morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-18
From: Campsite 363.4

To: Day 36 - campsite 363.4 to campsite 380.6
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: broken clouds

Listened to screech owls all night. They are the weirdest sounding creatures. It was as if they were sitting in the trees right above us. Of course, M and N slept right through all the noise (creeps).I was up and out early with plans to meet the kids on Roan Mt. for lunch. It's still very quiet on the trail. The views from Little Rock Knob were nice. I stopped there for pictures. On the way down to Hughes Gap there were crews coming up to do trail maintenance. I thanked them for their efforts.Climbing out of the gap up Roan there were more crews working. It looks like next year the trail will be longer and less vertical than it is now. They're putting in a lot of new switchbacks.When I got to the top it was cold and cloudy. I ate lunch and waited for the kids. Cuddles and Two Long Braids were there. I thought we were ahead of them coming out of Erwin, I guess not. M and N came up a half hour later and ate. The sun finally came out, and we dried out our tents and took a nap in the parking area. That was nice after listening to the owls last night.From there we hiked together over Round, Jane, and Grassy Balds. Great views, and someone left some apples for trail magic. Thanks, they were great.We made our way to a campsite at 380.6 miles. It was a pretty site, but if I haven't mentioned it before, let me say this: if you're out hiking for the day or for a couple of days or for a year, please treat the trail with respect. It's sickening the amount of trash and fecal matter people leave behind with no regard for anyone who comes after them. It isn't hard to do the right thing by carrying out your trash or digging a cat hole away from the campsites. You wouldn't let your dog behave the way some people do out here.We cleaned up the site a bit and settled in to sleep. Another cold night expected. Good miles today and some beautiful views. Sleep well.
Date: 2014-05-19
From: campsite 380.6

To: Day 37 - 380.6 campsite to Elk River 398.3
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: scattered clouds

We got up early and headed for US19E the road into Roan, TN. We wanted to get a little resupply and a bite to eat of real food. The trail took us over Little Hump and Hump Mts, two balds with excellent panoramic views. Both were very steep and the Hump had a false summit that broke your heart. You think you're done, but you're not. Again, the agony was worth the ecstasy with an expansive open view.We met Yvana and Andi as we headed up the larger Hump. Andi had been sick for the past two days. They were thinking of stopping at a hostel for a break. We invited them to drive into D.C. if we all end up near Pearisburg together. Andi's brother works and lives there. We'll see what happens. Many more people are on the trail today with trail days over. Saw lots of hikers many of whom we do not know. People we've gained miles on by forgoing the event.We hustled down the often rock strewn path toward US19, passing Doll Flats, the TN/NC border. No more trail in NC; next stop VA. It was 2.3 miles to the road and we just about ran it. We got there at 11:30. 11.2 miles in four hours, not too bad considering the terrain. We hitched into town. M and N got a ride who then picked me up. Thanks, blue Ford Ranger. We Went immediately to Bob's Dairyland which also serves BBQ. We all got the special; pulled pork sandwich, fries, (Natalie got cheese fries) slaw, beans and a drink. Then we all got milkshakes. We re-upped our endless refill drinks and talked with the locals who were all interested in our hike. Very nice folks with lots of questions. One couple gave Natalie ten dollars for ice cream money and wouldn't let her say no. Very sweet people.We went up the road to Dollar General, but the options there were limited. A man in line offered us a ride back to the trail. Thanks for the ride.We hiked another five miles to Jones Falls, and a half mile beyond found a beautiful site by the Elk River. We ate, talked a bit, now to bed.Night all.
Date: 2014-05-20
From: Day 37 - 380.6 campsite to Elk River 398.3

