic we found just before dinner time, an old schoolhouse, maintained by the Settlers Museum of Southwest Virginia, that is left open and stocked with snacks 24/7 for hikers to enjoy! There were cold sodas, fresh fruit and all the snacks you could eat, a real treat for hungry hikers.
Date: 2017-06-03
From: Davis Hollow

To: Lick Creek Campground
Miles today: 16.3
Weather: few clouds

We're working on establishing some consistency with our miles so we set ourselves a nice manageable 16 mile day today. We finished up at Lick Creek, a beautiful campsite right next to the water where we enjoyed a quick dip and soaked our feet in the chilly stream. Also camped out are thru-hikers Midnight Bear (hikes mostly at night), Fairy Floss (Australian woman who really likes cotton candy - which Aussies call Fairy Floss), and Low Key (very calm, quiet voice). Also here are section hikers Wrong Way (came out to hike for three weeks and on his first day was directed the wrong direction down the trail and hiked several miles before realizing) and JG (Just Gary, who carries his fishing pole despite having been told by every outfitter it is seriously unnecessary weight in his pack - he has yet to catch anything).
Date: 2017-06-04
From: Lick Creek Campground

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: scattered clouds

We climbed Chestnut Knob first thing in the morning today, it was tough but boy were the views worth it. At camp tonight hikers Shadow and Sparks taught us to play a card game called Durak (Russian for fool) where the object is to not be the last player with cards and thus be dubbed the "Durak". Brittany was the Durak for most of the evening.
Date: 2017-06-05
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Helvey Mills Shelter
Miles today: 13.6

Today was a washout, we broke down camp in the rain and trudged down the trail with the plan to just see how far we could get before our feet either got too wet or too cold to function properly. Only a few days away from a resupply, we had minimal snack food left to cheer us up, so we were ecstatic to find a little general store not marked in our guides just outside the town of Bland, VA! We were about 10 miles into our day when we came across it and to us it seemed like a miracle. The owner told us he had just opened up shop last week and was serving burgers, fries and grilled cheeses to hikers along with the usual selection of chips and candy most general stores have. Naturally, we pigged out and we're able to sit inside to dry out and warm up a little which definitely gave us the boost we needed to push to the next shelter before calling it quits for the day. At the shelter we got to know thru-hikers Care Bear (carries a care bear stuffed animal from his daughter), Cheese (from Wisconsin), Soup (origin unknown, for now), Apache (the name of her favorite band), Forrest (?) and Makin Bacon (also unknown).
Date: 2017-06-06
From: Helvey Mills Shelter

To: Dismal Creek
Miles today: 21.9
Weather: light intensity drizzle

Before we left camp this morning Care Bear decided Brittany needed to have a trail name and summarily dubbed her "Wolf", so now together Kevin and Brittany are Timber-Wolf. We hit 600 miles hiked today! And it was also an exciting day for wildlife, we saw two snakes (doubling the amount we've seen on the trail so far, none of which have appeared poisonous) and walked up on several deer munching some leaves, completely unfazed by us hiking by.
Date: 2017-06-07
From: Dismal Creek

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: broken clouds

We pushed a pretty big day yesterday to set ourselves up to arrive in Pearisburg this evening to resupply and check out the Chinese buffet we heard was in town. We hiked with Care Bear and Cheese for most of the day today, and were persuaded to spend the night in town and take the day off tomorrow as we've hiked over 120 miles this week!
Date: 2017-06-09
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Campsite at 650.8
Miles today: 16.4
Weather: clear sky

We got out of town early today (making one last DQ stop before we left), wanting to get some good miles in before it got too hot. The first day out of town is always the hardest, especially with our food bags full and heavy again, so we took it slow and enjoyed what scenery we could when the green tunnel opened on some ridge line views. (The AT is often called the "green tunnel", particularly in Virginia, because hikers walk primarily on the ridge line of the Appalachians, but are so enclosed by trees that we hardly ever see the surrounding countryside). Even at a leisurely pace we made it to our planned camp spot before 4 so we had time to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather!
Date: 2017-06-11
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Campsite at 692
Miles today: 18.8

We had a long, eventful day today! Starting out with us hiking past the Keffer Oak this morning, the largest oak tree along the southern portion of the AT! It is getting hotter every day and the heat today had us swimming and taking a siesta in the early afternoon before we finished out the day hiking up Brush Mountain. We didn't feel cool enough to continue hiking until around 6pm so we did our last 5 miles of the day racing the sunset, but were rewarded with a stunning view at the mountains crest, and our first rattlesnake sighting! We took a small detour to view the Audie Murphy monument on Brush Mtn. Overlook and Wolf spotted a Timber Rattler catching the last few rays of sunshine for the day on a rock just over the ledge!
Date: 2017-06-12
From: Campsite at 692

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 10.4

Today was forecast to be even hotter than yesterday, so we were up with the sun trying to get the hardest climb of the day out of the way before noon...Dragons Tooth. The climb was difficult, but nothing we couldn't handle, while the descent gave us our first experience with boulder climbing and ladder use while wearing a 30lb pack. We were both thoroughly exhausted by the time we reached the bottom where the trail crosses VA 624, along which there is one convenience store and a Hostel. Originally we had planned to simply stuff ourselves with pizza at the store, but after our tough morning we headed into the Hostel to regroup. Brittany is having some pain in one shin so we're not going to push it today in hopes it will abate. On a positive note we hit 700 miles today! Almost one third of the trail!
Date: 2017-06-13
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We took a zero day today because Brittany's shin was still bothering her. We have met quite a few hikers who have had to get off trail due to shin splints (muscle along front of shin separates from tibia causing pain) so we are proceeding carefully hoping to prevent this. There is another hiker here who will be slack-packing (hiking without your full pack, just carrying what you need for a day and having your full pack dropped off at your destination) the next 26 miles to Daleville and he has generously offered to help us do the same starting tomorrow. Hopefully the reduced weight will take some strain off Britt's shin and allow for some extra healing time without getting too behind on our planned mileage.