morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-17
From: Davis Farm Campsite

To: Bland
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Easy walk today. About a mile before Jenkins Shelter we found copious amounts of cold water and we filled up and drank a liter on the spot, so dehydrated from the previous night. Today was a gorgeous morning filled with sunshine. We met Java and Dimples at the shelter as they were taking their time getting ready. The Trail crossed Little Wolf Creek 12 times today in the span of a couple miles. It certainly broke up the natural flow of hiking i've began to grow accustomed to. One crossing looked particularly harrowing and I decided to throw my pack over to Grunt on the other side before jumping over myself. Well one bad throw and a misjudgment and my pack was floating down the creek and I certainly had no paddle! Everything was soaked, but all I could do was suck it up, laugh and be content with the fact that my parents were putting us up in a motel tonight where I could dry out. To add insult to injury, I watched Dimples cross the creek, pack and all, with one swift motion, after I had waited to make sure her cross was a safe one. The final miles were up on a flat ridge and I must have been averaging close to 4 mph no joke. I was on a mission to see my parents after nearly 2 months. How exciting for them to drive 12 hours and have the possiblity of them waiting for us at the trailhead. I ran into a friendly guy close to the road who was out with his dog. He was a local and a friendly fellow but he was so abusive to his dog. He would yell and hit the dog and I couldn't understand why he was so mean to the dog, like it was the dog's fault for barking. I guess I'm more of an animal guy than I thought. He kept offering us a ride to the trailhead (the AT followed the road for a mile or so) but I told him I wanted/needed to walk it. Grunt, Squirts, Redstreak, Java, Dimples and I all waited for a couple hours as my parents were late for the rendezvous. We all sat on a small hill and ate practically everything left in our dwindling food bags. I finally reached my parents with Squirt's cell phone and found out they had been stuck in traffic but were close. It was great seeing them, and especially down in the south on the AT. There wasn't enough room for all of us so my parents walked the 3 miles into Bland while I drove my friends! It felt so weird to drive. We all went out to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays, resupplied at Walmart and went back to the Big Walker Motel for a night of relaxing.
Date: 2013-07-29
From: Manchester Center

To: Lost Pond Shelter
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: clear sky

We dined at Bob's Diner this morning and were soon climbing Bromley Mountain on a well-switchbacked trail. I found a little red eft right where every hiker would certainly place his foot, so I picked him up and moved him to a place of safety. We have seen plenty of oh-so-cute immature salamanders every time it rains. We have also been hearing a bird whose trills and various sounds take around 6 seconds to complete. There aren't many of these birds, or at least we only hear one or two a day, but the sound is truly uplifting. About 1400 feet of climbing were rewarded with a beautiful break on Bromely after climbing up a ski run. We explored the warming hut and snacked on a rocky point, watching rain clouds move around us and finally dissipate. We met a bunch of hikers on Styles Peak where there was a good overlook and particularly enjoyed the humor of M80, Trooper and their dog Willow. He is an insulin dependent diabetic and incredibly upbeat. This day included several climbs and we arrived at Peru Peak Shelter in mid afternoon. A southbounder had described the shelter as dark and the area plagued with mosquitos and we found this to be very accurate so didn't linger. The Griffith Lake Tenting Area was only a half mile further and we had planned on staying here. Fly Away had arrived earlier and had scouted up lots of fish and black salamanders along the lake edges. He wasn't happy with the mosquitos and decided he was going to continue on to the next shelter, just 4 miles further on. He left, but DirtDog and Mr. Fred and I waited for the Believe to see if she was up to continuing. While we were just hanging around Can Do appeared from around a bend in the trail, having arrived via a side trail. She had missed her husband by only a few minutes! Eventually Believe arrived, having twisted her knee and we all decided to push on. DirtDog took some of the weight out of her pack and I walked with Can Do. By now it was nearly 5 o'clock, so we really hustled to do the miles. Baker Peak was a surprise and we scrambled up the rocks. We finally made it to the shelter just as the twilight was tuning into dark. There were quite a few Germans here and we enjoyed their company as we ate a late dinner.
Date: 2003-04-19
From: Rt. 608

