morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-26
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Over-Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: moderate rain

Grizzly Dave woke up still a little grumpy, and then I mistakenly pointed him in the wrong direction back to the trail, but he took it in stride. A light rain lasted through the morning and early part of the afternoon, but cleared up as I was ascending the Jane Bald. The balds are starting to become more common, and are great to go over in good weather; bad in bad weather. If there was a bad weather route around Jane, I would have taken it. Roan High Knob was a fantastic and rugged climb in the neighborhood of 2000 feet, and would have been more enjoyable dry. I was soaked despite good rain gear by the time I got to the summit, and was looking forward to getting into dry clothes for a couple of hours at the shelter before pressing on. But, I walked right by the side-trail and never saw it. I was not a happy camper when I realized it. Stan Murray was only about 4 or 5 miles away, but required going up and over Jane Bald in the rain. Going up was cold, and I stopped to put on my windbreaker over my raincoat. Fell 7 times coming down steep and muddy trail on the backside of Jane. At Stan Murray shelter, a hiker nearly died at my hands when he told me that I just missed out on 'trail magic'. His friend did a nice job of lying and telling me that it was only bread and water. I appreciated that. Another hiker gave me some delicious and peppery beef jerky that was tough at first, but softened up quickly. Arrived at Over-Mountain shelter 1.7 miles later. It is an old barn renovated shelter style with a section cut out for sleeping platforms and cooking area, and a terrific view of the valley below and Little Hump Bald above. When the sun shined, the top of the bald seemed to glow. The night was cold, but not terribly so. Fell asleep as Julia (Yippee) read "Lord Of The Rings" to husband Mike (Jabberwocky).
Date: 2004-04-27
From: Over-Mountain Shelter

To: campsite close to Elk River
Miles today: 14.9

Awoke to a cold morning and took awhile to get moving. Started with about a mile and a half to climb to first of two balds today, Little Hump Mountain. Descended into Bradley Gap, then climbed into 50+ mph winds up Hump Mountain, which looks more like a real mountian than anything so far. Very few trees on it. Out past the summit was a fence with a gate for hikers, and then a walk right by a herd of Watusi; longhorn cattle from Africa, owned by one of the locals. That was quite a thrill, then a long five mile descent to the highway, and an easy hitch to Elk Park to pick up mail drop and get lunch. The hitch back to the trail was even easier, only thumbed for a minute before I was picked up. Walked about six more miles before making camp just above Elk River. A four mile trail relocation was routed to take in Jones Falls, .1 mile off the trail and close to 150 feet tall. Shin splints made travelling slow and sometimes painful. Sleeping under the stars tonight.
Date: 2004-04-28
From: campsite close to Elk River

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: clear sky

Awoke very cold with frost on sleeping bag and everything else. Took a long time to work up nerve to leave sleeping bag, but need to pee was pressing. Too lazy last night to cook, get water, or set up tent. Paid the price in the morning. After a very interesting hike yesterday, today's hike was very featureless and colorless. Very little green and few significant ups and downs to let a hiker know where he is. Only Laurel Fork stood out and the last hill before Moreland Gap. A stray bloodhound belonging to someone back at the town of Roan Mountain followed a couple in and followed two other hikers out. Shin splints bothersome again today. Stopped to stretch several times today or I would have made it to Kincora. Instead, I am at Moreland Gap Shelter as are a few other hikers.
Date: 2004-04-29
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 6.1

Short walk down to Dennis Cove, mostly downhill. Have heard many praises heaped on Kincura, so eager to check it out. For only $4, they give you a bunk to sleep in, hot shower, laundry, 2 shuttles daily to town, use of kitchen, lots of reading material lying about and a general great hiker ambiance. The prices in town were good, especially $5 large one topping pizza! ready to hit trail tomorrow.
Date: 2004-04-30
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: light rain

