morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-04-30
From: Erwin, TN - Uncle Johnny's

To: Campsite just past Beauty Spot
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: moderate rain

Leaving Uncle Johnny's hostel with the 80% chance of rain in mind made me uneasy, but we had to go. We couldn't take another zero day. We had to take the risk and to our luck, the rain held off! Our hike for the most part was a breeze. There were a couple steep parts, but they were quick and the rest of the trail was nice. There was even trail magic at Indian Grave Gap by BT! His banana bread was absolutely amazing.We made it to Beauty Spot and decided to take a break there so that SuperFeet could fly his kite. This bald was beautiful. I can see why they call it Beauty Spot. The sun was shining through the thick clouds and you could see the rays shine over Erwin. It was such a beautiful sight. And the wind was blowing strong enough that the kite was flying nice. Balou and Snailman joined us at the top and played football while taking in the view. Suddenly we looked up and a dark cloud was headed toward us. It looked pretty bad so we decided we'd better get going before the rain came. At least hold off until we put up our tent! All it did was sprinkle though. It hit us and left quickly. And then the fog came and it got cold...at least the entire day was nice for our hike!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-01
From: Campsite just past Beauty Spot

To: Greasy Creek Gap
Miles today: 12.0

Early risers woke us up earlier than usual, but we refused to get up. We were engulfed in a cloud and the wind was strong. No sun and no warmth? Yeah, we were going to wait it out - even if that meant we didn't start our day until 2. We stayed in our sleeping bags until the fog dissipated and the sun fine came out. The wind never backed down, but at least some warmth was finally coming in. So we packed up our things and started our day with a big climb up Unaka Mountain. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be!The rest of the day was fairly nice with its gradual ups and downs. It was relaxing enough that we only needed to take one break which was for lunch. The weather even turned out to be perfect for hiking! The sun kept it warm, but the wind cooled us down. I barely sweated! Towards the end though I was running out of steam. The ups and downs suddenly seemed larger than ever and I was slowing down. Plus the wind had picked up so it got really cold.We were trying to make it to Greasy Creek Gap to get to the hostel, Greasy Creek Friendly, but it was very difficult to find. We saw only one sign that pointed us in the right direction and still we almost got lost. Luckily Tuna was walking by and caught us just before we made the wrong turn. This was such a difficult place to find - we most gave up on going! Then we found out why there were no signs. Cece (owner of Greasy Creek Friendly) has a jerk of a neighbor that hates hikers and hates her for supporting us that he spends his entire day sabotaging her! We had heard about this from The Bartender, but didn't realize just how true it was. Cece has to put out signs every singlr morning because her neighbor will literally come out every single day to take down each sign she puts up. Sometimes he'll create his own signs with false advertising to replace hers. That's a lot of dedication and hate to do such a thing every day! And apparently when Meticulous and Dirtbag were walking to the hostel, the neighbor was actually cursing and yelling at them through his window! He just sits by his window all day and yells out to all the hikers telling them they're no good and need to get out. This man is insane. But at least the hostel and Cece have been good to us! We're tenting, but she has been so hospitable to everyone even though it's crazy busy with all these dirty hikers!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-02
From: Greasy Creek Gap

To: Ash Gap
Miles today: 8.0

Once again we started our day at 2pm. We were planning on staying at the Roan High Knob Shelter which is the highest shelter on the trail. However, we didn't make it there tonight. Not because of the late start because we could have made it there, but because we just didn't feel like hiking the last steep 1.2 up to the shelter. Ash Gap had such a nice campsite and it wasn't going to be overly crowded like it would've been at the shelter (a lot of people passed by to go to the shelter). Plus, Dirtbag and Hooch had already set up camp here so it was all the more incentive to stay here as well!We had one great view today and it was beautiful as always. It was different than usual though - or at least it was to me. Usually, the views of valleys and mountains are so far away and you don't see things very closely, but this view it felt like everything was up close and magnified. I could see houses really well and farmland, cars, and roads. It was cool. I'm not sure if that makes any sense, but it was beautiful nonetheless!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-03
From: Ash Gap

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: scattered clouds

As steep as Roan Mountain was, it was a great hike! I really enjoyed the hike, but I know if I had hiked it last night, it would be a completely different story. It's crazy how views change depending on your mood. When I'm energized, every step of my hike is fun and I enjoy it. Then when I'm tired, I despise the mountains - and I mean despise. And as many steep balds as there were today, each step of the way up was worth it. The views were amazing! We got to Round Bald and tried to fly the frame-less kite SuperFeet had, but sadly it failed. The winds were insane and it just destroyed the kite. Everyone else had this hugekites that were designed for high winds and it looked amazing. SuperFeet is actually considering getting one now!Just as we got closer to Overmountain Shelter, we see familiar faces and a big, goofy dog comes running towards us. It's none other than Dennis and Nancy and silly Celo running up to greet us! And they came with burgers - and ice cream! Overmountain Shelter was completely filled - shelter and campsite. But luckily Dennis knew of a campsite that no one else knew about and it was a great campsite! There were logs already cut up and ready to use for us. As soo as we got there, I devored my ice cream. Everyone was surprised I had eaten it so fast, but what can I say, I love icecream! Then after that I managed to eat two burgers! Thank you Dennis and Nancy for the delicious burgers and drinks!!!!
Date: 2014-05-04
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Hiker Hostel
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: clear sky

