morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-05-03
From: Clyde Smith Shelter, TN

To: Overmountain Barn Shelter, TN
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: few clouds

Day: 47Date: 5/3/06Start: Clyde Smith Shelter, TNWeather: Windy with blue skies and puffy cloudsFinish: Overmountain Barn Shelter, TNMiles: 12.9Cumulative A.T. Miles: 376.8Clay: Today was exam day in the Southern Appalachians. Today we traversed Roan Mountain. We woke up at 6:30 AM (first up in the shelter) and we were out by 7:40 AM. The first climb was Little Rock Knob (4918'). We gained about 500' in a mile to crest this knob. The fog was dense as we began the day. By the time we descended into the Hughes Gap (4040'), it was time to climb Roan Mountain (6275'). Roan is the last 6,000' mountain on the A.T. until we get to New Hampshire. So, to me, today was sort of an exam of what we have done so far.As we climbed, the fragrance of the Spruce trees permeated the air. I have always loved their short needles, the neat forest floor underneath them, and the shadows that they cast.Branch was strong today, the short day yesterday was like a balm to our joints, muscles, and to our emotions. She pushed hard over Roan, Round Top Bald, and the other balds today. We finished strong into the picturesque Overmountain Barn Shelter tonight. Unfortunately, most people are smoking weed and drinking here tonight. So, real reflection is at a minimum here in the barn.Branch: Clay and I were the first in the shelter tonight, so we had several minutes alone to take in the incredible view. This is probably the most picturesque shelter on the trail so far. Sitting alone and taking in the scenery, I was strongly reminded that the God who is powerful, artistic, and majestic enough to create all that surrounds me also loves me and genuinely cares about the minuet details of my life. This is an awesome realization to have while surrounded by His incredible creation.
Date: 2006-05-04
From: Overmountain Barn Shelter, TN

To: US 19E/Mountain Harbour Hostel
Miles today: 8.7

Day: 48Date: 5/4/06Start: Overmountain Barn Shelter, TNWeather: Morning--clear blue skies and light winds. Afternoon--showers.Finish: US 19E/Mountain Harbour HostelMiles: 8.7Cumulative A.T. Miles: 385.5Clay: Branch woke me up this morning at 6 AM and we were out of the barn by 6:50. The morning sun cast beautiful shadows in the valley that the barn overlooked. Today we crossed several Tennessee balds. From each bald you could see the next bald and the surrounding mountains. The sky was blue and the weather was spring-time cool. By the time that we reached the peak of Hump Mountain, we could see the entire downward-sloping curve of the ridgeline that we would traverse over the next few hours. We could even see the city that the ridge gently pointed to below. It was breathtaking. We did the 8.7 miles by 11:45 AM. As we left the last bald, I turned back to them and took off my hat, revealing my bald head in honor of them.Branch: As always, we prayed that God would provide the right hitch. We'd heard rumors that the locals in this area are not usually very friendly to hikers. So when we waited 30 minutes for a hitch and saw dozens of cars pass us by, we began to pick up our packs and prepared to begin the walk into town. As we picked up our packs, one last car came over the hill and I stuck out my thumb in one last attempt. Surprisingly, the nice lady put on her blinker and pulled over! By 12:40 we were at the Snack Shack in Roan Mountain, TN excitedly ordering huge double cheeseburgers, fries, and cokes! When we finished with round one, Clay ordered and finished another huge double cheeseburger and I ordered and finished a banana split. We laughed and giggled and munched happily for about and hour.As we ate, dark clouds began to fill the sky. We finally peeled ourselves from the bench where we'd been eating and walked across the parking lot the the grocery store. However, upon closer examination, we came to realize that the store had recently gone out of business! Soon, we also realized that there were no other grocery stores within walking distance. Trying to make the best out of the situation, we made some phone calls from a nearby pay phone and watched the dark clouds roll in over the bordering mountain range. As the clouds reached their darkest, we caved in and called the hostel. Hostel-owner Terry came to pick us up immediately and he rolled up just as huge drops of rain began to pound from the sky. He took us to a small, country grocery store to resupply and then to his beautiful hostel. We are now sharing this small house above a horse-filled barn with Dick Tracy and Nifty. I fell like we are in luxury with a couch, hot shower, stove, movies, and even a queen-sized bed that Clay and I can share. This is by far one of the nicest hostels I have ever seen.Tomorrow, we are going to try to hike about 18 miles to get closer to being back on target for our hike. That kind of mileage will require some rest. So we better get to bed. Goodnight.
Date: 2006-05-05
From: US 19E/Mountain Harbour Hostel