To: Day 38 - Elk River Campsite to Dennis Cove 417.0
Miles today: 18.7

Some days you just hike. Today was one of those. Head down, one foot in front of the other.I left early, M and N to follow. We decided to meet at Hardcore Cascades about nine miles away. The day was damp, cool and cloudy to start. I passed several tented campsites. I spoke with Ed from Wisconsin who is doing a section hike. Everyone else was still abed. I passed through long stretches of dark forest. A very quiet morning.Soon people were up and I started seeing them along the trail. All the talk was about trail days and it made me feel old. I'm glad they all had a good time and I'm glad I didn't go. I got tired just hearing about it.When I got to the Cascades it was dark there too. I left a note for M and N that I was moving on. A short while after the sun finally broke through the clouds. I found a campsite and stopped to eat. M and N came in shortly after me. We ate and napped a bit; laid out on the ground like hounds.We headed for Laurel Falls, about nine miles further on. We were all foot sore from the tedious, rocky hike so when we got to Dennis Cove Road we decided to camp there by the river. Black Bear Hostel was half a mile down the road so I walked down for some snacks. When I got there, lo and behold, they had beer! Two Yuengling 16 oz., a bunch of snacks and some ice cream for M and N. The owner drove me back to the trail-head so the ice cream wouldn't melt. We ate most of what I bought. I drank the beer and we all cleaned up in the cold river. I got a fire going and we had dinner.It had been a long hard day for all and Natalie had been unsure she could keep up, but she pushed the pace right to the end and amazed us again. I'm glad we all found each other. We make a good team. Speaking of team, Mike heard from Duck Tape and he's doing big miles to catch us. Can't wait to see him again. Another great kid and hiking companion.Well, I'm beat and we have another tough section of trail tomorrow. There have been bear problems ahead (some bears have learned how to get food bags off the bear poles). We'd like to hike past the problem area. We'll see. Bye for now.P.S. We passed 400 miles!
Date: 2014-05-21
From: Dennis Cove Rd

To: Day 39 - Dennis Cove Rd to Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 17.5

Woke up late, 7a.m. Mike was up already. We had breakfast and got ready for what we knew would be a hard day.Early on we made Laurel Falls. We took some pics and spoke to some locals then headed out for what we thought would be the hard part of the day. 2.7 miles up 2,600' to Pond Flats. It turned out to be a relatively easy hike over many switchbacks.The backside of the mt. took us to the lake at Shook Branch Recreation Center. We had lunch there and spent a couple hours relaxing. The next part of the hike didn't look very tough in the guide, basically a ridge walk. I guess we didn't look closely enough at the profile because it was the toughest part of the day. Ups and downs for hours, we were all beat. Excuse me, not all. Mike was fine. "Oh well, another hill. We'll get there when we get there." Such a stoic. For me and N it was a killer afternoon, we were wiped out.Then at the Vandeventer Shelter the water source was 0.3 miles down a steep hill. Not the Jack and Jill kind of hill, but the hill that Satan put on the trail to punish hikers who thought their day was over. Boy, did that climb back up burn the quads. Especially carrying 7 pounds of water. Well enough complaining, looks like tomorrow is more of the same. Tennessee really knows how to say goodbye.Night all.
Date: 2014-05-23
From: Low Gap

To: Day 41 - Low Gap camp to Damascus
Miles today: 15.2

Mike was still ill from the night before, so Natalie and I packed up and tried not to aggravate the situation. We had fifteen miles to town and I just wanted to get there fast. We headed out in the fog and I tried to keep an even but quick pace. A couple of hours out, Mike needed to stop and Natalie felt she should keep going because she thought she was slowing us down (Not true). Mike seemed a tad better after his break and we set off after N. For someone who was slowing us down she was moving pretty fast. We didn't catch her, she stopped to wait for us.We got to the state line at 12:30. Three and a half miles to go until Damascus. I said, "Let's do it in an hour." I got the 'creep' look, but we headed out at a good pace. An hour later to the minute we stepped onto the streets of Damascus. The first order of business was some food. We went to the Blue Blaze Cafe. Nice place, decent food, good craft beer. Next was finding the mail drops. We knew Mike's was at Sundog Outfitters, Natalie wasn't sure where hers was. We checked the other two outfitters before going to Sundog, no luck. It wasn't at Sundog either. She called home and found out it was at the post office which was closing in fifteen minutes and was at the other side of town. Sam, who works at Sundog, asked what was up. I said N had medicine at the post office but couldn't get there in time. So Sam says, "Take my car." He gave Mike the keys and off they went.Again the kindness of strangers out here is staggering and humbling. They made it in time and unbeknownst to Sam, the kids left him some gas money. Good kids. Thanks, Sam! There are no motels in Damascus and we wanted our own shower so we hitched to Abingdon, eleven miles away. It took about two minutes of hitching before Terri, a great lady from the area, picked us up and took us straight to the motel. She gave us her number in case we got stuck for a ride later. Thanks so much, Terri! She said she'll be hiking as Teapot when she thrus. I hope I can help you out when you get to N.H.We settled in, and Natalie seems to have the bug. Uh oh! I think a zero is in order for Saturday.TTFN
Date: 2014-05-24
From: Damascus

