morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-04-07
To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Day 32We had planned on another breakfast at the Smoky Mountain Diner, but since a continental breakfast was included with our stay we decided to enjoy breakfast at the Inn. "Flying Snail" and "Quarter" were at the table for breakfast as was a couple from South Carolina enjoying a night away from home. We had organic yogurt, granola, fresh fruit and muffins. We both also enjoyed a cup of hot tea. We enjoyed talking to "Flying Snail" and "Quarter" about their hiking experience so far, and told them at the rate they are going they should have no trouble finishing by early September. Hopefully we will see them again down the trail, they are heading back out on the trail today. We headed down to the diner after breakfast hoping to catch up with Bubbs, no luck. Hoping to see him around town before we head back to the trail.We went to the library again to work on the journal, and also checked out the local outfitter. Did our resupply at the Dollar General and outfitters for a 5 day stint to Erwin. Had lunch at the diner where we saw "Pappy" and Steve. "Pappy" ordered a pizza and said he was planning on eating the whole thing. Mary wasn't feeling well so she took a nap in the room after lunch. Had dinner again at the Iron Horse, Mary only felt up to soup and a baked potato. I had a chicken sandwich with fries and a beer as my brother in law Ric informed me it was National Beer Day.I went up to the Hot Spring to see if we could enjoy a soak in the springs, unfortunately there are no tubs available until later in the day tomorrow.We called our oldest son Nathan to wish him a Happy Birthday, we had called him earlier, but he was enjoying lunch at TGI Friday's with his family.Early to bed as we are hoping for a fairly early start tomorrow.
Date: 2018-04-08
From: Hot Springs

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 33We were not sure if we were going to have breakfast at the Inn or go to the diner. We came down and Mary saw orange juice and that made the decision for her, breakfast at the Inn. We had granola with milk or yogurt, cinnamon buns, croissants, fresh fruit, orange juice, and hot tea. It was just us at the breakfast table as the father and sons staying the night wanted their breakfast at 6:00 and the innkeeper obliged them. We were lucky we decided to have breakfast at the Inn because when we walked to the diner to see if "Bubbs" or any of the other hikers were there we saw that the diner is closed on Sunday. Cold day out, but not raining. There is snow on the mountain tops. It was a tough climb up to Lover's Leap, and the higher we climbed the more snow we saw. Logan passed us on the trail, and then we met him again enjoying his lunch by a dammed pond. We decided to stop at the pond for a snack. Also saw Jake hiking out today.When we got to the trail for the Rich Mountain Firetower we decided we might as well check it out. The tower is missing a few steps and the railing is rickety in spots. Originally Mary wasn't going to climb the tower, but she changed her mind. The views from the top of the tower were worth the trip up the sketchy steps. Took some photos from the top, lots of snow on the surrounding mountain tops.Made it to Spring Mountain Shelter where there are lots of other hikers tenting tonight. We are camped up on the hill on a reasonably flat spot. Very wet and muddy and of course cold! Quick dinner and off to bed to try to stay warm and dry before the rain comes.In 2011 I really enjoyed Hot Springs, and Mary was looking forward to a visit to town. This year I certainly wasn't as fond of my stay as there are more hikers than there are rooms to stay and the advertised laundromat is run down and has no dryer. Of course the Smoky Mountain Diner was as good as I remembered, and the Iron Horse also had good food and beer.
Date: 2018-04-09
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 34Awoke to rain and dense fog, which made it tough to get going. The campsite was literally in a cloud and made everything damp/wet. Heated water for tea and had breakfast in the tent and then mustered the gumption to get going. Our toes and fingers were frozen. Fortunately the trail eased us into the hike today with a long series of downhills into Allen Gap. We finally warmed up, but it was a dreary day. Started the long climb up Camp Creek Bald, once we arrived at the top we were pretty beat after slogging through mud all day. Problem is, once we reached that point we still had to make it over White Rock & Black Stack Cliff, plus Fire Scald Knob which is a rocky, strenuous section that actually has a bypass for bad weather. We pushed on, getting a couple of views as the fog had lifted some. Because we were up over 4,500' snow from the past snowstorm was still on the ground. This made the rocky ridge slow going. ("Purple Haze" does not like slippery rocks). Made it up and over as it was getting darker and colder. We finally staggered into camp after 8:30 pm thanks to a final push by Mary. Lots of tents tonight. Set up and ate by headlight. When I went to get water the fog was so thick I could hardly see the trail to the spring. I actually walked right by the campsite coming back and only noticed Mary's headlamp after I was well past our site. It was a cold night and Mary couldn't seem to warm up, so I heated water for her Camelback bottle and she put that near her feet. On the plus side, today we passed the 300 mile mark and did our longest day yet. Plan is for another 15+ tomorrow, but I'm not sure we are up for it.
Date: 2018-04-10
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: broken clouds