To: Pearisburg
Miles today: 24.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was long. No pack, but still a long way. Grunt and Afterburner also slacked. Overcast and cloudy but no rain and much warmer. Lots of rocks up on the ridge. Boy, did my feet hurt, coming into town on the knee-jarring accent. The approach into town is really long and the distance to town is decieving. You can hear the cars whiz and the industrial noises, but nope you're not there yet. At one point we walked through a trailer-park community where a couple aggressive dogs came VERY close to us before their owners called them back. The last mile or so felt even longer as Grunt and I continued following the AT all the way to the bridge crossing over the New River. Many hikers take the blue-blaze into town. Oh well, less for tomorrow. Fran, my stepdad picked us up and wisked us into town for another great relaxing night. We dropped Grunt at the hostel after pampering him for two nights. We dropped a truck-load of snacks and food at the hostel for future hikers. My folks went a little crazy at Costco and bought much more than any of us could carry or eat.It was nice to have some time with my parents. We went out to the local sports bar for dinner and then did grocery shopping for the next stretch. I think my mom really felt involved helping me shop. Very motherly of her to always make sure I'm provided for. I was even able to splurge on some gourmet food items. I'll sure miss them tomorrow.
Date: 2013-07-31
From: VT 140

To: Lower Cold River Road
Miles today: 10.2

We had the treat of slack-packing today. It was an easy 1100' climb up to the top of Bear Mountain. I remember this stretch of trail showed only 300 feet of climbing on my old profile map and I thought I must be lost or something because the climb went on and on. I guess our anticipation of an event can make it either easy or hard because this was really an easy walk. We did pass a southbound hiker who said that someone ahead had asked about us, someone with "crazy" hair. We were puzzled and never would have guessed. It was Stripe waiting for us at the Minerva Hinchey Shelter! He was a very special young man we had met on our first day in Pennsylvania sporting a very conservative mohawk. He had seen our entries in the log books and figured we would be here today. He had left the trail for a week in Kansas to resolve a problem and was hiking a race to catch up with his group of friends. In fact, he was out of food and planned on taking only a couple of hours to resupply. I'm so glad we had the chance to see him again. Bear Bag met us as we descended to Clarendon Gorge. This is a beautiful and popular area for picnickers, but we were the only ones around this early on a weekday. Bear Bag then drove us to Denny's for a fantastic lunch and we returned to the trail to slack the 4 miles to Lower Cold River Road. Believe has decided to go to the hostel in town and rest until a friend meets her there. We climbed a rock chute about 500 feet, a quick, but fun way to gain altitude. We stopped briefly at the Clarendon Shelter which had a well-maintained grassy yard with beautiful flower boxes. We continued on and were surprised to find that Can Do was waiting for us rather than Bear Bag, but we learned that his truck had broken down and he was in the process of having it towed. It was bad news for him, but could have been worse for us since we were slacking, meaning we didn't have any of our gear. I'm so thankful Can Do was able to find us! We spent another night at the Red Roof.
Date: 2003-04-20
From: Pearisburg

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Went to church for Easter Sunday with my folks at the Holy Family Church. The church runs a great hiker hostel. I didn't stay because my family visited, but it sure was nice. After that we went to AYCE. Greasy Southern soul food. I was gonna head back to the Trail because my folks were leaving but then ran into Java and Dimples. I waited for them to do the laundry and then ate Chinese food. After all that I realized we got off the Trail in different locations I was a half a mile further than them along the Trail. They went to shop and I started to hitch. After about 20 minutes a guy named Jim McGee picked me up. He's been reading my journal and was very helpful with information regarding the Trail.I didn't get on the TRail until amost 4:30. It was a long climb outta town but the day was gorgeous. Sun finally came out. Once I got up on the ridge it was smooth sailing to the shelter. Rice Field is beautiful and the shleter sits right next to it. Deborah, who is now called Chiquita, was here when I arrived. Martin from Austia also came in. Dimples and Java pulled in about 8:30.
Date: 2003-04-21
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Bailey Gap shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Rained on and off all morning. By the time I got to Pine Swamp Branch shelter the skies had cleared. I had only four miles to go for the night and the aftenoon was beautiful. I got to the shelter at 4:15 and was tempted to go to the next shelter. I was feeling good. But it would be a 25 mile day so I decided to hang out. I soaked my feet in the stream and read. Grunt, Java, Dimples showed up and we had the shelter to ourselves. At 9 p.m. it started pouring. It was a nice way to fall asleep.
Date: 2013-08-02
From: Inn at the Long Trail

To: Maine Junction
Miles today: 1.0

This morning we hiked to Maine Junction from US4 to the place where the AT and LT diverge. We continued north for another 20 miles and then learned that our granddaughter was in Florida for the next three weeks. DirtDog was ready to be finished with hiking for this season and I jumped at the chance to spend time with our precious granddaughter on her last summer of high school. We made the long and tedious drive to our daughter's house and made many happy memories. Back to the AT next year! Many thanks to all those who made this year's miles so much easier than they might have been and best wishes to our friends as they continue on the Long Trail to Canada.
Date: 2003-04-22
From: Bailey Gap shelter