To: Mountaineer Shelter, TN
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: light rain

Day: 49Date: 5/5/06Start: US 19E/Roan Mountain, TN/Elk Park, NCWeather: Drizzle morning, overcast early afternoon, rain late afternoonFinish: Mountaineer Shelter, TNMiles: 8.8Cumulative A.T. Miles: 403.6Clay: When we got to the shelter, Rael and Miles (probably distantly related to us) were there. They were soaked too. The rain was driving past the overhang and into shelter. We put on dry clothes and we discussed the hiking day. Soon, Nifty joined us. We all made room for more drenched hikers to make their way in.As the rains subsided, dinner was being cooked, and the conversations began to warm the shelter. Tonight, they wanted to talk about objective moral values. One person remarked that moral values were culturally dependent and derived. James Rachel's wrote a very good article against this line of reasoning. His article is found online and in some introduction to ethics classes. I conjectured that objective moral values do exist and if we can name even one, my case is made. So, I named two.One classic objective moral value is that it is always morally wrong to molest or torture an innocent child for fun. One person continued to posit that there is a culture that might believe that it good to molest or torture innocent children for fun. The culture does not matter. The child in this case does not see the molestation as good. In fact, the child will probably need psychological counsel. We also talked about Hitler's Jewish genocidal culture.A second, somewhat japing, case was that it is always wrong to murder and eat Grandma. This is why Hindus do not eat cows. They believe that the cow is their relative! A similar belief is held in the Janist religion. Janist carry brooms and sweep wherever they walk. This is because they want to move ants and other insects out of their path so that they won't step on them. They don't want to step on the insects because they believe that they are their relatives. So, they don't want to unintentually kill their relatives or intentionally murder them by stepping on them. So, it seems that objective moral values transcend cross-culturally.The conversation tonight was warm, respectful, and fun. We may continue our conversation tomorrow night at Watauga Lake Shelter.Two owls are hooting and calling each other near our tent. So, suppose that it time for bed.
Date: 2006-05-06
From: Mountaineer Shelter, TN

To: Dennis Cove Rd., TN; Hale Community Ministries; Elizabethton, TN
Miles today: 6.1

Day: 50Date: 5/6/06Start: Moreland Gap Shelter, TNWeather: OvercastFinish: Dennis Cove Road, TN/Hale Community Ministries, Elizabethton,TNMiles: 6.1Cumulative A.T. Miles: 409.3Branch: While on the trail, each morning we wake up with a tentative plan and give the entire day and that plan to God. Many times God has plans other than our own and makes His own revisions.Today it was our plan to wake up early, walk 6 miles to Dennis Cove, resupplying in Hampton, TN, and then walking another 10 miles to get to the Watauga Lake Shelter. Well, we slept in, took our time putting on cold, wet, dirty clothes and hung out a bit more with Miles, Rael, and Nifty. By 8:30 AM, we were on the trail. Soon Miles and Nifty caught up and we all finished the 6 miles to Dennis Cove and Kincora Hostel by 11:15 or so. Kincora shelter is run by Bob Peoples and is an incredible place. Hikers were lounging on couches inside and sitting around picnic tables inside. Anxious to get into town and resupply, we asked when the next shuttle into town would be--around 4:00. This definitely put a damper on our plan. So, Clay got on the phone and called our friend, Julie, who works at Hale Community Ministries.Clay: If we had decided to hike over Pond Flats to get to Hwy 321, there was a chance we would not be able to get to the grocery store in time before they close. If we waited until 4 PM, we'd be sitting on our hands. So, we were thankful that Julie picked us up.When Julie got to Kincora, she immediately whisked us away to a grocery store in Elizabethton. While we shopped for groceries, she ordered and paid for two large veggie pizzas for us! After we finished shopping, she took us to the Hale Community Ministry center.At Hale, we experienced quietness and a lot of food. Hale has a food bank. So, even we could not out eat Hale. With our bellies full and our bodies and clothes clean, we slept well. Thank you, Julie!
Date: 2006-05-07
From: Dennis Cove Rd., TN; Hale Community Ministries; Elizabethton, TN

