morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-05-08
From: Curley Maple Gap Shelter (TN)

To: Campsite past Iron Mountain Gap, (TN)
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: light rain

Day 28: The Day "Shock" Broke a Tooth and how we couldn't zip him up about it for the rest of the morning (plus an afternoon you wouldn't want to describe to friends you were trying to convince to come hike the AT with you...)Shock usually carries the communal first aid kit, while Awe carries the bathroom bag. So you would think with all that extra use of the bathroom bag, if anyone was going to have trouble with a zipper, it would be Awe, but, no, as we are packing up this morning, we discover a broken tooth has put Shock's upper pocket out of commission. We make a call to Rob at Outdoor 76, and he starts the process of getting us a replacement from Granite Gear, maybe by Damascus. Although not too excited about it, for a while Awe will carry the first aid bag as well...The brief overnight showers had come and gone by dawn, but we were still glad not to have to deal with a wet tent. No one at the shelter was moving quickly and we got a very late (8:45am) start. The high point of the day came after a 2,500' climb up to the lovely spruce forest of Unaka Mountain, which should have been a treat, but as soon as we started the major part of the climb right after lunch, the long predicted 60% rain arrived. The higher we hiked the more we were in it, and there was nothing pleasant about being in sweaty rain gear in a cold rain. Once at the top we were shrouded in a heavy misty fog and feeling the let down of making a major climb with no reward of a spectacular view. We were glad to start back down and feel the temperature rise one degree with every 330 feet of descent. We arrived at Cherry Gap shelter about 4pm to find a good crowd, the majority of whom were only stopping for a break or dinner. As the weather seemed to be clearing a little, we decided to eat our dinner at the shelter (where there was a great water source) and pushed on as well. We headed to a campsite four miles ahead past Iron Mountain Gap. We had second thoughts about our decision as a light rain started again just before the gap, as we contemplated setting up a tent in the rain, but at the top, after 1.2 miles of climbing, we found a flat spot next to the trail just as the rain was stopping for the day. What a joy to climb into a dry tent before dark! We hope for better weather, and a better experience, tomorrow. And if you happen to be reading this trying to decide if you too should attempt an AT thru hike, we suggest you skip over this entry. Not much here for the AT promotional material...
Date: 2012-05-09
From: Campsite past Iron Mountain Gap, (TN)

To: Roan High Knob Shelter (TN)
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: moderate rain

Day 29: Slip sliding away. Slip sliding away. Seems like the nearer your destination, the more you're slip sliding away...A word of warning: Don't look for any humor or anything lighthearted in today's report. This was just a really, really nasty day.Today had all the negative elements from yesterday, but instead of being just in the afternoon, we had to deal with them all day. The weather looked like it might be clearing when we woke up, but about 15 minutes after we hit the trail, the rain set in and pretty much hung around all day.We'd had some big mileage plans, but when we got to the first shelter after about five miles, trail conditions said it just wasn't going to happen today. Every step was a potential fall and much of the trail was under water. We had to rock hop when we could, but the consistency of the dirt mostly made the mud very slippery or gave it a sucking quality that almost pulled your shoes off your feet. Our pace was already lagging, and we were feeling wet and chilled.We found two people sleeping in a fairly new shelter and decided we'd better stop long enough to fix ourselves something hot. Several hikers pulled in behind us with the same idea and the little work shelf quickly became quite crowded. We also got to hear a first hand account of a run-in with a doped up, gun-totting local back at Beauty Spot, which could have been tragic but thankfully ended in an arrest after the hikers subdued the idiot. The lesson here: don't camp too close to vehicle access.After lunch, we had treacherous footing and a thousand foot descent before beginning a 2,200' climb up Roan Mountain. This would have been hard on a good day, but given the weather it was enough to reduce one to tears. To make matters worse, for about a mile the trail had recently been rerouted and had had no time to develop a firm base, so it was like climbing in a muddy ditch. By far the worst day we've had to deal with so far...The cold wind got much stronger as we followed an exposed old gravel road near the top. We went from being chilled to down right cold. We almost missed the sign directing us to the shelter, thankfully located a tenth of a mile back in the woods. We understand this is the highest elevation shelter (6,194') on the AT, and as the wind howls outside and the temperature drops into the 30's, we are glad for its door and four sided protection. It's a good night to be inside and out of the elements.
Date: 2012-05-11
From: US 19E (Mountain Harbour Hostel, Roan Mountain, TN