To: Sarver Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Had a rough time going this morning. HIked the 8.8 miles to War Spur shelter with Grunt. Rained on and off all morning. When we got to the shelter it poured and we were all real cold and wet. I ate lots of snacks and ended up staying over an hour. By the time we got going I was shaking. Soon I got in front and started flying. We had an 1800 foot climb and it felt real good going up. I seem to feel the best in the afternoon. I often don't have an appetite in the morning so I don't eat much breakfast. After a couple of miles my stomach is grumbling and ready for a snack. We walked through more rain as we crossed cow pastures. Lots of mud! I was sliding everywhere. We had to cross about 15 stiles which slowed us down. We passed the Keffer Oak which is a huge old tree. One last climb and we were up on the ridge. When we got to the shelter sign it was a steep .3 down to the shelter. I would have used a rope and ice ax to get down. The shelter was brand new and huge. Grunt and I are sharing the shelter with 3 section hikers.
Date: 2013-04-14
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 273.9
Weather: clear sky

I've been hesitant to keep a journal so far on the trail but after hearing from my parents and others back home it sounds like there is more of a demand to know about what's going on on the trail than I anticipated. So I'm giving in an starting one. My cell service is a little sporadic so I'm not sure how regular my entries will be but I'll do my best to keep up. This being my first entry I'll try to give a brief summary of the days leading up to now. I started hiking the AT on March 19 beginning with the approach trail and have completed 273.9 miles. After a surprisingly cold first week out the weather warmed up just in time for the Great Smokey Mountains. The hiking there was the best yet with beautiful scenic vistas and great company. Currently I am hiking with my friend Double Take who is in the trail through the end of April. I have enjoyed meeting some great people on the trail and hope to meet back up with some of them further down the trail. Moat recently we've been hiking with a group known as the Goat Heard (10 good hearted twenty-somethings), Mellow Johnny (a solid 32 yr old guy from Dayton, Ohio) and Goober (a section hiker from Boston who turned 30 while on the trail). Goober left for home today after completing the Smoky Mountains, but not before delivering a healthy dose of trail magic to the group in the form of fresh grilled cheeseburgers, Gatorades, and some Little Debbie Snacks at Lemon Gap. He is a great guy and will be missed by a lot of us out here. The rest of us have enjoyed a zero in Hot Springs, NC today and will continue our hike tomorrow morning.
Date: 2003-04-23
From: Sarver Hollow Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

The climb outta the shetler was tough. I was huffin and puffin before I reached the Trail. We had a real rocky ridge walk. Great views off to the East. Supposedly there are goats that live on the ridge that lick the sweat off hiker's legs! There were no goats to be seen. The day was incredibly lazy. It was nie all day for the first time in a week. We left at 9 this morning and were at the shelter by 4:30 and still spent a couple of hours breaking. I was tempted once again to pull some more miles but the plan is to eat at the Homeplace Restaurant which doesn't open until tomorrow. Its supposed to the best food on the Trail. AYCE Southern homestyle food. It's a huge 12-14 mile day tomorrow. With dinner to follow. Will up the mileage after food stop.
Date: 2013-04-15
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Allen Gap
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: light rain

4/15Stayed at the "World Famous" Hot Springs Resort and Spa. (It just cracks me up when places like that market themselves as "World Famous"). The resort had a hiker rate for their 5 and 8 person cabins so the group rented a few. I stayed in a fiver with Double Take, Mellow Johnny, and a couple from Germany that go by Pacemaker and Runner-Up. After a tasty breakfast at the local convenience store that doubled as a diner, me and Double Take hit the trail ahead of the rest of the group. Our next resupply is nearly 68 miles away in Erwin, TN, a town that Mellow Johnny explained to us is infamous for publicly hanging an elephant from a crane. The biggest challenge between now and then will be to avoid catching a 24 hr stomach virus which has become somewhat of an epidemic on this particular stretch of the AT. Hikers are being warned not to stay in or near shelters due to the virus whose effects are not a pretty sight. This being the case we will seek refuge in our tents during this section an effort to minimize exposure to the illness. Also we'll be taking some additional precautions with our water treatment. Up until now we have been filtering our water, which we'll continue to do; however, we will be chemically treating our water as well since our filters are not effective against viruses. Completed another 14.8 miles of the AT today. The terrain was pretty typical of the NC/TN section we've been hiking but Spring is beginning to reveal itself in the form of newly budding trees and small patches of windflowers springing up alongside the trail. The highlight of the day was a lunch atop a fire tower with a clear view of the mountains and several towns. Tonight we are camping at a site just past Allen Gap near a few hikers we met this past week named Bamboo (named for the bamboo chutes he uses for hiking poles), Shaman, and Morning Kid. No sign of the Goat Herd but I'm sure we will see them in the next couple of days.
Date: 2003-04-24
From: Pickle Branch Shelter

