morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-04-27
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Little Hump campsite
Miles today: 15.4

I felt so good today (sunshine) that I climbed the 2500' up to Roan High Knob without even noticing it. Visited the shelter (see photo) and talked with Moose and Lumpy. At the shelter was a 25-lb gas cylinder with a long hand-written note taped to it. Apparently the young hiker named Sneaks found the cylinder at Clyde Smith Shelter, thought it would be a good souvenir, and carried it the 8 miles to this shelter, at which point he reconsidered. Hiked down to Carvers Gap, and then began a 10-mile section above treeline which I think is the prettiest section on the AT thus far. There are no roads crossing this section and the balds look very wild, almost like the tundra in Colorado. I believe this section is called the Roan Highlands, and its preservation is due primarily to one man, who is commorated by a plaque on Hump Mountain.I tent camped by myself about halfway through this section, and realized that this was the first time that I had tented away from people on this hike. So it has been a very social hike so far. If the weather holds, I would like to continue to tent camp away from people so that I can experience a 'wilderness' feeling as much as possible.
Date: 2009-04-28
From: Little Hump

To: Laurel Fork campsite
Miles today: 21.0

Broke camp to another sunny day and hiked through the Roan Highlands down to Apple House Shelter. Here Flying Scotsman gave me a cold Diet Coke and some peanut butter wafer cookies (hiker trail magic!) so I sat on a lawn chair in front of the shelter, propped my feet on another, and ate and drank like a king! Feeling good again today, in 'the Zone'. The Zone for me is when all the body parts feel good, you have lots of energy, the sun is shining, and you hike effortlessly. Usually this only lasts for an hour or two before something starts acting up.Reached the highway and, needing supplies, hitch-hiked into Roan Mountain, TN. Went to the grocery store, bought supplies, and asked if I could use their rest room. Looked in the mirror there, and saw a gaunt-looking hobo, with scraggly beard, carbon smudges on face, and wild-looking eyes. Did my best to clean up, and then walked a few doors down to the Snack Shack for a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich (which included bacon bits along with the usual ingedients). Tasted great though, and aferwards hitched back to the trailhead, stopping at every coke machine along the way to refresh, until I finally got a ride from a christmas-tree farm owner (lots of christmas tree farms in this area).The next stretch was very strange and difficult to follow, winding it's way through a myriad of old roads, new sections of trail, through small hills adjacent to private property. Then all of a sudden it re-entered 'the woods' and around the corner was Jones Falls, a beautiful multi-level falls with plenty of good rocks to sit on while soaking your feet. Saw two wild turkeys along the way. All along this hike, I have been hearing a strange low-frequency series of thumps: thump ------ thump ---- thump -- thump - thump, thump, thump. At first I thought this was someone starting a generator or boat motor far in the valleys below. But then I heard it deep in the Smokies, far from any city. Someone suggested maybe it was my heart overworking, but then I heard it even while resting. Then I thought maybe it was something in my pack, maybe my air mattress gulping air. Finally I mentioned it to MoFo, and he said it is the sound that a grouse makes. Mystery solved, I guess, but there must be a lot of unseen grouse along the trail. Hiked further than I wanted, trying to find a good campsite. Passed a park bench out in the woods, placed at mile 400. Finally found a spot, and camped alone for the second night in a row. It felt good.
Date: 2009-04-29
From: Laurel Fork campsite