To: Dennis Cove Rd., TN; Hale Community Ministries; Elizabethton, TN
Miles today: 0.0

Day: 51Date: 5/7/06Start: Dennis Cove Road, TN/Hale Community Ministries, Elizabethton, TNWeather: Cold rain most all day. Some sleet on the mountains.Finish: Dennis Cove Road, TN/Hale Community Ministries, Elizabethton, TNMiles: 0Cumulative A.T. Miles: 409.3Branch: When we get into town, we are hungry and we eat until our hunger is quenched. Yesterday was no exception. Similarly, today we woke up anxious to eat spiritual food and have our spiritual hunger filled. Since Julie is such a wonderful servant of Jesus, we were confident that her church, Oak Street Baptist Church, would be just the place to recharge our spiritual batteries and fellowship with other Christians. We were right. In Sunday School, those around us asked many questions about what God is doing on the A.T., they asked how they could help, and they prayed for us. During the service, we were greeted by so many friendly faces. We were blown away by the wonderful, worshipful singing. To cap off such a great service, the pastor preached about how we need to be climbing mountains in our spiritual life rather than just relaxing around the pool. This held great significance to Clay and I as we have been climbing a few mountains as of late.Clay: I Timothy 4.8 says, "For physical training is of some value, but Godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."Today's weather was cold and rainy. like Branch said, we were ready to fellowship with believers. So, going to church was a good choice. (Besides, most hikers in our clan took a zero because of the weather too.)At the evening service, we watched "The Da Vinci Delusion" by Coral Ridge Ministries. The hour-long video exposing the errors of Dan Brown's _The Da Vinci Code_ was well done.Brown's book claims that the New Testament is historically false, that there are 80 gospels, that Jesus was voted to be divine in the 4th century, and that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene.Contrary to Brown's claims, (he uses late Gnostic texts) there are only 4, first-century works that say 'gospel', the canon of scripture was derived because it was authoritative, antiquated, apostolic, and already accepted by the early church. The Council of Nicea was about Arius' heresy. He claimed that Christ was created. So, the council asked the question about how Jesus was God. The "vote" was 214-2 on the Nicean Creed.Against Jesus being married to Mary Magdalene, there is no record of this. Even liberal scholar, John Dominick Crosson concurs that Jesus was not married.Both church fellowship and the movie made our day!
Date: 2006-05-08
From: Dennis Cove Rd., TN; Hale Community Ministries; Elizabethton, TN

To: Vandeventer Shelter, TN
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: light rain

Day: 52Date: 5/8/06Start: Dennis Cove, TNWeather: Partly cloudyFinish: Vandeventer Shelter, TNMiles: 17.5Cumulative A.T. Miles: 426.8Clay: It was rough getting a late and lazy start out of Hale Community Ministries today. Boy, is that place relaxing. Julie came to the office at 8:15 and we were on the trail by 9:30. We saw the 40' high, Laurel Fork Falls today (2,120'), we traversed the steep Pond Flats (3780'), and we crossed the Watauga Dam today (1915').Many people only hiked 10 miles today. This is because they want to get up at 2:30 AM and attempt to hike a whopping 40 miles into Damascus, VA. I wish them well in their aspirations. We are going to attempt to do 19 miles tomorrow. We are hoping to reach Hwy 421 in Shady Valley. We have a friend who will be picking us up at 6:30 PM tomorrow night. We will be staying at her home. Maybe the good fellowship and food will help us to do the 15 miles into Damascus, VA the following day.Well, the coyotes are howling nearby and Branch is fast asleep. I suppose I should rest as well for our near-20 mile day tomorrow. Goodnight.Branch: When we got on the trail this morning, we thought that we might be behind the group that we've been hiking with for the last several days. However, within the first 15 minutes of the hike, we were greeted by Nifty who took a zero day at Kincora because of the rain. She said that most everyone zeroed. For the first 10 miles we leap-frogged with people that we've been hiking around for a while. It was nice for once, to not be passed by and to leave town amongst familiar faces.
Date: 2006-05-09
From: Vandeventer Shelter, TN