To:  Laurel Fork footbridge (TN)
Miles today: 12.7

Day 31: The Best Breakfast on the Trail (Or the story of how four thru hikers show up at the door to change a marketing strategy...) Mary Hill served us quite a gourmet spread for breakfast at Mountain Harbour Hostel, and when she came around to check on everyone, we had a chance to talk about how she and her husband Terry came from southern California eight years back to purchase this B&B. At that time they'd never heard of the AT. The previous owners had marketed the place as a romantic couples get away, combined with cruises on nearby Lake Watauga. Then one miserable night after the Hills bought the place, four thru hikers "with ice in their beards" showed up unannounced seeking shelter. The rest is history, as the Hills converted their barn to suit the needs of a new cliental. And trust us: it's very comfortable and thoroughly meets the needs of hikers. The result is the nicest stop we've enjoyed so far. And, oh, by the way, we hiked half the distance to Hampton TN today. After a leisurely start, the trail provided interesting scenery & varying topography in absolutely beautiful blue-sky, sunny weather. We trekked up high through open meadows with outstanding views of Little and Big Hump Mountains, down low through dark dense rhododendron tunnels, beside the lovely Elk River and the historic Isaacs family cemetery, over gravel & paved roads, and passed by 100' Jones Falls & other seriously cascading waters AND we passed 400 miles! Tonight we are camped beside a babbling stream and quite snug in our little tent. Life is good on the trail.
Date: 2012-05-12
From:  Laurel Fork footbridge (TN)

To: Dennis Cove Road, USFS 50 (Hampton, TN) 
Miles today: 11.7

Day 32: N spends a day in low cotton (Or how the prevailing hiker crud finally nipped at the Troverts' heels)We've been hearing about sick hikers with an intestinal "bug" ever since Erwin TN. The reports got so serious that Tennessee public health sent a bunch of folks out to interview as many people on the  trail as possible. We had two doctors stop by Mountain Harbour while we were eating breakfast who asked us to answer a questionnaire. We could name a number of hikers we knew of who had been knocked off the trail for a day or two; and could repeat the rumors and speculation from the hiker community on what might be the cause.Any way, we had been personally unaffected until today. N's stomach began rolling in the middle of the night. And when he woke up this morning, he felt very weak... If he'd been in a town, he'd have stayed put and laid low, but N didn't want to lay around  in a tent all day waiting to get sicker, so we trudged on...Fortunately the trail profile today was very forgiving and the mileage to get to Bob Peoples' Kincora Hostel relatively short. N had a very tough morning with even the most modest climb leaving him short of breath. However, after a half hour power nap at the Moreland Gap shelter, and a diet of consisting only of plain crackers, N did a little better and was able to make it over White Rocks Mountain and back to civilization by 3pm. We were both revived by a shower before Bob loaded up his truck for the food run (both the restaurant and grocery variety) to nearby Elizabethton, TN. After two sunny days, rain is back in the forecast for tomorrow and we are supposed to start with a 2,000' climb up Pond Mountain, but we are hoping the restorative powers of a good night's sleep will have N ready for the task and that we have dodged a bullet with whatever's decimating so many hikers in our little bubble heading north...
Date: 2012-05-15
From: TN 91 (Cross Mountain Road)

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

Day 35: R & R in Damascus (that's rest and recuperation and resupply and restoration and probably a few other R's as well) After taking a muscle relaxer "happy pill," N was out like a light last night and not heard from again until this morning. We ate at the hotel, got our laundry done, took two long hot baths, and generally felt cleaner than we have in days. We rested until check-out, and then changed our base of operations to the Victorian Inn B&B in Damascus, where N immediately took a two hour nap, while X went off to check out outfitters and make plans for tomorrow. About 2pm, a revived N joined X at Subway where he devoured a sandwich with true thru-hiker relish. Next door at Sundog Outfitters, Alex took N's backpack apart and did all kinds of adjustments to find him the perfect fit to end his back pain. At the end, the weight seemed to be riding much higher and better balanced, both of which N concluded were very good things. As luck would have it, at that moment, Allyn Morton, the Granite Gear field rep, walked in the door, after just arriving early for 'Trail Days'. He had already sent a replacement upper pocket (called "the brain" in backpack terminology) for X's pack Shock, and talked how disappointed the company had been with the Japanesse zippers they used making this pack, which were extremely waterproof but after six months or so had demonstrated an extremely high failure rate. When Allyn found out Shock also had broken zipper teeth on the pack itself, he immediately called the home office and set it up for us to trade out poor ole broken tooth Shock for a newer model from Sundog's inventory, a pack with a more durable zipper (who for now we are calling Shock Too). All this at no charge to us. Talk about "legendary service"! We are now Granite Gear customers for life!We ran into any number of trail friends as we headed out to find dinner. Most concerned were the Canadian contingent (AKA "Team Chick-fil-A"), who were baffled when they never passed us yesterday afternoon (as they always do) and had wondered if we had disappeared off the face of the Earth. We explained, yes, in a way we had, but 24 hours later we were doing much better.We hope our thru hike has received redemption in Damascus, and that we can start getting back on schedule tomorrow...
Date: 2012-05-16
From: TN 91 (Cross Mountain Road)