To: Day 42 - Zero day in Abingdon
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The kids did laundry while I sat around in my rain gear.*Edit from The Administrator: He also spent HOURS typing two weeks' worth of journal entries and selecting pictures to send to me, which is especially tedious when using a smartphone with sausage fingers. Thank you, Honey!! xoxo
Date: 2014-05-25
From: Damascus

To: Day 43 - Damascus to a pond at 479.2
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: overcast clouds

We packed up and hitched a ride back to Damascus from Abingdon. We got a ride from a young South African named Stephen. He was heading to Backbone Rock to serve as the best man at his friends wedding. In the short ride to town he and M and N chatted about actors with mustaches. He said not many people look good with one; then looked at Mike in the rear view mirror and said, "But your's looks good." Thanks for the ride Stephen and for lying to Mike about the 'stache.We stopped at the store for resupply and met an 89 year old woman who we spoke with for about 20 minutes. I'm sorry I don't remember her name, but she lives across from the Gazebo on the common in apartment 22. She invited us to stop by next year during Trail Days.We went to the Blue Blaze Cafe for what we thought would be a quick bite, but turned into an hour and a half long wait for appetizers. After lunch we headed to Sundog Outfitters where we picked up a gas stove and canister, then finally hit the trail at 2:30.There was a pretty good climb out of Damascus of course, then it evened out pretty nicely. We hit a detour because of a bridge washout, otherwise it was an unremarkable hike to a campsite by a dingy little pond at mile 479.2.Don't know what's up for Monday, we'll see.TTFN
Date: 2014-05-26
From: Pond at 479.2

To: Day 44 - Pond campsite to Thomas Knob shltr 495.4
Miles today: 16.2

I started out before M and N for Lost Mountain Shelter where we would meet. There were lots of tents along the way; some people I recognized, some I didn't. Not much conversation because most people were just getting up.Not long in to the hike I saw Yvanna and Andi. I told them that M and N weren't far behind me if they wanted to hike with them. They said they hadn't yet had breakfast, but they would soon follow. There were some cool footbridges along the Creeper Trail (a bike trail that gets a lot of visitors, and runs beside, and sometimes on the Appalachian Trail). M and N met me at the shelter and we continued north. Our hope was to reach the wild horses of Grayson Highlands. We stopped for lunch at Buzzard Rock and laid out in the sun. It was a nice bald area with close proximity to a road so there were lots of day hikers there. Along the sides of the well worn trail there were small gray/blue birds that flew out from the banks along the path. I noticed a tiny nest and some eggs hidden in the grass. Little ground nesters with eggs smaller than a dime.After lunch we stopped for water at a stream, and Andi and Yvana came by. We talked for a while and decided to meet at the Highlands later in the day. Further down the trail we met Quest and his dog, Vision. He's a visually impaired hiker trying to thru the AT. Different people along the trail have helped him out along the way and it's slow going, but he says he's enjoying the journey. Met section hiker Rocky at Whitetop Mountain Rd. Rte. 89. He wears a kilt (something I had thought about) and says it's really comfortable and cuts down on the chafing problems. We moved on from there through an open area and up into the Highlands.Back into the trees for a while and we saw our first wild horses on Brier Ridge. They were kind of skittish and we didn't get very close to them. There were a lot of tracks along the trail, but no more horses.We reached Thomas Knob Shelter and backtracked a few hundred yards to a nice campsite. We hadn't seen Andi and Yvana for a while and wondered if they had stopped earlier, when they came up over the ridge. We had plenty of space for them so they camped with us. They're so much fun to talk to and we always have a good time when we're together.We all sat down to eat and some horses walked by our area, so we went out to see them. They're so tame, many let you walk right up and pet them. The fact that we're all salty from a day of hiking doesn't hurt. They love to lick the salt off of bodies and backpacks.We went back to our fire and sat up gabbing until 10. Time for bed. Wild horses in the morning and then who knows.Bye for now.
Date: 2014-05-27
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Day 45 -Thomas Knob to Hurricane Mt. Shelter 511.4
Miles today: 16.0