Day 35The thickest fog I've ever seen had completely cleared by 2:00 am, but the temperature dropped. Everything we had was set up damp last night and we had trouble staying warm. Got up, put on all of our stuff and got moving as fast as we could. Both of us were tired from the long day yesterday, of course we had a climb up to the top of Big Butt Mountain (you are welcome to insert various jokes here due to the name) right off the bat to 4,800'. After a tough couple of days the plan wasn't necessarily to make our planned mileage, but to find a sunny spot to sit and dry out our gear. We stopped at Flint Gap and had lunch and dried all of our gear. Had our tent set up to dry upside down when a little "twister" came out of nowhere and swept the tent up sending it 30 - 40 feet in the air and then back up the hill we had hiked down. I managed to run up the hill and grab the tent before it went any further. After crossing Rector Laurel Road and reentering the trail we were both listening to music when all of a sudden I saw Mary jump like she had been startled. She listens to her music at a lower volume and had heard two dogs barking behind us. We turned to see the dogs, but fortunately they did not seem to want to cross the small bridge over the stream to get any closer to us. It was an extremely steep climb from the road following a pretty stream. We thought it was fitting that we stopped to soak our feet at the bottom of a small waterfall on Mary's sister Lorraine's birthday. Lorraine loves waterfalls. The original plan was to camp at Big Flat campsites, however we didn't find any sites that looked great so we moved on. Reached Hogback Ridge Shelter late and found some hikers enjoying a nice fire that had been built inside a hollow log standing on end. We were told there was room in the shelter, but we opted to tent finding a nearby site that was semi-flat. Second longest day mileage wise, and we hadn't planned on it being such a long day. On the plus side we got everything dried out, and we actually ate dinner on the side of the trail so we didn't have to cook so late at night this time.
Date: 2018-04-11
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Whistling Gap
Miles today: 13.5

Day 36Got a late start this morning, we were almost the last out of camp with the exception of Knotty Boy and another hiker. I had cereal for breakfast and Mary had a Pop-tart and our tummies were grumbling after about 2 miles on the trail. As we were hiking Knotty Boy and the other hiker passed us and I jokingly said that if there was trail magic at Sam's Gap they better save us some. Knotty Boy said "don't worry we will, that would be ironic because my name is Sam. My Gap, so I'll let you have some trail magic". As we approached Sam's Gap we saw a truck parked up the hill, but just assumed it was hikers coming back to the trail. However, as we neared the road we saw a small sign stating there was trail magic up the hill, and then I remembered, this is where I got trail magic from "Quiet Paul" back in 2011. Low and behold as we walked up the hill there was "Quiet Paul" serving scrambled eggs, hashbrown potatoes, along with oranges, cookies, and soda. We each grabbed a Barqs Rootbeer and grabbed a chair as "Quiet Paul" scrambled us up some eggs. Chatted with "Quiet Paul" and he said he has been doing trail magic in the area for eight years. I mentioned I had enjoyed his trail magic back in 2011 which he mentioned is the year he got kicked out of the state land and had to move up near the cemetery which is private, and he has permission to continue his tradition there. He said he does trail magic here for 10 days during the "hiker bubble". So happy we managed to hit a day he was there, what a great treat to enjoy a hot breakfast at a point we really needed it.A long, semi steep climb up to Big Bald Mountain. Once we reached the summit we decided to find a less windy spot on the side to sit, take our shoes off and enjoy the sunny day. We spent about a half hour enjoying the warmth of the sun and then decided we better move on. Headed down toward Whistling Gap Campsite, but not before going over Little Bald (which isn't all that little). Mary had texted her sister April earlier in the day to wish her a Happy Birthday, but we decided to see if we could get a call out to her at this point as well. Managed to get cell service long enough to wish her a Happy Birthday and find out that they will meet us in Erwin on Friday for lunch. We also managed to get a call out to the Super 8 where we will be staying the night on Thursday. Not many hikers at the campsite tonight, just "Bobo" & "Animal". Most of the other hikers went on to No Business Knob Shelter which is another 7 miles, or possibly some made it all the way to Erwin. Hanging our bearbag and off to bed with thoughts of town tomorrow. Won't be a short day though, Erwin is still 13.3 miles away. Hopefully Mary is up for another long day of hiking.
Date: 2018-04-16
From: Erwin

