morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-09-18
From: Knot Maul Branch

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 25.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Today marks my 3 month trailversary! I am celebrating by ordering an overpriced pizza (they have a $25 minimum order for delivery, and mine came to $20...sooo, double that order of garlic knots!!) at Partnership Shelter! I once again started the day in the fog, and got totally soaked coming across a few miles of cow pasture before 10am. It was pretty funny to be walking along and see a bunch of cows appear out of the fog; they probably thought the same thing of me as I came and went.Around mid-day I came back under I-81 (at least the 3rd time I've crossed it so far) at Atkins, VA, and did a little gas station resupply at the interchange there. I came out with enough Oreos and PopTarts to cover my breakfasts and snacks to Damascus, and a bag of Combos and some beer for lunch. Classy stuff. The 11 miles from there to Partnership were nice and easy - generally up hill but otherwise easy. There are 3 people and a dog at the shelter - two section hikers from VT and one of the perpetual hikers who are always waiting for a box or a check to arrive at some post office or other. I'm looking forward to getting my pizza, eating my pizza, and taking advantage of that shower - another reason why Partnership Shelter is one of the finest on the AT. Tomorrow I will head into the Virginia Highlands, some of the most wonderful scenic hills on the trail - can't wait!
Date: 2014-09-19
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: light rain

Amazingly, even at 7:30 this morning, the clouds and fog were lifting; all 4 of us were optimistic that it would be a nice day. And it was, until about noon when the clouds rolled in. It never rained, though, and was cool and relatively dry, too. Even though the day was mostly climbing, it was relatively easy walking - mostly side-hill, soil trails; easy to navigate and easy on the feet and knees. I took a quick break at Trimpi Shelter and cleaned my glasses for the first time since who knows when....maybe it hasn't been quite as cloudy and gloomy as I thought!!I also came across the first trail magic I've seen in ages - a local Baptist church youth group had a little popup tent set up in the woods with a big wooden box full of hiker supplies. No snacks or water, but lots of stuff hikers might need but not necessarily have in their kit. When I got to Old Orchard Shelter (luckily, unlike Old Orchard Beach, it's not the #1 Vacation Destination for the whole Province of Quebec) it was full of weekenders, all huddled against the chill, so I set my tent up in the awesome sunny field near by and actually managed to dry everything out!! Woohoo!!! Until you've been damp for weeks on end, you really can't appreciate how wonderful a dry, sunny field can be - it's like being at the beach, only better, because you get to be on a mountainside and you don't get sand in your butt. Pretty awesome!
Date: 2014-09-20
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 29.6
Weather: clear sky

Without a doubt the most beautiful day I've seen in ages - I can't even remember when the last REALLY nice day was. The sun was shining, the clouds were light and puffy, and I was walking thru some seriously awesome territory. I climbed right into the Virginia Highlands (there was even a bagpiper up there...he was wearing shorts, but hey...), and spent most of the day walking through open, grassy meadows. This was old cattle territory, and when the Forest Service took it over as part of the Jefferson National Forest, they introduced feral ponies to keep the high meadows from growing in to maintain the pastoral quality of the place. Well, its simply stunning. I come here every year, and never tire of it. At the "end" of the open portion I got some trail magic from a 2012 thruhiker; first he gave me a beer (fresh out of the ice box), then a box of quinoa and a box of mac and cheese, then a Butterfinger and a slice of pizza, then some more snacks. Awesome! It made the climb up Whitetop much more pleasant. Near the bottom of the mountain the AT joins the Virginia Creeper Trail for almost a mile. The Creeper Trail, a nice mellow rail trail, goes all the way to Damascus, too. But instead of following it all the way, the AT goes back into the woods and over a couple more mountains. Of course. Anyway, to my surprise I have the shelter to myself tonight looking forward to getting to town and seeing some other people!
Date: 2014-09-21
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 9.2