To: Damascus, VA 
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: broken clouds

Day 36: Cruising into Damascus - for at least one day the Troverts are able to keep up the pace with at least some of the young machos (or monotony in the Long Green Tunnel not necessarily a bad thing...) We had arranged for Joe from Adventure Damascus (the alter ego company of Sundog Outfitters) to shuttle us back to the point we left the trail at TN 91 on Monday, and he had us back on the AT in 27 minutes flat. As we had the luxury of walking back to the same B&B, we left a bunch of stuff back at our room and kept our gear weight for the day to the absolute minimum, carrying two quarts of water, a few snacks, and the lightest of rain gear. Our slack packing goal was to cover the 20+ miles back to Damascus before it got too late.This stretch of the AT is no doubt the most monotonous we have encountered to date. But if there is a lack of great vantage points, it usually means there are also no great climbs and descents, and that makes for easy hiking. We spent most of the day walking a ridge line at about 3,600' elevation before dropping down to 2,000' over the last six miles coming into Damascus. The weather was ideal for hiking - sunny and cool, and even counting our breaks for snacks and water, we averaged 2.5 mph. (We wish we could find a way to do this every day!)As far as N's test of his back, without a pack he was virtually pain free. So he will be doing more stretching than he has up until now, try to distribute the weight more evenly as he packs, and take more breaks as the day wears on.Four days ago, we reported N's 24 hour go-round with the oh so prevalent hiker bug. In part two of our current health report, today it was X's turn to deal with this illness. Her symptoms were the same as N's, only to a more severe degree. After vomiting the night before, she hiked all day on the edge of nausea. She had no appetite and a banana was the only thing she was able to eat, which she did in small bites throughout the day. [X's appetite has been an issue since we started. She has no interest in most things sweet, which also equals calories. Think then what common trail food turns her off? Pop Tarts, Honey Buns, GORP...] We got her to bed as soon as we got back to the B&B. After an hour's sleep, she was able to eat some potato soup and crackers. We hope, like N, this will be a 24-hour "thing", and that she will be much better in the morning. Damascus is really hopping as the crowd arrives for 'Trail Days', and after two nights in town, we are ready again for the solitude of the woods. We are leaving friends we have been leap-frogging with since Georgia, as most of them want to stick around for the festivities through the weekend. We visited with several of them yesterday afternoon who wanted an update on N's back. It's a bit sad to think we may not see them again... And for those of you keeping track at home, after 36 days on the trail, N has now lost 20 pounds, going from 178 to 158 and two pants sizes; while X has lost 16 pounds, going from 166 to 150 and one pants size.
Date: 2012-05-18
From: Lost Mountain Shelter (VA)

To: Thomas Knob Shelter (VA)
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: broken clouds

Day 38: Wild horses couldn't pull X off Mt. Rogers (not to mention N detours to bag Virginia's high spot and the Troverts witness an AT rescue...)We had worried about Retread camped out behind the shelter through last night's terrible storm, but he was the first to pack up and leave this morning, proclaiming he "slept right through it." He said he had worried about us during the big lightning strike, so it must have been really close. Initially the trail was in good shape after all the rain, but after crossing Highway 58 we were increasingly slowed by slippery rocks and mud holes. The climb up to Buzzard Rock was long and with trail conditions we could never get into an even pace. The foggy weather did nothing to lift our spirits and blocked what should have been some spectacular views. While taking a break at Buzzard Rock, the clouds lifted just a bit to show us indeed we were getting high again, but after that the trail could best be characterized as a "stream." It was no fun trying to pick out dry spots on which to hike. A restroom at VA 600 gave us a chance to offload our trash (always a treat), and signaled the start of the Virginia Highlands. The four mile climb up Mt. Rogers would be rugged even on a dry day, and today was certainly not that! The only really enjoyable event ocurred when X got to feed dried fruit to the ponies in the herd of wild horses we encountered along the trail.  (N was not as pleased when the ponies tried to chew his hiking poles for the salt while he was taking pictures!) We were both pretty beaten up by the time we reached the turn-off to the summit on the left and could see the shelter as the trail followed the ridge off to the right. Low on water and late in the afternoon, although scheduled to go further, we decided to call it a day at the shelter.We were pleased to finish all our chores well before dark, and be settled in on the second floor of this fairly new shelter well before Hiker Midnight. Two other things of note: N took the opportunity to backtrack the 1.5 mile trip to the Mt. Rogers summit, which even without a pack was an exercise in stream walking and not a great photo opportunity at the end (X was content to be within 300' of that elevation here on the shelter's second floor!) And #2, the local rescue squad came up in their ATV to carry out thru hiker "Old Hiker" who late in the afternoon had slipped on the mud near the shelter and badly sprained (maybe broken?) his ankle. He left Springer on Leap Day this year, and had been off the trail once already for three weeks nursing a soft-tissue injury. He re-started his hike two days ago at Damascus. After several hours of rest he'd determined he couldn't go on. Other hikers at the shelter appreciated his generosity giving away his remaining food and as we all  watched him depart with the rescue squad there was a feeling a true heart-break for him.At 5,430' elevation, we're expecting a chilly night...
Date: 2012-05-19
From: Thomas Knob Shelter (VA)