We woke up to heavy fog and a forecast of thunderstorms. We all hung out hoping it might clear off a bit before we moved on toward the horses. It didn't look like it was getting any better so we put on our raingear and headed out. Just past the shelter we saw the wild horses. There were about a dozen of them grazing in the mist. There were mares with foals and colts, some pregnant mares and a couple of stallions competing for their attention. M and N, and A and Y were as happy as could be to see the horses; broad smiles all around. I may have been the most excited to see their excitement. I showed them the little trick of scratching the horses at the base of their manes and it seemed to work well. The horses seemed to enjoy the attention.Again the horses were after anything with salt on it, nipping at Mike's pant legs and going after Natalie's backpack. We spent an hour playing with the horses and shooing them away from our gear. We wanted to make it to Hurricane Mt. Shelter 16 miles away so we had to drag ourselves away from the horses of the Highlands.About the time we left, the rains began. It wasn't too cold and the rain was off and on until we reached Wise Shelter about 5 miles away, and just over the 500 mile mark!! Woo Hoo! 500! To celebrate our achievement the thunder started and brought a hard rain with it. We sloshed our way to The Scales livestock corral and hid out under the restroom awning. Luckily the sun broke through and we continued up Pine Mountain with no rain.We stopped to dry out and have lunch at the summit then pushed on to Old Orchard Shelter for some water. From there it was 5 miles to Hurricane and we set out. A good climb and a nice downhill to the shelter, but no room to camp. Not too much further on we found an old campsite along the river. We made a fire, had dinner, and five tired hikers hit the hay. I texted the Administrator (can't wait to see her). Trying for twenty tomorrow.TTFN
Date: 2014-05-28
From: Hurricane Mt. Shelter

To: Day 46 - Hurricane Mt. to Partnership Shlter 531.1
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up to sunshine for the first time in a long time. I was out first and we said we'd meet at Trimpi Shelter, about 10 miles out. I marched head down for the early part of the hike then bumped into Dos Lekis, whom we had met a few times before. This was the first time I had a real chance to speak with him. He's a former U.S. Army soldier, originally from Great Britain (Coventry), who moved to Oklahoma when he was a boy. He worked as a stockbroker for a while, but now is in the green energy field. A very interesting and nice guy. We hiked together for about an hour then I moved on when he stopped to eat.It was dank and dark at the shelter when I got there so I kept going. Just beyond it the forest opened up to fields and I stopped to eat. The kids and A and Y didn't get there while I was there so I moved on. As I reentered the forest I met Feathers, a SOBO hiker, at a small tent where a church group had left trail magic. Sodas, snacks, first aid gear, water, even dog treats. Thanks guys! Little Feet and Fifal (sp) stopped in. I hadn't met them before; nice kids from GA. When they left, M&N came in with A&Y, and 3 NOBOS; two women and one man a bit older than me. One woman's trail name was Saybak ("See all you bitches at Katahden" -that's what she told her friends when she left). M&N and I hiked out pretty quickly, A&Y were a bit slower, so we said we'd meet at Partnership Shelter for pizza. You can call and have it delivered, because the shelter is near a road. We pushed pretty hard and got here by 4:15. Very busy there, lots of hikers. Mike and I hiked past the shelter to find a campsite, while Natalie called for pizza. A hiker came by and told Natalie that he thought Andi & Yvanna were going to camp before the shelter, but we found a place big enough for all of us and it was a good thing, because they came in about 5pm. They were happy we saved them a place, and were happy to help us eat the pizza.J.D., a young man from Sweden, and Man Alive from SC came to eat with us around the fire. They had done 25 miles today, and were beat. When they left, we all sat around talking and joking until after 9, then we went to bed.M&N and I are going to Marion to resupply, we'll find A&Y down the trail.Bye for now.
Date: 2014-05-29
From: Day 46 - Hurricane Mt. to Partnership Shlter 531.1

To: Day 47 - Partnership Shelter to Campsite 546.5
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