Easy days always go easier when you have the best trail town on the AT to look forward to! I came rolling down the hill into town around 10:30, and started my rounds with a trip to Mojoe's for a decent cup of coffee. My plan was to head to The Place, a very inexpensive bunkhouse run by the local Methodist Church, but a couple local hikers (folks who never managed to escape the Damascus Vortex) convinced me to head down to Woodchuck's Hostel. Woodchuck hiked in 2012 and just opened his hostel in March of this year. And wow, did he ever up the standard. All the beds are memory foam mattresses with full linens and pillows, he's got a grill outside and lets you use the kitchen, he provides a continental-type breakfast as well as some other snacks you can purchase, and the whole place is really clean and, well, brand new. Definitely worth $25 for the night. Anyway, I dropped my stuff there, took a shower, and went up to Pork Bellies BBQ for lunch - a good burger, a dozen wings, and some good beer filled me up for the moment. On my way back thru town I stopped and chatted with Crazy Larry, who runs another hostel (there are at least 5 hostels in town). He's a nice guy, and has a nice place, but it's hard to compete with Woodchuck's investment. I spent the evening hanging out with Shivers and Calamity, two flipfloppers who just met up and are staying at Woodchuck's, too. We went down to the Blue Blaze Cafe for dinner; they've done nice things in there, the food's great, and the owner's an interesting guy (a hiker too). It was, more than anything, just so wonderful to have so many like-minded folks to talk to - we all agree that more than anything physically challenging, it's just been really lonely out here. A day well spent, for sure!
Date: 2014-09-22
From: Damascus, VA

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: scattered clouds

I was up early, had a nice lazy breakfast with Woodchuck, Calamity, and Shivers, then got a ride out to the store to resupply when Woodchuck took the other two down to Tennessee to slackpack back to town. Then I packed, went to the outfitter for fuel and new tips for my trekking poles, and then down to the library to use the computer and kill time until lunch. I wanted to go to Hey Joe's for burritos, but they were shut because of unexpected computer issues. That's the second time this trip I've been denied burritos for unusual closures! So I went back to thr Blue Blaze and got a hot Italian sub and a bucket of cheese fries instead. Then I dragged myself to the town park, then up the dead end road, and out of the Vortex and back into the woods. Until next time, Damascus!! About 3 miles in I crossed the border into Tennessee - only 3 states and 460 miles left!The temperature is supposed to fall below 40 tonight - it's already cold enough that typing on this tiny keyboard is pretty difficult - my fingers aren't moving fast enough to hit the right keys. I am excited about the cool weather and clear skies, though. The forecast looks pretty good for a while (fingers are crossed!).
Date: 2014-09-23
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 23.8
Weather: clear sky

It's officially fall! And it feels like it - it was below 40 this morning, and stayed breezy and cool all day. I even kept my long underwear and long sleeve shirt on for the first 5 miles...All in all the day was wicked easy. I had 11 miles done before I even knew it, and carried on the same way all day. It was such easy walking that I totally zoned out and missed the spring 3 miles before Vandeventer Shelter; the shelter water source is ~.5 mi off trail, so I was going to carry water in instead. No such luck - I got to the shelter with less than a liter, so had to make the long walk down the side of the ridge after all. It was just like being in Pennsylvania again - obscenely steep, long trail down to an unimpressively slow spring. Oh well. I ran into Shivers and Calamity just south of Iron Mtn Shelter; to my surprise, they didn't have any of their gear! Apparently Woodchuck agreed to shuttle them up to Hampton, TN and was slackpacking them for another day back to TN 91 (where they started yesterday). Looks like the Damascus Vortex has gotten quite the hold on the two of them!
Date: 2014-09-24
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Campsite near streams
Miles today: 25.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Another beautiful, cool day on the AT; another morning spent walking in long sleeves and pants. It was basically down hill for 7 miles to Watauga Lake, and I didn't warm up enough to shed layers until I got out in the sun on the dam.This whole area is officially closed by the forest service and the TVA because of increased bear/human interactions. You're not supposed to camp, picnic, or even "linger" anywhere along the way. Well, scofflaw that I am, I lingered early and I lingered often thru the beautiful forests along the lakeside. I was not mauled or otherwise molested by any bears. I stopped for lunch at Laurel Falls, where I met two ladies and a dog section hiking; the blazing thru that area was the worst I've seen since the White Mountains, and they were all confused as well. Turns out that unfortunately, yes, the AT really does climb the near-vertical steps up to the old railroad grade. Needless to say, they quickly fell behind as I moved on. At Moreland Gap Shelter I ran I ran into two great guys from NC; they helped start a hiking club over 35 years ago, and they still head out at least once a year for a backpacking trip. They were great to talk to, and are fellow lovers of these eastern forests; it was refreshing to meet some folks who aren't to busy hating on the "green tunnel" to appreciate the beauty of their surroundings!Now I'm camped a couple miles south, in a light drizzle, sharing my campsite with a curious little cottontail rabbit - a far cry from the marauding families of black bears and other Creatures That Go Bump In The Night the forest service would like us to hide from, preferably in the safety of our own homes. Boo hiss on that!
Date: 2014-09-25
From: Campsite near streams