I almost got blown off a mountain today. We began the day with the ascent of Little Hump Mountain and the wind was crazy. It was blowing me around and then I started worrying. What if Big Hump Mountain was worse and therefore I would be blown off the mountain?! Yeah, it almost did. I felt like I was literally walking sideways trying to walk against the wind. At times I would have to stop moving and crouch because it was so strong. Even SuperFeet was struggling a bit! As we got to the top, the wind blew so hard that I actually did get blown down! SuperFeet was ahead of me and turned around to find me on the ground. He didn't even hear me fall with all the noise the wind was making. Yeah, he laughed at the fact that I fell. I mean, not even the little kids who were there didn't even fall! Even though today was mainly all uphill, I still really enjoyed the hike. It was really fun batteling the wind and it was really just an amazing day.So we've officially left North Carolina and are now in Tennessee. No more switchbacks between the states! North Carolina was fun though. I'm actually going to miss that state. But now here we are - level 3! And very, very soon we'll be in Virginia and on to level 4!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-05
From: Hiker Hostel

To: Upper Laurel Fork
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was memorable for two things. One, we've officially reached 400 miles!!! And two, we've done our most miles yet - 13.2 miles!!! The past couple of days have just been great hiking days that it probably prepared us for today. It was hot, but not humid so I wasn't dying from overheating and there was a nice breeze every now and then that cooled us off so uphill climbs weren't too terrible. Plus, we stopped by a waterfall today! Our first waterfall of the trail yet! The water was ice cold and it just felt so nice to cool off. The guys wanted to climb the walls so bad, but there was no way they'd make it very far without slipping. So we sat around with our feet in the water for almost 2 hours before we forced ourselves to continue moving. Towards the end of the day, we were exhausted and I wanted to stop but I pushed myself because we were supposed to camp next to more waterfalls. Camping next to waterfalls sounds amazing! So we pushed ourselves and made it to our destination, but there were no waterfalls - just a large stream. Quite disappointing honestly, but hopefully we'll pass by some tomorrow! Oh!! And I had the most amazing breakfast of my life at the Hiker Hostel. The amount of deliciousness they made for all the hikers is crazy. It was served buffet style and literally every single item they made was amazing. French toast, mountain dew cake, pineapple upside down cake, ham, some delicious type of meat, juicy tomatoes, fresh fruits, omelette type dishes, and soooooo much more! I was in heaven. I had two stacked full plates and ate it all! That pineapple upside down cake though was probably the best. I wish I could have breakfasts like that more often on the trail. It was absolutely worth waking up at 8am for it!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-06
From: Upper Laurel Fork

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 5.7
Weather: clear sky

Short day today. It was hot so we were slow moving. We were planning to go to Bob People's hostel today, but why rush it on such a hot day? We sat around on rocks at the Hardcore Cascades for awhile and moved on to the Moreland Gap Shelter. Once we got there, we just decided to call it quits and to stay there for the night. This is probably the earliest we've gotten to a shelter in a very long time. It was only 3pm - not 6 or 7 like usual! Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-07
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Dennis Cove Rd.
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was another short day. We only had about 6 miles to get to Dennis Cove Road where we were planning to go to Kincora Hostel. But first - Coon Dens Falls! We had heard this waterfall was about 100ft tall so we were excited to get there. We got there fairly quickly and had lunch there with Hooch. The others must've gotten here much earlier because they were gone by the time we got there. We stuck our feet in the cold water and cooled off. It felt amazing. Once we left though, we got to the road in less than mile. Our day was over! We were at the Black Bear Resort though instead of at Kincora, but we decided against both places. Instead we set up camp along the river near the trail. Meticulous, Tuna, and Knaffles were planning on taking a zero tomorrow. Was the Turtle Crew going to split up? Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-08
From: Dennis Cove Rd.