Pardon my brevity for the next several entries. I got way behind on journaling: I am writing this one on May 22nd.The hike down was rocky, but not as treacherous as I had heard. Laurel Falls was big and pretty, emptying into a large pool. A light misting of rain was coming down. Unfortunately, I did not have a camera. The Hobbits and Navigator had done some trail work that day where the trail comes to the river. They did such a good job that I didn't even notice. Arrived at Watauga Lake and sat around with a few thru hikers. There was a rope swing that was tempting to swing on. I had heard that a few days earlier Beatbox was seen swinging naked from the rope into the lake. The trail wrapped around the lake and then up a slight hill for a mile. Walking Stomach and Little Tree were there, as was Dave. The night was pleasantly mild and we all slept soundly.
Date: 2004-05-01
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Double Spring Shelter
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: light rain

This day was the start of 40 miles in two days. I was impressed with myself until some hikers did 26, 33, or 40 in one day to get into Damascus. Of course, some of those who did big miles needed to take time off after doing so. Coyote and Salt Lick took a "Holy Crap, we just did 26 miles" day off, then took a zero! (wink, wink) Stopped for dinner at Iron Mountain Shelter, which was already 14 miles. I left thinking I could do a few more miles, but I ended up doing almost 8 in 3 hours. When I got to the shelter, I was so stoked on adrenaline, I felt I could do another 10. But, after a few minutes, I was ready to crash. So I did.
Date: 2004-05-02
From: Double Spring Shelter

To: "The Place", Damascus, Va
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: light rain

Wettest day on the trail so far. From the emergency shelter on, around 10 miles, it was just a deluge. The only really bad cold, rainy day on the trail that I have had besides Roan Mt day. The horror stories have not come really come true, of day after day of all day rain slogs. But, one was enough. Knowing that hot pizza and showers were ahead, spurred me on. The place was a decent place. You got a bunk and shower for $4, and it was good.
Date: 2004-05-04
From: The Place

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

After leaving Tennessee, the attitudes of the trail clubs towards the shelters seems to have changed for the better. In Tennessee, the shelters were ugly little things of concrete, with no privies and often badly littered.   The first shelter in Virginia that I encountered, Saunders Shelter, was very picturesque, well worth the 2 mile hike off the trail. There's just something about having pine needles on the ground everywhere that adds to the beauty of a campsite. Possibly because it looks better than bare earth, which often happens in a well used area.   The trail temporarily coincided with the Virginia Creeper trail, a bike and pedestrian path, paved, which included a walk over a scenic 500 foot bridge, Luther Hassinger Memorial Bridge. I briefly thought about camping on the river along the Virginia Creeper, but instead pressed on to Lost Mountain shelter, another fine Virginia shelter.
Date: 2004-05-05
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: scattered clouds

What an amazing day! I wish I was not writing it 25 days(!) after the fact. Or maybe that's a good thing. Having it so far back in memory might keep the length down. This was a long day, with rock outcroppings, feral ponies, extremely rugged trails, Mt. Rogers, a solar privy, and plenty of open views. The day started with a climb to Buzzard Rock, a nice-sized rock outcropping alone at the top of a bare hill. After passing Mt. Rogers, the highest point in Virginia, I arrived at Thomas Knob Shelter. Waiting there were Switchback, so named because he hates switchbacks (for some odd reason, he'd rather go straight up these hills) and Zippy, brother of Pokey. Zippy is skinny and a very fast hiker of 37. Pokey is an attractive woman of 45 with family back home and aptly named. The siblings hike to the same spot every night, with Zippy usually being there for a couple of hours before his sister. Kalooke, and 1 or 2 other hikers, were also there. Back behind the shelter was a small herd of feral ponies that Grayson is semi-famous for.   Several mothers and colts were present. The ponies showed little fear of humans, though they tended to keep the young ones away from us. The next 2.3 miles proved to be some of the rockiest of the trip thus far, making progress slow. This was the section from the shelter to the border of the park. The park was a little less rugged, but even more scenic, as large rock outcroppings on tree-less hills dominated the landscape. The trail wound around the park almost aimlessly before heading to Wise Shelter and Little Wilson Creek.
Date: 2004-05-06
From: Wise Shelter

