morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-04-14
From: Mt Collins Shelter

To: Pecks Corner Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: light rain

Another early start, weather is going to get real bad, rain, snow, sleet and below freezing temps next day or 2 so a bunch of people are heading into town. In the clouds all day so no views. Passed through Newfound Gap, usually a very busy spot for tourists but it was cold, windy and empty. Rain and wind in the afternoon, got to the shelter by 3:00, only one person there but started to fill fast, going to be a bad night and everyone wanted a dry place to sleep. Rained on and off all night, shelter was packed to bursting with hanging wet cloths, backpacks, and hikers. People filed the double stack sleeping platforms and the floor. A lot seemed to be a from a big group of Thru Hikers that all knew each other, a lot of loud talking, I eventually had to break out the earplugs to go to sleep. Around 10 pm 2 hikers showed up, he was friends with the group and brought them food so they got all fired up again and had a big discussion before they finally went to sleep.
Date: 2014-04-15
From: Pecks Corner Shelter

To: Standing Bear Farm
Miles today: 23.6
Weather: overcast clouds

As predicted rained during the night an temps started to drop, call was for rain/sleet today and temps in the teens by tomorrow morning, I decided I would push it back to the car today and be warm tonight, it would be a long day. Temps were not too bad at first but the rain was no fun. As the morning progressed you could feel it get colder and colder. Rain got heavy and wind picked up on the exposed ridge lines. Eventually it started to sleet then snow, snow got deep enough to totally cover the ground. It was a day to listen to music and push the miles, hiked from 7 am to 5:30 pm. Stopped a few times to get water or eat, did not see anyone else on the trail, only in the shelters. No views again today but it was pretty with the snow. Feet hurt and knees ached on the long downhill out of the GSMNP. Finally made it back to the car, go to a hotel and warmed up/ dried out.
Date: 2014-04-26
From: Damascus VA

To: Pond Campsite
Miles today: 480.4
Weather: clear sky

This is my first entry in my 2014 Appalachian Trail journal. I do have 2012 and 2013 journals that start at the southern point of the Appalachian Trail and record my 468.7 mile journey to this point.Billy (Billy Goat), Tom (cobweb) and my self arrive in Damascus VA on Friday 4/25/14 and spend the night at the Hikers Hostel. On Saturday we leave the Hostel and head north on the Appalachian Trail that goes right through town. Right before we leave town we stop at Mojo's for breakfast. I was going to buy a sub sandwich at the Subway store for lunch but they were closed even though they were suppose to be open for breakfast. Looks like my food bag will be a little lighter. We leave town at 8am under clear skies and 47 degrees. The trail starts out on the easy creeper trail for the first quarter mile then heads up the mountain via a wooden stair case. We continue up Iron Mountain for 1000'. Before I get to the top Bill and Tom separate themselves from me. The trail flattens out for about a mile then drops about 700' and crosses the Creeper Trail. The Creeper Trail is a bike trail that follows the old train line up thru the mountains so the elevation change is modest. This route up thru the mountain is unfortunately too easy for the Appalachian Trail. Then its a 1100' climb to Saunders Shelter. I arrive at the shelter at 1pm very tired. Bill and Tom are just getting ready to leave and inform me that they are pushing on for the next shelter 6.4 miles away. Our original plan was to stop at the Ponds campsite 2.4 miles away. My 30 minute stop for lunch turned into 90 minutes. My legs cramped up and I had to wait longer than expected to continue. I did get to talk to two lawyers out for a 100 mile hike. Finally back on the trail at 2:30pm feeling a little better. I arrive at the Ponds campsite at 4pm and as expected Bill and Tom are not here. Since its my first day hiking this year and the leg cramps I decide to stop here after 11.7 miles. A few other hikers pass over the next couple hours but no one stops.
Date: 2014-04-27
From: Pond Campsite

To: Stealth Camp Site, North Side of Whitetop Mtn.
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

I packed up early this morning with the aid of my head lamp. I started hiking in the dark at 6:25am while drinking my concoction of Breakfast Essentials, powdered milk and Starbucks Via with cold water. The first one and half mile was slight down hill to the creeper trail. Then a slight incline next to a creek for the next mile. Then a 600' incline for the next two miles to Lost Mountain Shelter where I had a snack. After the shelter it was down hill for one mile to US-58 foot bridge. Filtered 2 liters of water for the hard 2000' climb over the next 5 miles. About one mile up I stopped for a rest. Then I heard some one yell "Sparky Dave", its the two lawyers I met yesterday. We hike together for the next mile but I slow down on the constant uphill hike. My legs were cramping again, but I pushed on since I could see the top. Once over the ridge I could see that the hill flattens out some, but the top is still aways off. I stop on the flat area for lunch and a rest. As i try to leave after 30 minutes the same thing happen as yesterday, my legs cramp up. I lay down and fall asleep for about one hour. I continue up the hill and summit the ridge, only to see that I'm at Buzzard Rock, 150' below the top. The views from Buzzard Rock are fantastic [ picture on this page is from Buzzard Rock]. I continue up to the parking lot for White Top Mountain. I keep a look out for the camp site and the two lawyers who are suppose to be there as well as the water source. I finally see the camp site but no water. I press on mainly because I am almost out of water. As I head down the other side of White Top Mountain for about one mile I cross a stream and load up knowing that I may be stoping for the night away from water. I continue down looking for a suitable camp site. After a mile I find a spot although not mentioned in the guide book. This is known as stealth camping. Its 5:25pm as I set up camp. No one else passes, so its alone for the second night.
Date: 2014-04-28
From: Stealth Camp Site, North Side of Whitetop Mtn.