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 10.1

Woke to another sunny day!!! Six in a row now I think!!! After yesterday's 20+ mile day, my feet felt a little sore. So before I put on my socks in the morning, I massaged, inspected, and talked to each one: "Lefty, I know your toes hurt and you have a small cut, but I will keep you dry today, I promise. Righty, your blisters have healed nicely, and I will stop at lunch and give you some air. I really appreciate all you guys have done for me."I'm talking to my feet. I'm not crazy am I?Met up with MoFo on the trail, and hiked down into Kincora with him. MoFo is an architect from Charleston, S. Carolina, specializing in hospitals. He has hiked the trail 2+ times, and has many hiking friends throughout the southeast. We hike at about the same pace. It is great to spend time with him because he relates well to the young hikers on the trail, but also has a deep knowledge of the trail and trail lore, and knows older veterans of the trail, and participates in several hiking organizations.MoFo is a southern gentleman. His unusual trail name was derived from his very first days on the trail with an out of shape friend, who on the difficult and steep approach trail up Springer Mountain, cussed at his friend, and also caused MoFo to do his share of cussing--hence the name. MoFo has stuck with this name, even though it sometimes is difficult, for example when introducing himself to foreign hikers, or to proper church-going hostel owners, when they ask him what his trail name means.We reached Kincora, and found it full. I decided to pitch my tent in the backyard, while MoFo opted to try a different hostel down the road. Kincora has been having about 30 hikers a day stay, so everyone has to be careful not to step on toes, and to manouver carefully when packing, unpacking, cooking, etc. Baltimore Jack is staying here for a week or two, helping out in various ways, including cooking meals for the group each evening.Bob Peoples is the owner/operator of Kincora. He has been involved with the AT for many years, and is especially known for his participation in trail building/maintainence activities. He is retired Air Force, where he was in charge of aircraft maintainence crews, and had the interesting assignment of going along on check out flights of repaired aircraft to see if the repairs worked. Bob is from Boston, continues to have a thick Boston accent, and is proud of his Scotch-Irish ethnicity. He seems to be calm in all situations, and operates Kincora with a very light hand, trusting hikers to pay through the honour system ($4/night suggested donation), to clean up after themselves, and to treat each other well.Bob fills his pickup with up to 17 hikers for the 10-mile ride down the twisty mountain road to town several times each day. In town I bought a big can of ground coffee, and pies and ice cream to contribute to the evening meal. The pies were appreciated (blueberry requested 5 times more than cherry), and the can of coffee was gone in two days.
Date: 2009-04-30
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Watuga Lake
Miles today: 10.1

The bulletin board at Kincora says high probability of rain for the next five days, and it is spitting rain this morning. Decided to slack pack today, since Bob offers a free ride to Watuga Lake so that you can hike back to Kincora.Today I hiked with Tom (the Israeli hiker). Tom is ex-Israeli army, plays tennis 7-days a week and is a competitor to the bone. He hikes like a bat out of hell. However he has a bad right knee, caused by a skiing accident, and has trouble putting uphill pressure on that knee. So I can out-hike him on the uphills. On the flats and downhills though, forget it, he is gone. Despite the intermittent rain, it was a good hike, past Laurel Falls and gorge, with many pretty scenes along Laurel Creek. Then back at Kincora for another group meal.
Date: 2009-05-01
From: Watuga Lake

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: light rain

Today is May 1st, the Celtic New Year, so Bob sprinkled us all with the early morning dew to assure us health for the next year.But it also is raining. Bob dropped us off at Watuga Lake, and we did the long hike up to Iron Mountain Shelter. I hiked with Tom, and kept up with him since it was mostly uphill. The clouds hid the scenery, so I just plodded on, with my eyes focused on the trail ahead. It rained all day. When this happens, all of your clothes get soaked, and your shoes and feet get soaked. Several layers of plastic and waterproof nylon keep everything in your pack dry though. You get into the shelter and change out of your wet clothes into dry clothes, get out your sleeping bag, and maybe get in it awhile to warm up. In the morning you put away the dry clothes, and get back into your wet clothes. With this system you only need to carry two sets of clothes. Wet feet are a problem though, as they become tender and prone to blisters and other maladies, so it is especially important to dry out your feet in the shelter and check for problems.Today, got to the shelter early and spent an hour finding dry kindling, after which I got a good fire going. Later Kiwi and Dave showed up, and appreciated the fire, since their meal was to be roasted hot dogs and marshmallows.
Date: 2009-05-02
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 25.1
Weather: light rain

Woke up to more rain. Slogged with Tom as quick as I could through the rain. Went 17 miles to our intended goal (Abington Gap Shelter) and got there about 3:00 pm. Tom decided to stay, but with town so close, I couldn't stop. So I went 8 miles further, my longest day of the trip so far. At least it stopped raining temporarily, but the last few miles down into town, I felt like a zombie. Stopped immediately at a restaurant where I had a steak dinner with Stats. Then I hobbled over to The Place, a hostel operated by the United Methodist Church. Fell into a bunk and slept restlessly.
Date: 2009-05-03
From: Damascus, VA