To: Troutdale Baptist Hostel
Miles today: 16.1

The first part of the day featured a windy climb out of Wise Shelter onto a treeless ridge, then down into "the Scales", where there was once an actual scale for weighing livestock. Now, it is just a big corral that the AT passes through. It was here that I learned the origin of Hungry Mother State Park. Eventually, the day went back to the Virginia norm, the "Green Tunnel", and finished with a stay at the Baptist Church with BearTrax, LL Fuzzy, Stargazer, her dog, Sadie, Grizzly Dave, Rooster, and Ranger Jim. Dave slept in the bunkhouse, I cowboy camped, and everyone else tented on the hill above the church.
Date: 2004-05-07
From: Troutdale Baptist Hostel

To: Locust Mountain
Miles today: 18.3

Lots and lots of green tunnel today, the highlight being the Partnership Shelter, probably the best shelter on the trail so far. One time, in one of the shelter registers, someone had invented a five start system for rating shelters, and I use it from time to time for my own amusement. This one, easily, rates 5 stars, and I would go so far as to give it a 6 out of 5! It works like this: one star apiece for the 3 basics: nearby water, picnic table, and a privy. 1 star for an amenity which is part of the shelter structure itself, whether it is an extra level, a large porch, unique design, etc. and one star for an intangible or otherwise not part of the shelter, such as a nice view, proximity to swimming hole, outstanding tenting area, etc. Partnership had all the basics, plus a warm shower (!) and was directly behind the Mt. Rogers NRA headquarters, where you could call from a pay phone and order pizza delivery! I had just had town food and a shower yesterday and today, so I was easily able to resist the temptation and moved onto the top of Locust Mountain, where I camped solo.
Date: 2004-05-08
From: Locust Mountain

To: Davis Path Shelter
Miles today: 10.5

A very hot day, which was relieved by a wade in the Holston River. Pokey was coming from behind somewhere, or else I probably would have stripped naked to bathe, so instead i just stripped to my under armour. Most of the afternoon was spent at the Atkins/Grose close Dairy Queen, chowing on burgers and ice cream and visiting trail friends before heading to Davis Path Shelter,less than 4 miles away. Also notable for the day was a former schoolhouse of the old fashioned, one room, log cabin type, which I did not go into (now wish I had). On the blackboard, someone had written repeatedly, 'I will not thru hike naked. It scares the day hikers.'
Date: 2004-05-09
From: Davis Path Shelter

To: Chestnut Ridge
Miles today: 18.4

A mostly level, easy day until the end, which was long and steep, but was rewarded with unobstructed views on top of the ridge and an open campsite by a pond with a terrific light show provided by a thunderstorm in distant Tennessee. Ranger Jim reminded us of the adage, "red at night, sailor's delight, red in the morning, sailor take warning." And I hoped he was right, as the sky was red. Finally, as the light was dying, LL Fuzzy hiked by without a stitch of clothing on, along with Stargazer and Sadie, thus making my day.
Date: 2004-05-10
From: Chestnut Ridge

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Walked the remainder of Chestnut Ridge to the shelter, a very nice and spacious stone structure where I met Beatboy, who is known for his silly sense of humor and goofy poems in the shelter registers. Descended from the ridge, got water at Walker Gap, then climbed up to Garden Mountain, which was very unexpectedly rugged and everyone hated sinse it looked like an easy walk on the elevation profile. I think we were all just angry that we had been fooled. I had intended to go further today, but was starting to get burnt out and (Rock) Garden Mountain just totally deflated any enthusiasm I had for hiking for a while.
Date: 2004-05-11
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Bland, Big Walker Motel
Miles today: 11.5

Today seemed to start as bad as yesterday ended. Within 5 minutes on the trail, I banged my shin painfully on a downed tree, prompting a few curses and kicks. The bugs were also annoying as was the heat. Little Wolf Creek had to be crossed a blue(?) million times until it dumped into Laurel Creek, where my mood was improved by a wade in the water, and the knowledge that I would be getting a week-long break soon.
Date: 2004-05-16
From: the place

