morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-08
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 11.0

I got out of the hostel pretty early, but don't remember what time it was (typing this on the 11th.) Left a note along with payment on Elmer's desk since nobody else was around (or at least awake.) Recently, I realized that the AT is one of a very few places where you can find lots of young people getting up around sunrise and going to bed before 8:00 and engoying it. Anyhow, had breakfast at the diner across the street, just about finished their HUGE skillet breakfast. It's basically as much hash browns, eggs, sausage, peppers, onions, and mushrooms as you can pile onto a decent sized iron skillet. Very good, especially with a couple mugs of real coffee. After about n hour of eating breakfast, I waddled out the door and across town to the farthest north that I've been on the AT and kept on going. The section of trail out of Hot Springs is pretty neat, it goes along the French Broad river for a while before going straight up some rocks and along a ridgeline. I don't recommend doing it on an overfull stomach, but I did eventually get to the top and enjoyed the view of the valley for a few minutes before heading on. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, just some more hills trees, etc. and then rain in the evening. There was one tree that was absorbing a boundary sign, so I took a picture of it. I decided to go ahead and stop at Spring Mtn. Shelter rather than bother with cooking breakfast and breaking camp in the rain tomorrow morning. The shelter was pretty small, but only two other hikers were there (Sue Bear and Animal) so space wasn't really a problem.
Date: 2003-04-09
From: Spring Mtn. Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.3
Weather: light rain

Lousy weather all day. Either rain or thick fog all day and pretty chilly temperatures. Even with lousy hiking conditions, it's pretty easy for me to stay motivated out here. All I have to do is think about all the guys back home sitting in school... One of the main things that I've been missing out here is music, I think that I'll pick up a small radio next time I can find one for a reasonable price. I've got one already, but I don't know exactly where it is (or which state it's in...) If you count the approach trail, I crossed the 300 mile mark today! This evening at Jerry Creek Shelter, Animal (same guy as last night) heard a weather report on his radio, more precipitation for the next several days, including snow tomorrow night and the next day. I think that I'll head for Hogback Ridge Shelter tomorrow so that if it looks like the weather will get nasty it will only be a couple miles to get to civilization. By the way, this is the shelter that used to have the phone and light in it, but neither was connected to anything. Apparently someone didn't like them, so they are gone now. All that's left is a mailbox on the mantel.
Date: 2003-04-15
From: Miss Janet's

To: Bald Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 7.6

After breakfast and some tinkering with Mrs. Janet's van (including a test drive across town,) I FINALLY got back on the trail. Bag Of Tricks gave me a ride back to Sam's gap (thanks again!) around 1:00pm, so I didn't make it too far. Some interesting scenery and a nice view from Bald Mountain. My knee started bothering me at the end of the day while dropping elevation after a few balds, but it wasn't as bad as it had been. It's nice to be on the trail again.
Date: 2003-04-16
From: Bald Mtn. Shelter

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: scattered clouds

I'm typing this entry 3 weeks after the 15th, sorry for the lack of detail ;) High rocks was interesting, most of the rest of the day was pretty typical. The long town stay has killed my trail legs, feeling pretty whipped by the time I got to the shelter. Ate nearly 2 packs of ramen without water, couldn't be bothered to cook. A mouse finished off the rest for me in the night.
Date: 2003-04-17
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Miss Janet's
Miles today: 6.3

Nice walk into Erwin, though I don't know what the maintainers were thinking when they did the section immediately before the river. It's got switchbacks, but the sections between them are almost level. Got virtually the same view (overlook of Erwin) about 4 times about 20 vertical feet apart. Not that it's a bad view, it's just not THAT interesting. I bought a few snickers from the infamous Uncle Johnny who told me all about how Mrs. Janet's was overfull and that she had been kicking people out the previous night, which wasn't true (they apparently have a bit of a rivalry going.) I walked and hitched into Erwin and stayed at Mrs. Janet's again.
Date: 2003-04-19
From: Miss Janet's