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 25.9
Weather: overcast clouds

 The clouds kept it warm last night, and it stayed cloudy and relatively cool throughout the day. It was especially nice to climb Hump Mountain - 5 miles of constant climbing - without sweating through all my clothes. I met Kingfisher and Stingray on the way up (their way down); they said they heard that less than 150 folks started southbound this year. Not sure if it's true or not, but if so, no wonder nobody's caught up to me!The view from the top was phenomenal; I have gotten so lucky this trip with the weather on these exposed summits. It was so nice up there that I almost fell asleep in the grass - no wind, nice and warm, it was great. Now I'm camped out at the Overmountain Shelter, an old barn converted to a 20+ person shelter in the pass where the "Overmountain Boys" came across the mountain to defeat a bunch of Loyalists in the Revolution. There are 4 guys from KY/WV here, and one of them hooked me up with a hotdog with chili, cheese, bread, ketchup and mustard, then gave me a stick of butter. I proceeded to make the most killer hiker meal ever: 2 packs of potatoes, a whole 8 oz block of cheese, and a whole stick of butter. So good :-). I had a great chat with Two Bears, too, who managed to rig up his hammock in the shelter; neither he nor the barn came down in the night. Nice to have some good company for the eveningHeading over Roan High Knob tomorrow - hopefully the weather stays clear for another day!
Date: 2014-09-26
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: USFS 230 campsite
Miles today: 28.9
Weather: overcast clouds

 Today probably marks the last real long day for this trip, and it was a good one. The views on the balds leading up to Roan were phenomenal - I've gotten so lucky with the views this time! They have done a lot of really great trail work on Roan itself, so the descent wasn't bad at all. The old trail would have battered me, but the new one is nice and gradual. The climb up Unaka Mountain was nice, too. It wasn't nearly as dark in the spruce forest as I remembered it, and it was good and short. I am camped at the bottom, between it and the Beauty Spot, near a great spring and a forest service road - awesome spot for a Friday night, when at least one of the two states here is open for deer season (bows only for now). When I stopped in at the last shelter I saw that Rough Bananas came through on the 5th. Great to see that he flopped back down to Damascus to finish this southern section; he should be done or very close to it by now!Resupply and lunch in Erwin tomorrow; I'm a little sad not to be staying at Uncle Johnny's this time, but it will make my schedule easier if I just go in and out. Looking forward to pizza at any rate!PS: exactly 12 hours of daylight today. 3 minutes less tomorrow. It's all downhill from here...
Date: 2014-09-27
From: USFS 230 campsite