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

It rained last night starting at 3am and ending at 6:30am. since I was up early and did'nt want to pack up in the rain I took the time to make via coffee and Mountain House eggs with bacon. I was on the trail at 7:15am, cloudy and 50 degrees. After a mile I was approaching the bottom where I could see route 600 and the AT parking lot. I also see a hiker packing up his gear just inside the woods next to the parking lot. To my surprise its Billy Goat. I though they were further in front of me. Apparently the long first day forced Tom to stop early yesterday. Bill tells me Tom left about 30 minutes ago. As bill finishes packing up I cross route 600 and enter Lewis Fork Wilderness thru a fence. Its a 1000' low incline climb to the top. After a short time Bill catches up to me and we make plans to meet at the shelter at the top. As I get closer to the top the rain starts and the path gets rocky. I pass the side trail that takes you to the summit for Mt. Rogers, the highest peak in VA. Due to the clouds and rain I pass up the .5 mile detour. The light rain soon turns into a heavy rain and I find myself going as fast as I can until I reach Thomas Knob Shelter. Billy is there, apparently he arrived before the heavy rain. We eat as we wait out the rain. We will be entering the famous Grayson Highlands State Park shortly where we hope to see the wild ponies. We also know that the rain will force the horses to take shelter. After 30 minutes we leave even though there is a light rain. We pass thru a fence stile as the rain stops. As we go around the first bend we get our first sighting of wild horses. As we stop to take pictures some ponies approach us. We press on and go thru a rock tunnel called Fatman Squeeze. As we walk thru the park we see many ponies off in the distance as well as up close. The terrain in the park looks like the Mid West grass lands. We walk thru a couple more fence stiles that divide the park. Billy and I are both low on water but we pass up some water sources due to the abundance of horse manure. Once we leave the park we load up with water before we get to the shelter. We get to Wise Shelter at 3:30 pm. Much to our surprise Tom is not here. Its early so we are thinking of pressing on after a short rest. After a short while it starts to rain, then its pouring very hard. As we sit in the shelter two hiker arrives soaked. The rain does not let up so we are here for the evening. As we talked to the other two hikers who also hiked thru the park, they said they only got a distant glimpse of a couple horses. We felt fortunate to get many up close encounters with the ponies.
Date: 2014-04-29
From: Wise Shelter

To: Hurricane Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 11.0

It rained thru out the night. Stayed in my sleeping bag after dawn due to the rain and cold weather. Finally out on the trail at 9:20am in a light rain and 50 degrees. We crossed a couple swollen creeks. The trail was also rocky and slippery due to the wet conditions. The rain stops but it gets foggy. We stopped at Old Orchard Shelter for lunch and water. Bill leaves a little before me and we agree to meet at Hurricane Mountain Shelter 5 miles away. I felt pretty good this afternoon hiking, the best I've felt since I started this spring hike. The rocks also seemed to go away and the terrain got a little easier. One last eight hundred foot climb over Iron Mountain and then down to the shelter. Before I took the side trail to the shelter I loaded up with water at the creek next to the trail. The water had a red tint to it which I thought would go away once I filtered it but it did not. I meet bill at the shelter and he mentioned that his water also has a red tint to it. We figure the creek must of ran over top of leaves that gave it this particular color but the water tasted fine. Bill informs me that he would like to press on for 5 more miles to see if he can get a ride to the hostel in Troutdale at the gap. I would rather not press on, 11 miles seems to be a good day for me considering the rocky and wet conditions. Bill presses on and I spend the night at the shelter. Six thru hikers arrive throughout the evening. I stay in the shelter tonight because it looks like we could get some rain.
Date: 2014-04-30
From: Hurricane Mtn. Shelter