To: Miss Janet's
Miles today: 19.1

Today was my first slack-packing experience on the AT, and it was awesome! Miss Janet gave Bohdi (Bodhi?,) Slip 'n Slide (aka Katie aka Deprived,) and I a ride up to Iron Mountain Gap around noon. We had a couple respectable hills in the beginning, but most of the terrain was fairly tame. Compared to my usual 30 pound pack, the water and snacks that I was packing felt like nothing. Unaka Mountain was pretty cool, the summit would be a great place to camp since it's well protected from wind by trees and has a good spring and soft ground. We ran into a few ladies giving out drinks and fruit on top of Beauty Spot, thanks if you're reading this! The rest of the day was nothing but easy walking, good views, and interesting conversation. We got a ride back to Miss Janet's around 8:00 with Bookworm, then hit Sonic for dinner.
Date: 2003-04-20
From: Miss Janet's

To: Miss Janet's
Miles today: 0.0

Hi, Here's a quick suspense-breaker, I'll put up a more thorough entry sometime in the future. I've been in Erwin, TN for a while and have done a little slack-packing. Just had an amazing Easter dinner, lots of hikers and even more food. Planning on hitting the trail tomorrow, finally!
Date: 2003-04-28
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

Hi,   Well, I got up this morning a little before sunrise, made breakfast and ate it while watching an impressive sunrise, then packed up and headed for the Virginia border. Hamlet and I crossed the border without really realizing it until a few minutes later (the sign was a national park boundary and didn'ty say anything about a state line) I did get one picture at that sign just in case though. It was a really nice hike into Damascus, easy terrain and awesome weather. This has been the first day that really feels like spring to me. Got to town and worked out lodging (I'm staying at Dave's Place) and food, then called home. Dad told me that my maternal grandmother passed away last night. I can't say that I was suprised (she had inoperable cancer and hadn't been doing well lately,) but it still hit me like a freight train. I spent the next several hours attempting to get in touch with other family members and get stuff packed up. Rather than hike out tomorrow morning, I will be hanging around here then catching a bus to the funeral in Florida. Maybe sometime soon I will get on a computer for a while and fill in the several missing days in my journal, but I can't be bothered to write more than this right now.
Date: 2003-05-02
From: Ft. Walton Beach, FL

To: Ft. Walton Beach, FL
Miles today: 0.0

Rather than write an individual entry for each of the last few days, I'm just going to write an overview:I did manage to get to Ft. Walton in time for my grandmother's funeral via hitch-hiking, greyhound busses, and a taxi. Thanks to Lone Wolf and the staff of Mt Rogers Outfitters, you guys made things much easier. It was strange to cover something like 700 miles in about 20 hours. Apparently the Emerald Coast Funeral Home doesn't often have people walk in who haven't shaved in a couple weeks and are wearing a full pack, but at least I didn't get kicked out ;) The funeral was nice, just like Grandie would have wanted it to be. We all miss her so much, but everyone is handling themselves well. After the casket was lowered into the ground, we helped to shovel in dirt to fill the grave. It was a nice touch. Since the funeral, I've been hanging around here visiting and doing various chores including cleaning up my gear for the first time in a while. Sometime within the next few days, I'll be driving up to Berea, KY to be at my stepsister's wedding. After the wedding, I'll head back to Damascus for a bit of hiking, Trail Days (including the Hardcore maintenance thing), then a lot more hiking. At least the terrain doesn't sound too bad for the next few hundred miles, my trail legs are nearly gone already...
Date: 2003-05-11
From: Berea, KY

To: Berea, KY
Miles today: 0.0

After two weeks without hiking, I hope to resume my thru-hike tomorrow afternoon after an 8+ hour greyhound ride to Virginia. My stepsister's wedding was lots of fun, but I'm ready to be back in the woods. Too bad all my friends from the trail are going to be like 250 miles ahead...
Date: 2003-05-12
From: Berea, KY

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Mom gave me a ride to the Greyhound station in Berea this morning where I sat around for about an hour waiting for the bus to show up. The ride was pretty uneventful, several small stops as usual and a changeover in Knoxville. I met a guy named Big Bird who thru-hiked a couple years ago at the bus station, he was headed for Trail Days (May 16-18 in Damascus) so we rode the same bus up to Abingdon and split a cab down to Damascus. Big Bird and I had an interesting conversation with a guy who was on his way home after spending time in jail for three murders. Interesting people ride Greyhounds Rather than getting on the trail immediately, I am sleeping at The Place again because I have to wait for the outfitter to open to buy some alcohol fuel. Can't wait to get hiking again.
Date: 2003-05-13
From: Damascus, VA