To: Erwin
Miles today: 0.0

DAY 41Talked to "Jo" and "Two" this morning, and we will split a shuttle with them tomorrow to get back on trail at Carvers Gap. They lined up a shuttle for 7:30 am. Lots of hikers in town to get out of the weather, many at breakfast today. Saw "Papa Dale", "Kingsman" and "Tobasco" getting ready to head back out. Logan is in town, plus many others that have just arrived in Erwin that are a couple of days behind us on the trail. We don't know many of the names because we haven't hiked with them yet. Continental breakfast was a zoo this morning with some hikers staying and some heading back out. Not snowing in Erwin, but a light, cold rain. Not sure what the weather is in the mountains, but we are happy we are warm and dry here today. When we arrived yesterday we saw "Stray Cat", who we haven't seen since Franklin. Guess he was off trail for a week plus for personal reasons. Walked to the local library to get caught up on the journal.May need to add more to this entry later, need to log off and get some lunch!Went to Los Jalapenos for dinner. We enjoyed Margaritas and I had a combo plate, Mary had Fajitas Nachos. We both ate way too much.Note: Noticed our mileage is off by 1.4, not sure where we messed it up. Will have to review each days mileage when we get a chance to try to find the error. If anyone knows where we messed up, or finds any other blatant errors, please feel free to let us know. Thank you to all who are following along on our journey via our journal.Update: May be stuck in Erwin for another night. The weather yesterday has made travel to Carvers Gap questionable today. Shuttle driver will take us as far as he can, but that may mean a road walk of 2+ miles. So, we are waiting to see...
Date: 2018-04-17
From: Erwin

To: Erwin
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 42Mary here: Erwin is starting to feel like a second home. Alan is off to get a hair cut, and I'm at thelibrary. Shuttle driver said he might not be able to get us all the way back to the trail today due to ice/snow on the road to Carvers Gap. So, we will head out tomorrow...Computers at the library work much better than at the hotel, but it is a walk to get here. (When in town we like to rest our legs, but actually we were looking forward to being back on the trail today).May update this entry again later today. Hope to fix our photos we tried uploading at the hotel computer.
Date: 2018-04-19
From: US 19E