To: Kinkora Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Day three of three. The resting and partying over, now it's time for work. Two days well spent with the Kinkora hardcore crew, learning as you go how to build trail. Good, hard sweaty work, with a terrific dinner at the end of each day. The hostel was extremely over-crowded, however, and I was dying to get back on the trail.
Date: 2004-05-17
From: Kinkora Hostel

To: Kinkora Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Hardcore for one more day. I got to paint a blaze! For those who do not know about hiking the trail, let me just say that being able to do this is a very big deal. The white blazes are what we follow for over 2000 miles, and become central to our life, as we follow white blaze after white blaze. Last day off the trail.
Date: 2004-05-18
From: Kinkora Hostel

To: Kimberling Creek
Miles today: 18.5

Got a ride down to Hampton from Kinkora, then from there got a ride back to Bland. At the trailhead, ran into Lonesome Dove and Catdog, who were drying their gear in the sun. Catdog hikes with her dog, Wags, a six year old dog with more gray hair than me. Wags hates wearing her pack but will do cute tricks for treats. Spent the day with Mt. Dew and Wooly, two very nice young kids just out of high school, and very fast hikers. Mt. Dew runs down the trail at the drop of a hat. Lonesome Dove is in her 30's and is very pretty (hopefully she reads this) and is very straightforward. She's not at all a Masshole (what Connecticut people call ill-mannered people from Massachussetts). After being off the trail for several days, I wanted to do some decent mileage, so I decided to hike past dark and stop at Kimberling Creek. As time was approaching 9 PM, the forest was completely dark, making progress very slow and difficult. Then I started thinking about how they hunt at night, and so, was relieved to finally find my intended campsite at Kimberling Creek, where I got my tent up just in time to beat the rain.
Date: 2004-05-19
From: Kimberling Creek

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: light rain

Shortly after breaking camp, I came to the side trail to Dismal Falls, which was truly dismal due to the random trash. Amazingly, I had caught up with Coyote and Saltlick already, whom I thought had to still be a half-day ahead. Saltlick sweats a lot (as do I) and gets Salty sweat stains on his shirt, hence the name. Took a break at Wapiti Shelter, only to go the wrong way for half a mile upon leaving. Eventually got turned around and hiked with Mt. Dew into the days destination, falling 4 times trying to keep pace with him. Woods Hole is a quiet place, with a barn transformed into sleeping lofts and living quarters, and a perverse lack of privacy regarding the solar shower directly below an open window and the privy with windows.
Date: 2004-05-20
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg Holiday Motor Lodge
Miles today: 10.0

Started the day with a down-home country breakfast, complete with grits, which I had never tried before and had no desire to, but I liked them anyway. Hiked 10 easy miles to Pearisburg to the Holiday Motor Lodge. Got some of the best bar food I have ever had, some kind of stuffed fish. Watched the NBA play-offs with Mt. Dew in the motel room and then hit the sack.
Date: 2004-05-21
From: Pearisburg Holiday Motor Lodge

To: Rice Field Shelter
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: light rain

Noisy road-walk out of the city, where I met Andrew, who is now going by the name MegaByte. Caught up on events with him, chatting all the way to the top of the ridge to wide-open Rice Field Shelter, with wide vistas of the farm country below. The couples slept up on the open ridge and got rocked by a wicked good thunder storm, while the singles stayed in the shelter, or tented in the woods. While making dinner, I realized I made the mistake of grabbing the Coleman fuel instead of the denatured alcohol while at Miss Tillie's (she doesn't have any denatured). The resulting stove-fire was really big (but not dangerous) and charred my stove and pot really good.
Date: 2004-05-22
From: Rice Field Shelter