To: Campsite near Virginia Creeper Trail
Miles today: 13.9

Had a pancake breakfast at The Old Barn in Damascus, bought some fuel, then hit the trail this morning. After a couple weeks off, this hiking thing seems much harder! The terrain was pretty nice for the most part, so the hike was rather pleasant. Blaze showed me a nice campsite that he found on a previous visit to the area, it's right by an old bridge that the Virginia Creeper crossed a river (forgot the name) at. I set up my bivy on a large, flat boulder on the side of the river, nice night with a clear sky, plenty of stars, and a very bright moon.
Date: 2003-05-14
From: Campsite near Virginia Creeper Trail

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: broken clouds

Nice hiking day! Had a pretty big climb around noon, but the scenery from the top made it well worth the effort. Even though I'm not yet in the Grayson Highlands yet, the scenery looks like what people have been describing for a while. Ended up staying at Thomas Knob Shelter rather than camping because it's supposed to rain tomorrow. Very nice views and sunset from the shelter!
Date: 2003-05-15
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

The shelter was visited by a couple of adult deer this morning. They wandered within just a few feet of the picnic table while people were moving around making breakfast and getting ready to hike. I suspect that they have gotten handouts from hikers in the past. No rain in the morning, but it poured in the afternoon. I got to see the feral ponies (as well as a lot of cows) this evening, it was pretty neat. Walked through a pretty intense thunderstorm and got completely soaked, but it was still a fun day. Ended up stopping at Old Orchard Shelter to wait out the rain with Blaze and Face, but stayed even after the rain stopped because my sleeping bag was soo comfortable. Moxie, Iron Chef, and Crazy Talk got a ride into Damascus from a day hiker that we met at the shelter, I'm going to continue a little farther up the trail tomorrow before heading into Damascus for Trail Days.
Date: 2003-05-16
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: light rain

Uneventful walk to Dickey Gap this morning. Blaze, Face, and I tried hitching into Damascus and were eventually successful even though it took a few hours and several rides (sometimes backtracking on advice from locals.) Town is packed with hikers from this year and years past. I ran into many people that I hadn't seen since near the beginning of this journey. One of the first that I ran into was Bonzo, he's now got Ms. Janet's old Dodge van that I fixed back in Erwin, it's still running great! Ran into Librarian and Paranoid on the way up to the campground, nice to see them again. I ended up camping at the Trail Days campground by Filth and a couple of his friends, fun evening with free food, lots of friends, and live music.
Date: 2003-05-17
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Hung around all day enjoying Trail Days. Marched in the hiker parade, which was like a giant walking water fight. Kneepad gave me a squirt gun and I picked up a few baloons-all were put to good use. More food, friends, and music. I moved my stuff down by The Place because it's quieter at night and I'd like to get some sleep before going out tomorrow morning to do Hardcore maintenance (building a privy.) That's all for now!
Date: 2003-05-18
From: Damascus, VA

To: Konnarock HQ
Miles today: 0.0

All of us who volunteered for Hardcore assembled this morning at the Damascus PO to go to the job sites. I signed up to help carry in and assemble a privy for Knot Maul Branch Shelter. We got packed up and drove out to the job site, which took a couple hours. When we got there, there was a pile of privy parts and tools that we had to carry about a mile and a half into the woods, mostly uphill. The parts were heavy and akward, but we managed to move almost all the parts and equipment to the shelter where we will put it together tomorrow. After several hours of work, we loaded up and drove back to the Konnarock base camp for a big, free, very good spaghetti dinner. I played pool for a while, set up my bivy in a field, then went to bed.
Date: 2003-05-19
From: Konnarock HQ