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

Raining today and I am hurting, so I decided to do a zero day. Due to my long day, I caught up with alot of hikers I hadn't seen in a while, including Spider. Spider and I went to the local tavern (Dot's) for a 30-oz pitcher (each person gets his own pitcher, and you drink right out of the pitcher). Yuengling of course.MoFo is in town, staying at a nearby hostel, and he arranged for us to go slackpacking tomorrow.
Date: 2009-05-04
From: Damascus, VA

To: Summit Cut
Miles today: 16.9

Raining again. Suzanne (the hostel owner) gave us (MoFo and I) a ride in her MiniCooper (yes you can fit two hikers with two packs into a MiniCooper) to Summit Cut, so we could hike the 16.9 miles back into Damascus.I don't remember much about the day, except slogging through water and mud. We got into town and headed to the nearest restaurant (Fatty's) for some food and beer. Fatty's has a 5-pound burger challenge, and we heard a hiker (Poppins) had won the challenge earlier in the day. At last report, he was doing well.
Date: 2009-05-05
From: Summit Cut

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: moderate rain

Raining again.Suzanne brought MoFo and I back to Summit Cut so that we could continue our hike north. I headed out at a fairly fast pace and left MoFo behind. MoFo wants to hike more slowly I think because he is killing time before some more of his friends show up to hike with him.Got to Thomas Knob shelter fairly early, but it was pouring buckets, so everyone that showed up decided to stay. Fortunately it is a large shelter because we had a fairly full house: me, Spider, Tom, Mofo, Firecracker, Sparky, Tito, Dr. Perky, Wheeler, Ahab, Stats, and Rainman. It rained hard all night, but we were all snug in this great shelter.I was upstairs in the loft, sleeping next to Spider. Both he and I snore. In the morning we heard that there were lots of mice on the other side of the loft, but none on our side. So we conclude that snoring keeps away the mice! Must be true, cause I haven't seen one yet.
Date: 2009-05-06
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Hurricaine Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 16.0

Raining again. This weather is Georgia and the Smoky Mountains all over again. Thought I might go further, but the thought of being caught between shelters, and having to tent in the rain is not appealing, so I stopped at Hurricaine Mt. Shelter.Only a few people at the shelter: Barrett, a RidgeRunner from Missoula, Montana, Tom, Sparky, Tito, and Firecracker. Sparky got his name because he was hit by lightening in the Smokies. Fortunately it was a small hit, because he got knocked over but not burned. He is gun-shy of flashes though, so you have to be careful if you are taking a photo.Rained cats and dogs all night.
Date: 2009-05-07
From: Hurricaine Mt. Shelter

To: Dickey Gap --Marion, VA
Miles today: 5.2
Weather: light rain

Raining again, so Tom and I decided to hike the 5 miles to the road and hitch into Marion. We're drying out in a shared motel room. Tom fell and hurt his foot, but we're hopeful it will be OK in the morning so that we can hike 15 miles to the Partnership Shelter, where it is said there is a warm shower, and you can order pizza from Marion.Whew, after 10 days away from a computer, the journal is all caught up now.I'm beginning to plan my exit strategy since I only have 2 or three weeks left, and I plan to spend May 14-17 back in Damascus for Trail Days, the biggest hiker celebration of the year (2000 hikers expected!).
Date: 2009-05-08
From: Dickey Gap --Marion, VA