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

Lost track of Mt Dew today. He hikes WAY too fast for me. Last saw him at Symms Gap Meadow. Had the snot scared out of me by Dave in the vicinity of Groundhog Trail, saying "hi" as he rested on a rock just off the trail. Dave is an interesting character. He thru-hiked 20 or 30 years ago and still goes on adventures all over the world. He got a leave of absence from his job by telling the boss of the "social benefits" or some such, you know, made it look socially redeeming, blah blah blah, but really he's coming to the AT, the party trail, to test out his gear before he gets in his boat and sails to the Mexican nude beaches or whatever it is. What sailing nude beaches has to do with backpacking gear and the AT, I'll never know.
Date: 2004-05-23
From: Bailey Gap Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: light rain

Tonight is the last night for the Honeymooners. From what I understand, they had never backpacked before, and they're really lacking the motivation to finish. When they get off at the road to Newport they will have hiked 662.5 miles of the AT, which is nothing to sneeze at. Before starting the trail, I really did not respect those who would attempt to thru-hike without ever having backpacked before, like the Honeymooners, or Coyote, or many others on the trail. But those people with little to no experience and who have made it this far have changed my mind about that, because unless something comes up, they'll make it. Coyote, for instance, has done alot of adventurous outdoors things, like Habitat for Humanity and Peace Corps, so the transition was not too difficult. However, there are still those who have no idea what they are in for, head up the first hill in jeans and a trench coat, and quit after three miles, ditching their gear in the woods and high-tail it to the safety and comfort of home. Weenies.
Date: 2004-05-24
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Passed by Keffer Oak today, 18 feet around and over 300 years old. Unfortuneately, I had no idea at the time. I only know because I read the guidebook. See what hiking at thru-hiker pace does to a person?
Date: 2004-05-25
From: Niday Shelter

To: Four Pines Hostel
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: scattered clouds

One of my favorite days on the AT. The climb up to Audie Murphy Memorial was capped by a park bench(!) on the trail at the top of the ridge. Audie Murphy was the most decorated WWII hero, and after the war, his plane crashed near where the memorial is erected. Four miles later, down at Trout Creek, I went swimming in the nice cold water. Well, wading anyway. Saltlick was there and he was parched and out of water. Said he was going to drink two liters right there. I don't know if he did or not, but I believe he was going to try. After a lunch stop at Pickle Branch Shelter, which was annoyingly far off the trail (almost half a mile), Saltlick and I started the climb up to Dragon's Tooth, the best part of the trail so far. Coyote was already ahead of us and waiting at the top when we got there. Nearing the top, Skibum, Big Stick, and Lumber caught us. The trail was very rugged and seemed to go on forever on top of the ridge. I knew we were close when the rocks pushing up through the earth were Stegasaurus-plate-like and BIG. Amazingly, there was family of day-hikers on the trail with a crying infant, despite being 2 1/2 miles from the road on some of the most rugged trail on the AT, comparable to Maine or New Hampshire in parts. After making slow progress, the side-trail to Dragon's Tooth was finally in view. This rock-outcropping was like the other Stegasaurus-rocks, with the exception that it dwarfed them, soaring around 200 feet in the air from base to summit. One has to make a couple of actual climbing manuevers to get started, but as long as one is careful, it is safe. Skibum, who claims to climb back in his home-state of Colorado, hesitated, and I blew right by him on the way up. Perched at the summit was Coyote. I joined her up there, and was later joined by Southern Boy, who seemed to have something to prove (or an alpha-male complex) by climbing over me to the higher spot. Scholar was just below us. The view was by far the best on the trail yet. Unfortuneately, I only got two pictures because I neglected to take extra film out of my pack before climbing up. After clambering around the rocks for awhile, we re-joined the trail and headed down some of the most rugged terrain yet. In a couple of spots, there were metal hand-holds in the rocks. The speedy hikers hated it because it slowed them down, but this is exactly the kind of thing i hike for. At the end of the day, I was starving and bought a ton of food at the best convenience store ever, then caught a ride to the Four Pines Hostel, a converted garage with cots and plenty of tenting space on top of a hill. Made friends with Naira, Gleb, and Philip, who are from Russia and going to school in Virginia, hung out in the garage, and then finally went to bed in the tent.