To: Konnarock HQ
Miles today: 0.0

Got up, cooked and ate breakfast, then headed out to the job site. We picked up the parts that were left and carried them in, then began putting up the privy. The pieces were held together with long screws, and all we had was screwdrivers to put them in, so by the end of the day everyone's arms felt like rubber. We got the privy almost completely assembled, all that's left is light work that the Konnarock crew can handle easily. Went back to Konnarock base camp for a nice chili meal, more pool and movies, then bed.
Date: 2003-05-20
From: Konnarock HQ

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: broken clouds

After a quick breakfast this morning, I packed up my stuff and got a ride back to Dickey Gap (where I got off for Trail Days.) The ride back to any AT trailhead is part of the reward for doing Hardcore maintenance. It was nice to hit the trail with a fairly light pack (only 2 days of food) after being off the trail for a few days. I made it to Partnership Shelter by the afternoon and ordered a pizza since Partnership is the only shelter that you can get pizza delivered to. Hopeful and I made a couple of semi-successful cakes with his alcohol stove and several of us threw a frisbee around and played zoogle until dark. Very nice shelter (hot, running water, flush toilets, and pizza delivery!)
Date: 2003-05-21
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins, VA
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: light rain

Typical wet hiking day. I walked most of the day with 2-Speeds, Chafe, Thistle, and Carnathy Bob and ended up splitting a hotel room with 2-Speeds and Chafe. Had a hot dog and blizzard at Dairy Queen then dropped some of my winter gear in the mail, should make my pack a little more pleasant to carry. It's nice to be dry and warm!
Date: 2003-05-23
From: Davis Path Shelter

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Really nice hiking day. Interesting terrain and scenery. We finally made it to the 1/4 way mark!! 2-speeds, Chafe, Thistle, and I stopped for a long break at the Holston River to cool off and get some snacks, neat area. We stopped at the shelter that I helped build the privy at, it still looks about like it did a week ago ;)
Date: 2003-05-24
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

Pretty easy hike today. We stopped early at Chestnut Knob Shelter because it was such a cool place. It's an enclosed stone shelter on top of a bald surrounded by a big grassy field with some nice views of the surrounding hills. After spreading our gear out to dry, we played catch, ate dinner, then watched the stars for a while. Nice evening, but I want to get some miles in soon.
Date: 2003-05-25
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Campsite near AT
Miles today: 14.6

Rocky trail today. Several nice views of the same valley that we could see from the shelter last night, but they all looked pretty much the same. I hiked with 2-speeds and Thistle most of the day. We stopped into Jenkins Shelter for a break and found a sign advertising a free breakfast at a nearby church tomorrow, so we continued on and camped near the road to access the church. The AT crosses Little Wolf Creek a dozen times starting 2 miles before VA 615 (our destination) which was interesting. It started raining just before we arrived at the campsite, but everyone was in good spirits about it, so it wasn't bad at all. I can't wait for tomorrow morning!
Date: 2003-05-26
From: Campsite near AT

To: Bland, VA
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Got packed up and ready to go, then waited around for the shuttle to breakfast. Right on time, a convoy of SUVs and pickup trucks arrived to pick us all up and take us up the road to the free breakfast we had all been thinking about since yesterday evening. The breakfast was awesome, everything was homemade and very good. We all ate until we were stuffed, then had a little more. Just about everyone who was heading for Bland got a ride there to drop off their packs and slack back, but since it was only about 6 miles, I just went ahead and hit the trail with my pack. The walk to town was uneventful, and I arrived at the road into town a bit ahead of the slack-packers. Thistle, 2-speeds, Chafe, Carnathy Bob, and I tried hitching in for a while with no success, then started walking and stuck out our thumbs for every car heading for town. We ended up walking the entire way to the motel-about 4 miles. I split a room with Turtle and HotRod. We threw a little birthday party for Mello Yello and Moxy, watched some TV, and went to bed.
Date: 2003-05-27
From: Bland, VA