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up to more rain. Decided to hike with MoFo and Tom to Partnership Shelter, which is a large new shelter next to a highway on the Rogers Mt. Recreation Area Headquarters property. It is well known because it has a hot shower, and you can order pizza to be delivered!The weather slowly cleared as we got close to the shelter until the sun finally broke out as we arrived there -- this is the first sun we have seen since we crossed into Virginia about 9 days ago, so it was a welcome sight indeed. At the shelter, everyone had all their gear strung out on lines to get it dry. Then the pizza ordering started -- I think the pizza man made at least 6 trips to the shelter today. Some people had pizza for lunch at 2 pm and pizza for dinner at 6 pm.Everyone at the shelter (myself, Yak, Stats, Mofo, Albert, Tom, Hobbit, Yukon, Sargeant Pepper, Snickers, and others) was in a very good mood, and the mood got even better when MoFo called his friend Franklin who agreed to meet us at the shelter and take our packs to the next road crossing, so that we could slack pack tomorrow.
Date: 2009-05-09
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Atkins, GA
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: broken clouds

Franklin took our packs and myself, MoFo, Stats, Tom, Yak, Sister, and Diva slackpacked to Atkins, GA. The sun was shining, and it was a fairly easy hike up and over a ridge. The last few miles were through active and abandoned farm fields and orchards, and the landscape was very domestic and lush with lots of old apple, cherry, and Japanese cherry trees.Arrived at the road at Atkins and checked into a room (shared with Tom) at the Relax Inn. Hiker motels seem all to be past-their-prime 50's era motels (before the interstate), usually run by Indian couples, and cost about $30/night. They aren't fancy, but meet all our needs (bed and shower and room to spread out our gear).
Date: 2009-05-10
From: Atkins, GA

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

Had breakfast at the only restaurant, where the locals told us that a big black bear just ran across the highway at the AT crossing, apparently flushed out by a hiker.Hiked with Mofo and Tom on this sunny day. About 5 miles in I saw my first rhododendren blossom, which I took as a lucky omen, since they are not supposed to come out till June. Further up the ridge there were many more of the large pink blossoms, but after about 3 miles there were no more. They don't have much of a scent, or else it might be overpowering since there are thousands of rhododendren bushes along the trail.Ended the day at the shelter, which was full of hiker acquaintances, with many others tenting in the area. It felt like a reunion to me, a happy little city of hiking friends. The night was especially meaningful for me, since this is almost my last night on the trail. I've decided to hike with MoFo to a road crossing near Bland, VA, where his friend Franklin will pick us up and drive me to the freeway so that I can hitch back to Damascus for the Trail Days festival. After that I will rent a car for a week, and tour the area while providing trail magic at road crossings -- this will be a nice way to say so long to some of the hikers I've met.
Date: 2009-05-11
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Davis Farm Campsite
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: light rain

In the morning, Tom said so long and left the shelter early. His leg is hurting and he is hoping today's hike will go well. I hiked most of the day with MoFo, and we ended up at a campsite which we shared with Hobbit and her friends (Yukon, Knickers, and the wonder dog Jumar). Sadly, we heard from other hikers along the trail that Tom's leg was hurting so bad that he headed towards town at the first road crossing. I hope he heals quickly. Another suprise was to occur as a result of today's hike; a few days later I got this message from MoFo:"I had a real surprise when I arrived at Franklin's house last night. Apparently, a small copperhead (yes, snake) found its way into my pack during the night the while we were camping on the ridge. He came out while I was in the shower and scared the shit out of Frankln! Snake is now dead! I guess it is time to reconsider a tent with a floor!"
Date: 2009-05-13
From: VA HWY 615 -- Damascus, VA

To: Wednesday Trail Days -- Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Wednesday dawned sunny and I'm feeling a little marginalized because I am not hiking during this beautiful weather. I spent the day wandering around town, talking to folks, and working on this journal on the computers in the town library. Tents are starting to appear on lawns around town as hikers start to arrive. I moved from the hostel to a lawn nearby because MoFo asked me to save a space for Franklin and Sister who will be arriving on Saturday. Among my encounters:Shameless, who is tenting near The Place, and who shared some great moonshine with me.Old Timer, who is my age and retired; he lives nearby in Tennessee and loves the trail so much that he has a Trail Days tatoo.Larry, who found Jesus on the trail and now lives in Damascus providing free aid and assistance to hikers.The Damascus First Baptist Church is a major sponser of Trail Days, and they gave a free barbeque this evening for hikers, with about 200 hungry folks showing up. The church is hosting perhaps a dozen events during Trail Days and has a large tent set up in their parking lot, in addition to their back lawn (where the barbeque was held) and the church basement where free internet computers are available. I suspect that this church involvement lends alot of respectability to Trail Days, and perhaps is what enables the event to continue every year; otherwise it might be viewed as too counter-culture for this conservative town. The church minister and his wife are an amazing couple, with boundless energy and good will.
Date: 2009-05-14
From: Trail Days -- Damascus, VA