To: Campsite before Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 16.7

Day 44Woke up, it had rained a little during the night but had stopped enough that we packed up quickly and went into the hostel where we ate with Papa Dale, Kingsman, Tabasco, Jo & Two. The hostel was nice as it had a coffee machine with hot water on the side. We were able to make tea and oatmeal without using our stove to boil water.Jo & Two are slack packing today 24 miles, so it's doubtful we will see them again. We were the last ones to leave today, but we did have some cold pizza to pack out for lunch. Good, rolling terrain through mostly rhododendron this morning. Came to Jones Falls early and took the side trail to get up close, a very spectacular water fall.Soon after the falls we crossed the 400 mile mark of the trail. We crossed by another nice waterfall, Mountaineer Falls, and then enjoyed our leftover pizza at the Mountaineer shelter. Lots of little ups and downs today.Later in the afternoon we came across a group of trail maintainers hiking back out after a day of working on the trails. I recognized one of them as Bob Peoples, and we stopped and had a nice chat with him and some of the crew. One of the workers was a thru-hiker we had met earlier (Deluxe) who decided to help them out for the day. We had planned to stay at Bob Peoples hostel tomorrow, but I don't think the timing will work as we will arrive at lunch, so we were glad to see him today. Bob is such a local legend when it comes to trail work, it was great to hear some of his stories.We soon came across a park bench with a nice vista so we stopped for a break and were soon joined by Katherine and Taylor for a short time. We were heading for a marked campsite when we came upon Papa Dale, Kingsman, & Tabasco who invited us to squeeze in near their tents, but it was a little tight so we pushed on about .7 miles more to the marked site which was larger. We are here all by ourselves tonight on a nice, leafy, soft site. Funny thing about these less used campsites, we stumble along kicking rocks all day long, but when you get to camp you can't find a suitable rock to put in the pouch to throw the bear bag. Big day, so off to bed.
Date: 2018-04-21
From: Boots Off Hostel

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 46Started the day with a continental breakfast provided by the hostel (Cereal, donuts, and tea). Nice, easy walk to start around Watauga Lake. Soon passed over the dam and started the long climb up the ridge that parallels the lake. Again, at one point we came upon 3 dogs. They had collars, but you never know if the dogs you come upon will be friendly or not. They looked tired, and didn't bother us. There were a couple of women coming down the trail, and we warned them to watch for the dogs.Climbed until well after lunch and the day got hotter and hotter. Very little water up on the ridge, and we skipped the last spring so we were out by the time we made it to a water source just prior to our campsite. We did have good views down to the lake from the ridge today, but it was a long, hot, tough day for us. Lots of tents at the shelter tonight. The 3 Amigos are here and we are camped next to a German hiker named Jorgen (Spirit) who has done 100 miles in the last 4 days. He plans on making Damascus tomorrow to double zero. Off to hang the bear bag and climb into the sleeping bag.
Date: 2018-04-22
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Stealth Campsite
Miles today: 18.0

Day 47One of the last out of camp this morning, but we decided to push the pace today to see if we could get some good miles in early. The terrain was good today, no big ups or downs, so we managed to get 11.1 miles in today before lunch. (Note from Mary: The runner/cross country coach came out in Alan today and he "coached" me down the trail. I had a good pace going and he would comment "ok, keep the pace on the uphill, rest on the down hill, don't hurry on the flats too much, save it for the next uphill". It must have worked...)Had lunch at Low Gap with Kingsman, Papa Dale, and a new hiker we have seen but not met before named "Needles". (She knits sometimes at camp). We were happy with our mileage this morning, but the pace did take a toll as the climb out of the gap had us struggling a bit. I stopped for a bathroom break and came across a big, black snake in the woods. He was half again as long as my trekking pole. Even though I know they are not dangerous, they still startle you. I got a picture, though I'm not sure how good the picture will be.Made it to Abingdon Gap Shelter for water. There was a group in the shelter that wan't all that cordial, but we hadn't planned on staying there anyway. We pushed on a couple more miles to get closer to Damascus so we will be there fairly early tomorrow. Came across the 3 Amigos camping and decided to join them. Had a campfire while we ate dinner and a nice time chatting before we hit the hay. It may rain tonight, but we'll be in town tomorrow so we can dry out.
Date: 2018-04-25
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Elk Garden (Grayson Highlands General Store)
Miles today: 14.7