To: Campsite near AT
Miles today: 13.2

Got up this morning and worked on cleaning up some of my stuff and the hotel room. Chafe, Carnathy Bob, Thistle, and 2-speeds were still getting out of bed, so I went ahead to the grocery to buy supplies and breakfast. I picked up a box of cereal and a pint of milk for breakfast, went over to the park and ate most of it in one sitting. After a quick stop by the PO, I hitched back to the trailhead (it went MUCH better than the ride into Bland) and set off. Since the first shelter was only about 2 miles from Bland, I figured that the rest of the crowd would continue to Jenny Knob Shelter which is about 12 miles from Bland. The walk between the shelters was amazingly smooth, I got there pretty early and just hung around for a while. A large church group was taking up almost all of the campsites near the shelter, and thru-hikers had already filled the shelter, so I continued about a mile north to another campsite with several other hikers. Had a nice campfire and dinner, then some rain late in the night (maybe early AM?)
Date: 2003-05-28
From: Campsite near AT

To: Wapiti Shelter
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: light rain

I took a short day today hoping that 2-speeds, Thistle, Carnathy Bob, and Chafe would catch up. Took a few breaks along the way; the first to call home from a nearby grocery, then a long lunch near Dismal Falls. Got to the shelter early in the evening and decided to cook the pizza kit that I picked up in Bland. Within about an hour, I had a couple of suprisingly good cheese, and with an alcohol stove! I wish I had picked up some pepperoni in town, and maybe some veggies to make it more interesting, but I was happy just to get the crust done perfectly ;) In case anyone wants to try this trick, pick up a Chef Boyardee pizza kit, follow the instructions up until they say 'preheat oven,' put some dough in a nonstick pot, add sauce, cheese, and toppings, put the lid on, then fire up your alcohol stove and start cooking. The trick is to add a bit of water into the alcohol so the flame doesn't get too hot, also put a bandana on the top of the pot to help insulate and create more of an oven on the inside. Open it up periodically (not too often though) and make sure it's doing okay and you should end up with a pretty nice backwoods dinner! Pearisburg and a shower tomorrow!!
Date: 2003-05-29
From: Wapiti Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: light rain

We woke up to some early morning rain, but it was nearly over by the time that I got on the trail (procrastination pays!) The 1500 foot climb that everyone was worried about turned out to be pretty nice, most of the way up was a nice even grade. We had a few brief rainstorms through the rest of the day, but nothing major. Got one really nice view of Pearisburg from about 2000 feet above just before Angel's Rest. The downhill to town was a giant mudslide, but I managed to get all the way to the bottom without falling once! I stopped into the Dairy Queen for a Blizzard, then walked across town to the hostel. A few hikers were walking over to the Wallmart, and they offered to pick up things for other people, so I had a nice big frozen lasagna for dinner. Had to sleep on the porch because the inside was packed, but it was a comfortable night, so it was pretty nice.
Date: 2003-05-30
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: broken clouds

Ran some errands in the morning, then headed for the AT. I stopped at the motel near the trail to fill up on H2O and found out that 2-Speeds, Chafe, Carnathy Bob, and Thistle were on their way down the (muddy, steep, long, slippery) hill. I decided to wait for them to see what 2-Speeds and Chafe were planning on doing and possibly hike out with them tomorrow. Thistle and Carnathy were going to get off and Chafe and 2-Speeds wanted to 0 tomorrow, so we said our goodbyes and I headed off. Pretty uneventful hike up to the next shelter, followed by a nice sunset that I watched with Moo & 42, Otto, TTT, Chicken Legs, and some others who I can't remember right now.
Date: 2003-05-31
From: Rice Field Shelter

To: Bailey Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: broken clouds

Another rainy day. I accidentally broke the hiking stick that I've had since my 2nd day out today. I tried to break a small branch that was in the way with it, and accidentally overswung and broke my stick in half. Oh well, at least I got the branch out of the way. Nothing worth writing about other than that.
Date: 2003-06-04
From: Four Pines Hostel

To: Tinker Cliffs
Miles today: 14.5

Really nice hiking day, even though we had some rain (what's new?!) Had some trail magic early in the day (cold drinks by trail) and interesting conversation with Doc, Llama, Moo, and 42. We all waited on McAfee Knob for about an hour for a break in the weather, which was definitely worth it. Awesome views and we all got the obligatory picture (google for McAfee Knob and you can figure it out.) Enjoyed an interesting evening on Tinker Cliffs, had a rainstorm and sunshine at the same time!