To: Thursday Trail Days -- Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Sunshine again today. The lawn where I have pitched my tent is now filled with tents. Many of the folks are hikers from years past, like Pockets who drove in from Cincinatti with her dog; and Flagman, an ex-Army Medical Corpsman, who hiked the trail in 2001 and now is building a retirement home in Franklin, Tennesee.Didn't sleep well last night due to partying hikers, but today I am moving in to the back bedroom of the Hiker's Inn, where I will have a King-size bed to myself -- the lap of luxury! Suzanne, a retired operating-room nurse, owns and runs the Inn, as well as maintaining a wonderful garden, from which she harvests and sells bundles of salad greens each day.I walked the mile or so out to Tent City, which is a large campsite area on the edge of town where most of the visiting hikers stay. It is a mix of open fields and winding trails through a wooded area along Beaverdam Creek, and hikers can set up their own little secluded home in the woods, or else pitch their tent in established 'communities' in the field, such as Billville, which is hosted by a returning group of hikers each year.There is a large police presence in Tent City. The story goes that two years ago the Damascus chief of police got caught selling drugs to campers, and he and his staff were fired and replaced with a new law-and-order chief. Now there are cops everywhere, from Damascus and surrounding towns, as well as State police and Federal agents. Some are undercover, and there are high-school-age cops-in-training.The police appeared to me to be over-zealous during Trail Days, hassling folks for minor offenses. Perhaps they need to have arrests to justify their overwhelming presence. Also, I blame the national atmosphere of fear put in place by George W Bush, where we are taught that enemies and criminals are everywhere, and it is only through the dedicated work of our sacrosanct security forces that we can be kept safe. I think cops have bought in to this imagery and are blinded by it.The Baptist Church sponsered yet another free dinner today, this time the "Famous Home-Cooked Meal". Before the hungry hikers were let in, the minister's wife said a prayer, in which she quoted the Bible passage about Jesus wanting to help even "the least of them". So in a way I guess we rag-tag hikers give the appearance of the least of them, and after all, we are on the church's doorstep looking for handouts. Perhaps the chances are better than usual that a religious seed sown will take root with some in this shiftless group. This evening I attended a presentation by Cesar Becera about his "Thorough" hike of the AT along with his wife Maud and their small terrier named Trudy. Cesar promotes hiking slowly and stopping in towns often so as to fully be immersed in the AT trail experience, and so his hike took 388 days.
Date: 2009-05-15
From: Trail Days -- Damascus, VA

To: Friday Trail Days -- Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today dawned partly cloudy, but good enough for the Trail Days celebration, which now is in full swing. MoFo arrived today and we went out to Tent City to visit the vendor's booths and to see who was in town. We then went to a reception/lunch put on by the Appalachian Long Distance Hiker's Association (http://www.aldha.org), which provides information about long-distance hikes around the world. Then we went to hear about hiking the Florida Trail, a 1100 mile trail from Miami to Tallahassee.Later I went to a talk by Warren Doyle, about his Circle of Dreams hike of the AT in 1990. Warren first hiked the trail in the late 80's, and was so impressed by the experience that he made it a topic of a Doctoral Thesis: he got together a group of students, and studied the group dynamics while they hiked the trail. After that he established the Appalachian Trail Institute, which organizes a thru-hike every several years. Warren has now hiked the trail 14 times, which is the most by anyone. Warren's method is to 'fast-hike' the trail, kind of the opposite of Cesar Becera's "thorough hiking" method. Warren uses a support vehicle which meets the group every night, so the hikers only have to carry day packs, and can average more than 20 miles a day, allowing the hike to be finished in 127 days. The focus of this experience is the 'Circle of Dreams': the members of the hiking group form a circle holding hands and vow to each other that they will support each other so that everyone completes the trail together.