Day 50Up early and back on the trail. The day started out with fairly nice weather. We hiked back down the 4+ miles to where the AT rejoins the Creeper trail for .7 miles. As we hiked we saw a deer that seemed to be bounding up from the Creeper trail below. No other hikers on the trail, and we wonder where they all are. We stopped at Lost Mountain Shelter for lunch. Lost Mountain Shelter is at 3381 feet and the trail heads up to over 5100 feet. As we climbed the rocky wet trail the fog settled in and it started to get quite cold. As we neared Buzzard Rock we met a mother and daughter who are thru-hiking, "Dirty Girl" and "Valkyrie". They said they were heading to the campsite just after Whitetop Mtn Road and we said we hoped to make it to Elk Garden where we thought we could find a campsite for the night. It was so foggy at Buzzard Rock that we had no view and we trudged on after taking a few photos. Alan mentioned that when he came through this area in 2011 it was so hot that he, Mammoth, and Chainsaw stopped and took off their shirts to cool down and let their sweaty shirts dry out.By the time we reached Elk Garden we were cold and tired and not looking forward to setting up camp, especially since we were right at VA 600. On the sign was a business card with the number for Grayson Highlands General Store. Our original plan was to go to the store tomorrow as the owner has a free shuttle from Massie Gap. We just planned to shuttle in for lunch and some resupply and showers and get back on the trail. But, we decided to call tonight and see if he would pick us up at Elk Garden. Cell phone service was poor, but after several tries, and just when I was about to give up, I got through. I asked if he had any rooms available and he said yes. I told him we were thru-hiking and asked if he would pick us up at Elk Garden. He said he didn't usually pick up there, but he certainly wouldn't leave us out in the cold for the night. He had to find someone to watch the store, but he'd be there in 30 minutes.He drove us back to the store where we enjoyed pizza and beer. I hoped to call my mom to wish her a Happy Birthday, but there is no cell phone service here. We've been told there is not much service in this area. We enjoyed another beer in our room after first both getting hot showers. Then, since it was a Wednesday we decided to watch Survivor even though we've missed several weeks. Once Survivor ended we headed to bed, thankful to be in a warm bed instead of a cold, damp tent.
Date: 2018-04-26
From: Elk Garden (Grayson Highlands General Store)

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: overcast clouds

DAY 51Awoke glad we hadn't had to spend a foggy, wet night at Elk Garden. Packed our things and went down to the store to have a quick breakfast. The owner cooked us up a couple of bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches. We had to get a few items for resupply and were happy to find some dehydrated veggies that turned out to be really good. We got our items and he dropped us back at Elk Garden. The day was cool, but the sky was blue and bright. We started up through the meadow and got some beautiful views. Next was the long, rocky, sometimes wet climb up to Mt Rogers. It was a tough climb, but we were excited to hopefully see some ponies. We ate lunch at Thomas Knob Shelter where we ran into Tabasco who was having his lunch. He had decided to do a big day and moved on past Papa Dale and Kingsman. He did mention his arch was a little sore though.Shortly after lunch as we headed for Grayson Highlands State Park we began to see some of the Mt Rogers ponies. We stopped to pet them whenever they were close by, and they seem quite tame. As a matter of fact, if you rustle a bag or dig into your pack looking for something they trot up to you hoping to get fed. The terrain is quite rocky and up and down, plus with all the stops for ponies and pictures we didn't make great time. The day was starting to cloud up and it was starting to look like the rain that is in the forecast is coming. We still hadn't seen many hikers, and with the exception of Tabasco, no familiar faces. When we made it to to Wise Shelter we decided to call it quits for the day and go into the shelter in hopes of staying dry. There was only one other couple in the shelter, so we took our spots and settled in.Soon the rain came, and it rained hard. Eventually more and more hikers came and grabbed the remaining spots in the shelter and it filled quickly with more hiker still arriving. They all hoped for spots, but sadly one by one they headed off to either push on or set up their tents in the rain.Papa Dale and Kingsman were two of the later hikers to arrive looking quite wet. They set up nearby and soon there was quite a tent city around the shelter and just beyond. One later arrival decided she would sleep on the picnic table because it was under the overhang. Generally not a great practice, but people moved their stuff off the picnic table and she did just that. We are glad to be in the shelter where it is at least dry tonight, but it is cramped and damp.