To:  Hurricane Mountain Shelter (VA)
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 39: Crossing the Virginia Highlands (not to mention the AT 500 mile mark...)With the temperature in the mid 40's, we used the excuse that no one else in the shelter was stirring to sleep in past 6:30 this morning. As a result, we didn't get on the trail until 8:15. Our tardiness was compounded by a very demanding section of hiking in the first several miles. However, we were glad we didn't try to push to do these miles yesterday as they were some of the most interesting we have encountered and they deserved time to savor.First off the views from Mt. Rogers with the morning mist filling the valleys below were spectacular. Then came a chance to walk close to the famed highland ponies again. Next came some rock scrambles over some interesting formations. One of these was a rock tunnel named Fatman Squeeze. (With our current hiking weight, we easily met the challenge.) From the top of the next high point (Wilburn Ridge) it appeared Grayson Highlands State Park was trying to get in the Guineas book of world records for "most boys scouts assembled in one place." In fact, this was one of the busiest areas of the AT yet, as lots of day hikers were out for the weekend. At the north end of the state park, we stopped for water and a snack at Wise Shelter, our original destination for last evening. These five miles had taken us four hours to cover, which yesterday would have put us there quite late. Again, a good decision to postpone until today... We met a trail volunteer who arrived to police the area and bring a new shelter log (so X became the last person to sign the old one and the first to sign the new one!). He was a wealth of information on the trail ahead, answering our questions and providing hints on things to look for along the AT. He was correct when he said the trail would become less difficult, and as a result our pace really picked up in the afternoon. We reached Old Orchard shelter before 3:00 to find a young assistant scout leader taking a break from his group camped near by. We got the impression his young charges could drain a person's energy pretty quickly, and we commended him for helping get kids out in the woods. We decided to go "one more shelter", only five miles away. This entailed a very easy 1.5 miles down to VA 603, then a steady 800' climb up the other side. We are rewarded with a very nice new shelter a tenth of a mile off the trail, which we share with a couple of section hikers from NC. We're all in bed by the lovely 8:30 sunset after a very rewarding day walking (in a very circuitous route!) towards Maine. The Virginia Highlands were a real treat and have moved up to X's favorite part of The Trail, at least so far...
Date: 2012-05-21
From: VA 16, Mt. Rogers Visitor Center (Marion, VA)

To: Chatfield Shelter (VA)
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 41: Odds and Ends from a half rest day (Or how the hordes of hikers once again descended on the AT)After a very pleasant night in Marion, we had only laundry and food resupply to take care of this morning. Not wanting to take a zero hiking day, we hurried to finish out chores and arranged for the local transit folks to give is a lift back to the trail at 11am. At only fifty cents per person, this has got to be the best deal we've seen on the trail, and a real boon to hikers. We decided to only hike seven miles to the first shelter. As we got close, we found ourselves racing an approaching thunderstorm (which won, beating us by about 15 minutes). By 6pm we discovered every other hiker in a 20-mile radius also had the same plan, and this small six person shelter is quite crowded tonight, with one over capacity inside and several tents scattered 'round outside. (And while X is in her element sitting at the campfire circle, N is in his nestled down in his sleeping bag waiting for hiker midnight mode...)N's weekly back update: Seven days after N's sore back was so bad as to make him consider abandoning the hike, it is doing much better. In addition to the hourly stretching regimen while we're hiking during the day, he has worked to change his hiking posture. It seems he had been aggressively attacking hills with his trekking poles by really leaning into the hill. The result was putting too much additional stress on almost forgotten old back injuries. Working to maintain a vertical position has helped correct this problem. Also N got a note from a friend back home saying "Not trying to insult your intelligence but¢¦¢¦get 95% of your pack weight on your hips." N did some careful calculations and determined he had only been carrying 93.857% of his pack weight on his hips. With a 2% increase, his back pain (actually lack thereof) has greatly improved. The trail profile was relatively easy today, except for one stretch between VA Highway 622 and USFS 86. Apparently when this part of the trail was constructed, the switchback designer was off on vacation. As a result, this steep section goes straight up the hill, and will make you think you have gone soft after only one night in town. We guess we'll find out when we try to crank up our mileage again tomorrow. [We had a steady rain for most of the night, so to wake up to a dry tent already packed away and ready for the day will be a great start for tomorrow!]