To: US-421, Low Gap/Shady Valley, TN
Miles today: 17.9

Day: 53Date:4/9/06Start: Vandeventer Shelter, TNWeather: Sunny and breezyFinish: US-421, Low Gap/Shady Valley, TNMiles: 17.9Cumulative A.T. Miles: 444.7Branch: Today we were awakened at 6:15 by the sound of hikers congregating around the shelter. It was the crew of people that were aspiring to do 40 miles today. They had started at 4:30 AM this morning and had just arrived at our shelter--6 miles north of theirs. Sitting comfortably in my tent, I could not fathom having 34 miles left to do today. The 18 that we are walking is enough for me.Clay: Before we got to Low Gap/US-421, we called our friend, Brenda. She and her mother, Ruby, live in Shady Valley and they invited us to stay with them overnight. We had visited their church several times as we passed through Shady Valley and we forged a friendship. When we got to their wonderful warm mountain home, they had the biggest meal ready for us. The had a ham that had been cooking all day, home-grown beans, corn, potatos, grandma gravy, pickled pickles and pickled beets, bisquits, jello, slaw, apple pie, two types of ice cream, soft drinks, sweet tea, and coffee. I ate three heaping plates full and some ice cream. Different tasting foods were mixed together on the plate but it did not matter to me at all. I shoveled them all in my mouth. In order to wash down the delightful dinner, I drank glass after glass of tea, cola, and I quaffed the coffee. I must have looked like a circus act--how embarrassing.Even better than the food was the company Ruby, Brenda, and Samantha offered. It was wonderful catching up and hearing about their interesting lives. They have been Trail Angeling hikers one the weekends for the past several weekends and it was wonderful hearing their stories. They are a true blessing to us. Seeing them was a highlight of this trip.
Date: 2006-05-10
From: US-421, Low Gap/Shady Valley, TN

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

Day: 54Date: 5/10/06Start: US-421/Shady Valley, TNWeather: Puffy clouds and blue skiesFinish: Damascus, VAMiles:15Cumulative A.T. Miles:Branch: When we woke up this morning comfortable in a cloud-like bed, I did not realize where I was at first. We ate a wonderful breakfast of coffee, biscuits, ham, and fruit, and enjoyed the company of Ruby and Brenda. It truly felt like we were leaving family. Brenda dropped us off at the gap at 7:30 on her way to work. I wish we could have stayed.The terrain into Damascus today was super easy. In fact, as we hiked the miles, I actually felt very strong. We did 5 miles in the first two hours without even trying to rush. It was a wonderful feeling to feel the ground going by quickly underfoot. We finished the 15 or so miles by 2:15. That is super fast for us.Clay: In Acts 9, a persecutor of the church named Saul was confronted by the risen Jesus while he traveled on the road to Damascus. Saul heard (greek-akouo) Jesus say to him, "Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Later, it says that Paul spent time with the disciples and something like scales fell from his eyes. He was a changed man. The rest is history. He went on to be an apostle of the church.When we got into town, we went to the USPS immediately. Branch is trading the zero-degree bag for a 15-degree bag. There were also some pole tips, protein, books, and a love note from my mother.We went to Mount Rogers Outfitters, attempted to get my pack fixed, exchanged Branch's water bladder, resupplied on fuel, and bought some new spoons. Since this town tends to keep hikers here for days, we were able to fellowship with a number of people we had not seen in weeks. It was wonderful.We are staying at The Place hostel tonight--owned by the local Methodist Church. It is a wonderful, spacious, dry home for the night and it is only $8 for us to stay! What a wonderful ministry for the hikers.Tomorrow we would like to get chores done until 1 PM and hike 10 miles to the first shelter. Everyone in my room is asleep now. So, I had better go to bed too. Goodnight.
Date: 2006-05-11
From: Damascus, VA