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: broken clouds

I didn't get harassed by anyone last night, although there was some traffic throughout the night. All I had left for breakfast was 2 packs of Carnation, so I beat feet to Erwin and made up for it at the AYCE pizza buffet. Then I did my shopping and made my way back out. It took a while to hitch in, and it was a beautiful day, so I just road-walked the 2.5 miles back out. About a mile from the trail a woman picked me up; her husband is on the PCT now, and she's a section hiker. She dropped me at Uncle Johnny's, and off I went. There are two guys at the shelter with me - The Eagle Scouts. They're a riot - they were frat brothers in college, and go on a backpacking trip together every year. One of them, a software engineer for LinkedIn, found a bunch of chestnuts and decide to roast them over an open fire. Hilarity ensued: the chestnuts were exploding left and right, and the bits we managed to recover were so horribly bitter they were inedible. So much for that!
Date: 2014-09-28
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: overcast clouds

The morning started with a continuation of the ~18 mile gradual climb up to Big Bald, then progressed into a full-blown assault on the mountain. At US19 I met Mu-Zack, heading from Springer as far north as he can get. He was trying to hitch into Erwin because he twisted his ankle. Near the top I ran into a whole group of folks working for a conservation group trapping, documenting, banding, and releasing all sorts of migratory birds. They have big nets set up, and folks set up in blinds to spot the birds and bring them back to the main station. Pretty wild!The summit was, once again, gorgeous. I ate lunch at the top, enjoying the view for the first time - it's always rained or snowed on me in the past. Then I started the 6 mile descent to Sams Gap. On the way I ran into 3 day hikers who all offered me rides to town, resupply, water, etc. nice people down here!Tonight I'm camped with two brothers out section hiking. One is a meteorologist for the NWS; sounds like tonight and tomorrow will be wet. Too bad.
Date: 2014-09-29
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: light rain

It didn't start drizzling until the sun came up, but thankfully the meteorologist was wrong - we never really got the rain they were calling for. By evening it had cleared right up - nothing to complain about there!I was glad the weather held off when I got to the Firescald ridge - a New England style exposed rocky ridge. There is a bad weather bypass, but I wasn't going to take it...so it was nice that things were mostly dry and mostly clear. Rumors were abounding that there was no water here at lLittle Laurel, so I hauled A few liters with me. Well, the spring WAS slow, but it was running, and from a pipe no less. So I had no problem getting a couple more liters to cook with. 19 miles to Hot Springs tomorrow. Should be a pretty nice, relaxed walk. Since I'm staying in town there's no rush, so I'll take my time and enjoy it!
Date: 2014-09-30
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: few clouds

As promised, I took my time getting into town. With the exception of one butt kicker of a climb, the day was generally smooth sailing. The descent into town was down a pretty serious rock promontory, with lots of loose stuff to deal with; luckily it was dry and dusty, not wet and slippery!I was in town by 3:15, got some cash and denatured alcohol at the outfitter, checked in at the resort (for the $10 hiker camping across the street), set up my tent, and did some laundry. By the time that was done it was dinner time, so I headed over to Spring Creek Tavern for a couple Dogfish Head 60 min. IPAs, a tray of jalape±o poppers, a bacon cheeseburger, and fries. Then back to the campground by the river for the evening. Not a bad day at all!
Date: 2014-10-01
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Max Patch Summit
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: light rain

I planned to start the day at a coffee shop, but none of the coffee shops in town open until after 9am. So I ended up at the Smoky Mountain Diner and had a monster breakfast skillet - far and away my favorite hiker breakfast on the trail. Then I went to pay and - surprise! - my credit card's missing. Awesome. I pay by other means and set about finding the errant card. I knew I had used it last night to pay for dinner; the only other place I went was the camp store on my way to my tent. Well, no card in the tent, and no card at the camp store. And the restaurant didn't open until 11:30. Sooo, I loitered the morning away on Hot Springs, NC. There's not a whole lot to do in Hot Springs. It was a long morning. But, at 11:30 sharp I went into the restaurant, asked about the card, the bartender dug through the pile of left-behind cards in the register (seriously...there were scads of them in there...) and gave me mine back. Whew. I was walking south by noon. Between the big breakfast and burning off the stress of the morning, I basically just busted ass all day. I knew I wouldn't make it to Groundhog Creek by sundown, so I set my sights on Max Patch, still a good day, all things considered. Well, I made it here in 6.5 hours, including a lunch break, a monster climb, and a few long conversations with section hikers. Sweet!It is THE perfect night to be up here - I am right at the top of this grassy summit, 360 degree views, little wind, and mostly clear skies. I made it for sunset, and have a first-quarter moon rising overhead. Not to mention the trail magic beer that was waiting for me with a 2013 northbounder and his girlfriend (officially the second best trail beer ever; the Long Trail IPAs that Smilie packed up to Crocker Cirque still take the prize; the Crawford Notch Budweiser in the pouring rain in 2009 comes in third).It's the sort of night that makes it suck to be alone up here - this is the sort of evening you want company for, so down the road you can say "hey, remember that one night on Max Patch?" And you can both take a trip down memory lane.
Date: 2014-10-02
From: Max Patch Summit