We got up and gathered our gear to hitch into Marion. Yvanna and Andi were going to hike further to Davis Path or Crawfish Trail, where we hope to meet them. I got a ride in from a local construction worker, who took me directly to the laundromat. M&N hitched 2 rides to meet me. They ended up hitching in with Dandelion.We did our laundry, went to RiteAid, and then got a burger at Wendy's. We were charging our phones, so I stayed with the packs while the kids went to Food City for re-supply.We didn't start to hitch back until 1pm. Jim Sparks, whose son is in NH hiking thru (he left GA in February) picked us up. He told us about some trail magic he does at the Lindamood School, a museum along the trail. He dropped us off at the partnership Shelter. We cleaned up, and headed out after 2pm. Natalie headed out first, because she felt slow so she wanted to get a head's start.By 2:30, the sunny day darkened and the thunder started. I stopped to gear up, and Mike kept going. For the next 1 and a half hours, we were in a downpour. At about 3pm, I saw Noah floating by on his Ark; he said, "No riders." The rain was really banging down.As quickly as it started, it stopped; only the thunder in the distance to remind you of what happened. A few minutes later, I could hear the rain approaching again. I wasn't in the mood to get wet. Fortunately, it stayed just off to my right. I could watch it falling 20 feet away, but never got a drop on me.I caught up to the kids, and we hiked to the Lindamood School. We partook of the Magic, played at the school for a while, then headed out for The Bard, a restaurant on the AT. We got there about 7pm, saw in the register that A&Y had been there at 2pm, sat down for supper and didn't leave until after 8. We decided to night hike to Davis Path. With headlamps on, we roller-coasted for 2 hours. When we came to a sign on the path indicating "546 miles"; the 1/4 mark. Unfortunately for us, that meant we went past Davis Path. We hiked on in the dark, looking for a campsite. About a half mile later, we found a two-tent site along the trail and set up. Quick to bed after a long day.TTFN
Date: 2014-05-30
From: Campsite 546.5

To: Day 48 - Campsite 546.5 to VA 625 mile 561.3
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Pretty good sleep. I was up and out at 8:10, with M&N to follow. I hiked to Crawfish Trail, where a camper told me that Andi and Yvanna were 10 minutes ahead of me. I quick hiked to catch them. It wasn't long before I caught up, and I gave Yvanna the Dove chocolate bar I had gotten for her. She had been so excited the other day when she thought there was chocolate in the trail magic box we had found (it turned out it was beef bullion cubes), so I made sure to pick up some chocolate for her in Marion.We heard from some South Bounders that there was some trail magic at the O'Lystry Pavilon, so we hightailed it there. A local Methodist church puts out magic every year, with the help of Methodists from Arkansas. We met Herrn Northcut, Greg Floyd, Bill Cato, and Pastor Allan Ashworth, of ATOM (Appalachan Trail Outreach Ministry). There were hamburgers, hotdogs, veggies, drinks, and all kinds of goodies. Oh yeah, there were some awesome cookies and zucchini bread that one of the guys' wife had made. M&N came in after a while, N's calf is still bothering her, and we stayed there until 3pm. Thank you so much for the trail magic ATOM.We hiked on to VA 625 when N's calf was just too bad to continue. We set up camp, and I wasn't feeling too well (to much food), so I went to bed. I could hear the kids talking and laughing, which made my day. We're really enjoying A&Y's company.Yvanna had warned us about her smelly stockings the other day, so from the tent, I called out to Andi and asked him how to say "stink" in German, and then how to say "foot" in German. They all got it immediately and started joking about her trail name "Stinkefuss" (Stinky Feet). The strongest friendships are built on laughter.Goodnight all.
Date: 2014-05-31
From: VA 625 mile 561.3

To: Day 49 - VA 625 to Jenkins Shelter 575.7
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: light rain

I got up early and headed out, hoping that the pond up ahead listed in the guide was swimmable. Even if it was, it would be a cool dip, because the air was wet with a thick fog. On the long climb up, I was barely able to see. It was as thick as a Cape Cod fog. The pond turned out to be more of a puddle, so I continued on to Chestnut Knob Shelter. It was pretty nice, with bunks inside a block building with a door. There were a couple of hikers there who weren't very talkative, so I moved on. I got to VA 623 and saw a bunch of water bottles, but they were empty. Just missed. I decided to take lunch at Jenkins Shelter. I got there at 2pm and ate. Billygoat was there napping, and I didn't wake him. I though Y&A would get there soon, but they didn't get there until 2:45. They said M&S were right behind them. I filtered some water and waited for them. They finally got there at 4pm. I was just about to head back to see if I could find them. Natalie's calf was swollen and sore, so we decided to stay where we were. I got a fire going, we set up the tents, ate, and talked until 10. Here's hoping for a better day tomorrow.TA.