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

Day: 55Date:5/11/06Start: Damascus, VAWeather: cold rainFinish: Damascus, VAMiles: 0Cumulative A.T. Miles: 459.5Branch: Last night neither Clay or I nor our two roommates, Link and Jeannie, slept well here at The Place. After much conversation about this, we decided that we are no longer used to the boxy shapes indoors and this affected our ability to sleep. Nonetheless, this morning, as we stared sleepily out the window at the great drizzle coming out of the sky, hiking was the last thing that we wanted to do. We had a few more town chores that we needed to do before we left, so we braved the drizzle to complete those. The highlight of the morning was sewing the ripped seam of the shoulder strap on Clay's pack. Under the teaching of one of the men at the outfitter, I was able to use a sewing tool that I'd never used before. It was both fun and nerve racking as a slip of the hand could ruin the already ailing pack. I pray that this primitive field repair will hold.Clay: When I was a child, we used to play a game called tag. The game was composed of a person chasing and attempting to 'tag' another person. We have been involved in the ultimate game of tag. More on that later.I was a grouch much of the day due to lack of sleep, walking miles in town doing chores in fowl weather, feeling rushed to get back to the trail, and hearing some more bad news about an evil group that wronged us. As we were rushing to get out of The Place hostel and into the drizzle onto the trail, my mood went from sour to sweet within a matter of minutes.What happened, you ask? After a two week head start, we were tagged after 460 miles by friends. As they walked into The Place and we saw each other all four of our faces lit up, we embraced, and we began catching up on each others lives. The grey clouds of the day were now sunny. We were scheduled to leave the hostel at 1 PM but we were running behind because of my grouchiness and dread of hiking in the slop. Thank the Lord that we were running late. We saw our friends at 1:45 PM. It was as if God put us in circumstances in which He knew would slow us down in order that we could see our friends. What was a gloomy day at first turned out to be a cheery one in the end. We had been tagged after 460 miles by our friends.
Date: 2006-05-12
From: Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter, VA
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Day: 56Date: 5/12/06Start: Damascus, VAWeather: Cloudy and chillyFinish: Lost Mountain Shelter, VAMiles: 15.8Cumulative A.T. Miles: 475.3Branch: This morning I woke up early again after another sleepless night. I couldn't wait to get back on the trail so that I could sleep again! We got ready slowly and took some friends out for all-you-can eat (i.e. AYCE) pancakes. It was the best time hearing their stories and praying with them. I am so glad that God ordained for us to hang out yesterday!We were on the trail by 9:30 and, for the first time on the trip, I felt strong going out of town. The climbs were not arduous and we made good time for us. Soon, Sidestep, a super fast Christian hiker caught up to us. We met him a few days ago and hung out with him a bit in Damascus. He and Clay hiked together for a good bit of the afternoon and seemed to have a great time.I hung back, enjoying the solitude and listened to a talk by N.T. Wright on my MP3 player. N.T. Wright is an incredible speaker and his knowledge about Jewish culture and how it fit in Jesus' ministry has truly changed my view of the Bible. Today he quoted St. Francis (I believe) who said something to the effect of "Go and preach the Gospel by any means available and, if necessary, use words." That quote has stayed with me throughout the day. While I know it to be necessary to use words to speak the Gospel, I think that every action we take should be a witness of who we are in Jesus and what He has done for us. So, if you look at the percentage of actions to words, our actions will far outweigh our words.Clay: I had a great time hiking with Sidestep today. He is a deep thinker and an excellent hiker (He is trying to hike about 25 miles per day for the next week). Today he slowed down for me and we had some heavy conversation. It was both deep and edifying. The miles went by easily today.