To: Dennis Cove Rd.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Looks like we were all going to zero today after all! SuperFeet woke up and said to me, "A zero sounds really good today." So a zero we took! And today turned out to be a pretty productive zero day - or at least I thought it was. We showered, did laundry, and sat around for hours watching Meet the Parents and Dumb and Dumber. I even scored free popcorn from the hiker box! Tuna and Meticulous did work around the Black Bear Resort for Bob (I call him Black Bear Bob so we don't confuse him with Bob Peoples who owns Kincora). I don't know how they did all that yard work in that heat! It felt nice being so lazy on such a nice, hot day. I'm glad Bob didn't mind our company despite the fact that we weren't staying with them. They even offered us a ride back to our campsite whenever we wanted. They're such nice people! And we even ran into Smoking Bear! We thought he had gotten off the trail long ago, but he's back and he's hiked major miles just to catch up to us! He definitely lost weight and he's looking really good and healthy. Guess that happens when you're pushing miles! It's so nice running into old faces down the line.Thwap-Thwap!- Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-09
From: Dennis Cove Rd.

To: Griffith Branch
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We could tell rain was headed our way this morning with how hard the wind suddenly was blowing. The last two nights haven't had wind so the tent has been getting condensation. It's not very fun waking up to water drops inside a tent.We got to Laurel Falls and sat in the water for a few hours. We had started earlier than usual so we had plenty of time to sit around and do nothing, but enjoy the cool water and soak up the sun. Once the clouds came in though and blocked the sun's rays, we decided we'd better get moving before the rain really hit us. Now, the mountain we had to go up today is probably the worst mountain we've had to hike in a very long time. There have been terrible ones before, but this one was never ending! 4.5 miles of pure uphill in humidity isn't fun at all. Plus, SuperFeet was dehydrated or weak from not eating much earlier so he wasn't in tip top condition and I was worrying like crazy. Eventually we got to the top after what felt like a billion hours and that's when things sort of got better. SuperFeet rested a bit and ate up and was ready to get moving. When we got to Watauga Lake, we ran into a local who was fishing. We made small talk and he just offered us some of his catch! Two really nice sized small mouth bass - but then the second bass jumped out of our bucket into the water and got away...so we just had one for dinner. Tuna cooked it of course since he's the chef in the group and it was pretty good!The rain hasn't hit us very hard yet, but the forecast says tomorrow is going to be raining all day. Hopefully the rain holds off until we can pack up our tents - we don't need to carry any extra water weight!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-10
From: Griffith Branch

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.3
Weather: light rain

Today was our biggest day yet! 14.3 miles! It definitely took a lot out of me though and it took a very long time. I had no energy and no motivation to hike today. Plus the majority of the day was all uphill and it was very humid. I was definitely going slower than usual. Poor SuperFeet had to suffer and go my slow pace. He has so much patience with me!We got to Vanderventer Shelter and took a nice long break on top of boulders that overlooked onto a tiny town next to Watauga Lake. All day there was an overcast and we were rained on (which would explain why I was so tired all day because all I wanted to do was sleep!), but at that moment the sun finally came out from behind the clouds and warmed everything up. It was a nice and beautiful break. Once we got going again, I was back to my slow pace and it was beginning to get late. I eventually found energy during the last 3 miles and we started moving quickly, but of course near the last mile it began to rain much harder than it had all day. We got to the shelter around 8pm and set up our tent pretty. Luckily, the rain didn't hit very hard until an hour or so later! I'm proud that we went this far even though we went slow, but I'm sure glad this day is over. Now for some much needed sleep!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-12
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: few clouds

It was a nice, hot hike into Damascus, VA today. The trail was pretty flat so we didn't need to take breaks more than one break. We were able to hike two hours straight before we decided to take a snack break at the TN/VA border. That's right - level 4! We zoomed into Damascus to learn that all rooms were unavailable because of Trail Days so we're tenting at The Place Hostel with Tuna. We're hoping to hike out a couple more miles then head back here for Trail Days on Thursday. Gotta get back early to get a good tenting spot for the Turtle Crew!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-13
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0

We were planning on hiking out today or at least find someone to help slackpack us, but in the end we ended up zeroing instead thanks to the influence of Meticulous. She neroed in early morning and convinced us that today was a great day for zeroing because it was way too hot. And it really was! We sat around a coffee store using the only good source of wifi in town. All day, I had seen people riding around town on bicycles so of course we had to do the same! We rode around on the Virginia Creeper Trail for hours before getting caught in the rain. Luckily we got back into town before the major downfall came. So for the rest of the night we'll be stuck inside our tents while catching up on Game of Thrones.Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-14
From: Damascus, VA

To: US 58
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: broken clouds

Thanks to White Sidewalls, we were able to slack pack today! Southbound slack pack that is. That's right, we've resorted to going southbound. Instead of hiking out of Damascus and hitching a ride back into town, we figured hiking back into town would be more convenient. We figured we'd get ahead of the crowd once Trail Days ended because leaving the same time as thousands of hikers from one tiny town would be a mad house. It definitely took much longer than expected to finish today with all the stops and detours we kept taking. Plus, it was so hot our feet were actually swelling up. Stops by the river were absolutely necessary! And SuperFeet and Tuna had to jump around rocks and climb walls as usual - those crazy boys!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-15
From: US 58