To: Campbell Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: clear sky

Without a doubt today was my favorite day on the AT. We woke up to fabulous but very cold weather. Was in the mid '30's last night. Feel like I am back in Georgia. I had everything on.Java and Dimples wanted to get to town early and were out by 7:30. Those two have been keeping to a similar pace and schedule as of late. Shifty, Eggman, Grunt, Matt and I hiked all day together. We ambled up Dragon's Tooth in the morning. We took the blue-blaze trail to the Tooth and climbed it. Amazing views of the valley. The forest at low elevations is really coming alive. Lots of bright greens and purples. We descended down to 624 and were met by Southpaw, a trail angel who had a cooler of drinks and snacks. What a treat! He also gave Grunt and I a ride down to 4 Pines Hostel. The owner was not there so I could not fill up my stove alcohol and Grunt could not pick up his mail drop. We then had a 6 mile hike to get to Catawba. It was so pretty. The ridge was lit with sun and the Trail is still covered with fallen brown leaves. We walked through cow pastures and followed a beautiful stream. When we got to RT 311 we attempted to hitch but no one would pick us up. It was only a mile so we started to walk. After getting most of the way, Del, another trail angel, picked us up! Dropped us at the P.O. then took us to the Homeplace. It was just as good as everyone built it up to be. We stuffed ourselves silly. I had two peach cobblers with ice cream! Was close to vomiting. At leat 20 hikers were there, most staying back at the hostel. Got to see Flick, who I haven't seen since Hot Springs. Del waited the whole time for us and drove us back to the Trail. He is such a great guy. We plodded up the mountain another 4.2 miles almost ready to burst. We hauled butt up to McAfee's knob with 20 minutes of light to spare. It was a bit cloudy - no sunset but a beautiful dark blue hue. WE all took the famous AT shot of each hiker with his legs dangling off the Knob. As darkness came upon us we hiked the .7 down here. Only one here is Tree, so room for all. What a perfect day! Rain expected tomorrow, but we are headed for Dalerville.
Date: 2013-04-16
From: Allen Gap

To: Big Butt Mountain
Miles today: 13.5

4/16Woke up this morning from a great nights sleep. The Goat Herd walked by while me and Double Take while eating breakfast and breaking down camp. Turns out some of them camped just a half mile behind us and the rest maybe 2-3 miles back. Still no word about Mellow Johnny's whereabouts. After getting camp packed up we started the day and were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of a big doe in the woods while I took a break to zip off my convertible pant legs. Double Take heard her walking in the leaves up the hill next to the trail and pointed her out to me but when I got up to look I must have made too much noise and got her attention. We checked each other out for a minute but she was pretty wary of us and left our sights with a bit of urgency. Started a big climb after getting situated and ran into a ridge runner (volunteer trail maintenance person) along the way who was cleaning shelters with bleach to rid them of the virus that's been such an issue in these parts. He suggested that things are getting better but I was a little skeptical as to his expertise in the field of virology. He was a nice guy and all just wasn't so sure about some of the details he gave us. In any case we are still maintaining caution. So far so good. After the climb we ran into part of the Goat Herd and stopped shortly after near a spring to get water and have some lunch. It was the last water source we would pass that wasn't at a shelter and the situation being what it is we are avoiding shelters like the plague so we loaded up with 3 liters, enough for the rest of the day and to start tomorrow. Our packs 6 lbs heavier we continued along a rocky ridge until finding a nice open field to set up our tents and camp in for the night. Wood was readily available in the form of plenty of fallen limbs so we gathered plenty for a fire then cooked dinner.A few hikers (Guru, Twigs, Red Knees, Waffles, and Apa) decided they liked the spot as much as we did and set up their tents next to ours. Red Knees packed in some marshmallows and was willing to share. People are very generous out here, especially since getting rid of something means lightening the load they are carrying. We started the fire and gathered round it to enjoy the mallows and each others company. Twigs told us about how he saw the ridge runner I mentioned earlier burning some trash at the shelter, which is frowned upon out here, so I felt a little better about not trusting his info about the virus. Hiker midnight (sundown) came and everybody headed off to their tents for bed. All and all we did 13.5 mi today.
Date: 2003-04-25
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: light rain

Drizzled on and off all day. Crossed over Tinter Cliffs which had no view - but the flat rocks were cool! Took a break at the Lambert's Meadow shelte with Grunt, Matt, Eggman and Shifty. We found two sodas in the creek and split them. The hike into town was a piece of cake. Chinese Buffet for dinner - staying at the Econo Lodge. Bought a new pack, a Mountainsmith