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: scattered clouds

During the night the wind came around to the west, so I got up to zip my vestibule on the windward side and to take a moment to enjoy the stars. It was crystal clear, the milky way was streaked over head, and the orange lights of civilization had the mountains nicely back-lit. Gorgeous. I got up around 7 and started packing, and got one of the best sunrises I've ever seen. Totally lucked out with a day like this in a place like this!! On the way down the mountain I ran into Shortstop - a "northbounder," really doing some sort of complicated flip-flop; I met him back in July on a detour around a bridge project south of Killington in Vermont. He should be just about finished with his hike - congratulations Shortstop!Near the I-40 underpass I actually got service so I talked to my sister Anna about her plans to hike with me (sounds like she's going to meet me at Neel Gap on the 11th), the. Climbed into the Smokies. It was in the high 70s, so I worked up a nice sweat in the 8 miles of climbing to Cosby Knob. There are 4 other folks here tonight: two firemen from Alabama, and two friends from Georgia and South Carolina who met at a bible college in Sydney Australia. All good people, and great company!
Date: 2014-10-03
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Icewater Spring Shelter
Miles today: 20.3
Weather: moderate rain

Luckily the rain held off until I got my pack down out of the bear cables (the do-gooder section hikers peer pressured me into playing by the rules), and I made it about 3 miles before it started coming down. The rain, plus the cold, plus the 50-mph wind made for some cooollllddd walking, so, for the 3rd time this trip, I put on my rain coat. True to form, I motored all day without a break - I hate stopping in the rain. As a result, I was at Icewater Spring Shelter by 1:45pm. I was tempted to keep going and stay the night in Gatlinburg, but I was just in Hot Springs, and I'd rather spend $35 on beer and wings than a motel room, so I'm staying here for the night. There's good company at least - had a great afternoon hanging out with a couple guys from Kentucky who brought all the necessities: everclear and country time lemonade; a smattering of dehydrated foods (watermelon, pumpkin, and dehydrated summer sausage, anyone?); an over-stretched tea bag; 5 lbs of pipe tobacco; and some great advice on what to do when you end up with a whole bunch of roosters and happen to have a 3/4 hp commercial meat grinder. Unfortunately there was no sign of Hercules the bear (who may or may not be a grizzly...or a raccoon). Some other folks just rolled in, too, as we were all turning in...hopefully they're it for the night.Word is it might get down below freezing tonight...going to snuggle my Sawyer I guess so it doesn't burst. Dreaming of wings and beer tomorrow in Gatlinburg...
Date: 2014-10-04
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Derrick Knob Shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: light rain

Just the highlights reel today: it was too cold to type on this tiny little phone keyboard so I skipped journaling. -First night below freezing; it got down to about 28 last night. Needless to say, the late arrivals abandoned their hammocks and moved into the shelter. I didn't notice thanks to the deep, deep everclear sleep. -My thumb nearly froze off while spending an hour in Newfound Gap trying to get a ride to Gatlinburg. -Gatlinburg is just as kooky as I remembered. Think part Times Square, part Coney Island, part Disney World, all Tennessee. -It never got above freezing in the mountains. Chilly business on Clingmans Dome.-Despite not getting back on trail until 1:15, I still made it to the shelter well before dark. It wasn't full, either!