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today was very uneventful. Starting late last night, the rain was literally non-stop throughout the day. We walked to tent city where I gave Big Agnes my sleeping pad to repair. Turns out they couldn't repair it and they didn't have an extra pad in my size (petite, of course) so they gave me a loaner pad to trade out later down the line. Other than that, we stayed cooped up in our tent and left only when necessary. The rain wouldn't let up and the temperature just kept on dropping. Of course the weather would go crazy the instant we sent our winter gear home...hopefully our fleece blankets will do just fine.Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-16
From: Damascus, VA

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

Today's the first day of Trail Days! And I'm honestly not too impressed - just yet. There wasn't as much people as I would have expected and no one was selling the gear we wanted. Maybe it was due to the fact that it was cold, the sun was always blocked by clouds so it looked gloomy, and the rain was on and off. Tent city might've been better, but the walk over there just didn't seem worth it today. The food from the food trucks were amazing though! And we've decided we're going to upgrade our tent from the Big Agnes Scout to the Big Agnes Scout Plus which includes a vestibule and it's just so much better! Hopefully tomorrow will be better and more eventful than today was.Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-17
From: Damascus, VA

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

Today must've been my lucky day or something because I won new Helinox hiking poles! And a stuffsack so I won 3 out of the 5 drawings we had attended which is surprisingly because I never win anything.Trail Days was much better today than yesterday for sure. The rain held off long enough for everyone to enjoy walking around town and really enjoy Trail Days for what it is. It was still pretty cold, but it was fun. My feet and knees were so sore by the end of the day though. Walking around all day without resting hurts!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-18
From: Damascus, VA

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

Today's the last day of Trail Days and it's actually pretty bittersweet. The beginning started out slow and dreary, but as the weekend led on the weather got better each day. Today's weather was just perfect! We packed up, but in the process decided to stay another night after checking the weather. Crazy that the cold weather suddenly came in and is lasting for so long! Warm weather, come back - at least for the nights!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-19
From: Damascus, VA

To: Thomas Knob Shelter Campsite
Miles today: 11.4

We had to leave Damascus today - no matter what. We've been here for literally an entire week! Of course a few of those days weren't very unproductive since we did slackpack and ride bicycles for miles, but still. An entire week! So we decided it was time to go and thankfully the caretaker of the B&B offered to take us back to the trail. He was busy though so we didn't leave until late in the afternoon - without the Turtles. Tuna was participating in hardcore so he wouldn't be hiking out till the next day as well as Meticulous who was looking over his things. Knaffles didn't slackpack with us so she was miles behind and who knows where Hooch was.Once we got to Thomas Knob Shelter, it was pretty late but still light out. We ran into Dirtbag though! Since he left Damascus early, he was able to catch up to us. At least one Turtle was still with us!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-20
From: Thomas Knob Shelter Campsite

To: Fox Creek
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night was pretty miserable without any winter gear. I barely got any sleep so I practically watched the sun come up before I was finally able to. And morning wasn't all that much better. It was cloudy and dark - looked like a storm was headed our way and we didn't wanna be caught in that while ontop of a bald! So we packed up and got moving into the Grayson Highlands. You wouldn't believe how excited I was to see the ponies. We came up over a rocky hill and it opened up to a clearing. There in the distance you could see a herd of ponies. As soon as I saw them, I was running. Jumping over rocks and running downhill - I'm surprised I didn't trip and fall knowing my luck. SuperFeet said he's never seen me move so fast! I got to the ponies and bent down a little. One pony saw me and slowly walked my way. As soon as one did, so did the rest of them - like 10 of them!!! I have to say, being surrounded by 10 miniature ponies is probably the best thing ever. Plus, there were babies!!! At least 5 colts who were happily running around. Sad we couldn't play with them, but it was still a cute sight nonetheless! We reached 500 miles today! That's about a quarter of the way there! The milestones we've been accomplishing are unbelievable - it's so exciting!Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles
Date: 2014-05-21
From: Fox Creek

To: Dickey Gap
Miles today: 8.5

Today's hike wasn't very long at all. We needed to head into town for a resupply since SuperFeet's appetite was out of control and he ate everything he had as well as mine. We heard about a hiker picnic in Troutdale with shuttles and we thought it'd be perfect since we needed to go there anyways. AndI just have to give a huge thank you to the Troutdale Baptist Church for the hiker picnic they provided for 73 extremely hungry hikers. This dinner has probably been the most delicious dinner on the trail by far. It was unbelievable!Originally we were going to head back out after dinner and hike a couple more miles, but since we didn't get to go to the store we decided to stay the night and resupply in the morning.Thwap-Thwap! - Barnacles