To: Campsite West Side of the Trail
Miles today: 13.0
Weather: overcast clouds

The night went fast so I must of slept good. I'm the first one up and out of the shelter at 7:15am. Downhill for first one and a half miles. Legs and calf feel pretty good today. The trail flattens out for a little bit before I hit Dickey gap, this is where Bill hitchhiked in to Troutdale. There is no cell service in this area so I'm not sure if Bill is in front of me or he did not arrive at this gap yet. I take a little break here with two thru hikers and then continue on by myself. I figure if Bill is behind me he will catch me. I go up for 750 feet and when I reach the top I have cell service. I text bill and Tom my location hoping to meet up with them at some point. I desend 700 feet to Trimpi Shelter for lunch. Its 12:15 and I have already done 9.1 miles. I did feel hungry today at lunch, so I took the time to make myself a hot meal and wound up staying for one and a half hours. Once back on the trail I go through a fencestile and walk through a cow field. All of a sudden an insect flies into my ear. I don't know whether it's a big fly or a wasp, since I have seen both in this field. I shake my head back and forth vigorously trying to dislodge the insect to no avail. I stop and take out a small mirror hoping to see into my ear but It's no help. I then see a hiker coming through the cow field. I take out tweezers from my first aid kit and as the hiker arrives I ask him to see if he can pull the insect out of my ear. At first he says he doesn't see anything but upon looking further into my ear he catches a glimpse of something deep in my ear. He pulls it out and sure enough it's a wasp. Sure glad it didn't sting me. I go downhill for a little bit further crossover two country roads and then start climbing slowly uphill. The guide book tells me that there's a campsite on the west side of the trail near a creek. I decide to look for this site to spend the night. I come upon a spot where I think could be the spot, but I'm not sure. I decide to stop here not wanting to take any chances. Its 4:30 when I make camp. I covered 13 miles. I'm in my tent at 7:30pm due to the rain that started. A fellow hiker stops by and he too is confused as to whether this is the campsite referenced in the guide book. He also decides to stay here.
Date: 2014-05-01
From: Campsite West Side of the Trail

To: Marion Va.
Miles today: 7.5

It rained some last night so I have to pack up a wet tent. I'm on the trail by 6:45 a.m. This is my sixth straight day on the trail without a resupply and I'm looking forward to going into Marion Virginia today. There are 2 shuttles into town one at 9:30am and another one at 11:15am. I hope to be at the Mount Rogers Visitor Center in time to catch the 11:15am shuttle into town. I started my hike this morning by continuing uphill. I never do see the campsite on the left side of the trail so I guess I was at the right campsite last night. after a mile I do spot fresh bear Pawl prints along the trail. I find I'm making good time this morning even though I'm going slightly uphill for the first 4 miles, then it's a slight downhill hike for the next 5 miles. The thought of town food must have been very inspiring for me this morning because I completed the 9 mile hike by arriving at Partnership shelter at 9:50am. Partnership Shelter is a very nice large shelter, it even has a shower with water supplied by the visitor center, although I understand that the hot water furnace is broke at this time. I have plenty of time to explore the visitor center as well as clean up in a real bathroom. I also call the bus service using a land line to make sure that they'll be coming out at 11:15am. there are three other hikers on the shuttle with me as we continue down the mountain into town. We all start talking about food and where we would like to eat. Someone in the bus/van suggests the all you can eat Chinese restaurant everybody else chimes in that that sounds good with them. Before we reach town I finally get cell service and contact Bill and Tom. They arrived at town earlier in the morning. they meet me at the Chinese restaurant for lunch. After lunch I check in AR the motel, wash my clothes and resupply at the Super Walmart. We eat dinner at A Mexican restaurant which is right down the street. It feels good to be sleeping in a real bed tonight.
Date: 2014-05-02
From: Marion Va.

To: Davis Path Campsite
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

Slept great last night. It's our plan to catch the 9:00am bus back to the visitor center this morning. The bus service only costs $1. It's a great service not only for hikers coming off the mountain but also for the town people. They have multiple buses running throughout the town. We eat breakfast this morning at the McDonalds, hop on the bus and are back on the trail by 9:30am. Over the first five miles we climb a modest 750'. Then drop 1400' over the next 5 miles. We stop at the Lindamood School for a snack. This school is part of a museum, its a one room school and it looks exactly the way it was when it stopped being used in 1938. There was a cooler full of sodas and a basket full of candy for the hikers. Great southern hospitality. I saw in the register book that T-Rex, a hiker I hike with last year is about 3 days in front of us. We continue for another 2 miles until we come upon route 81, at this point there is a restaurant called the Barn. We stopped in and all three of us order cheese steak hoagies and Coke. After lunch we cross under route 81 and start heading back up hill for the next 4 miles. Due to the uphill terrain Bill and Tom separate themselves from me but we made plans to camp at Davis patch. A little before I arrived at Camp I see an animal running down the hill and cross over the trail and jumps on the back side of a tree so I can't see him. Then he pokes his head around and I notice it's a raccoon. Once he sees me he jumps off the tree and continues downhill. It was a very funny sight to see. I arrived at Davis patch campsite at 5:30 p.m. Bill and Tom are already there. This campsite used to have a shelter that had burnt down, so the picnic bench is still there and the privy is also still there, but no shelter. This campsite is a little hilly but we were able to find three tent sites for the evening. We covered 14.1 miles today, not bad considering that we started in town in the morning.
Date: 2014-05-03
From: Davis Path Campsite

To: Lynn Camp Footbridge Campsite
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: few clouds

It was a little cold last night I was on the trail by 7:15 a.m. There were lots of short ups and downs then three seven hundred foot climbs. There was only one nice view today. I hiked by myself for most of the day. Bill and Tom were ahead of me. Late in the afternoon I met a hiker on the trail heading south. He was wearing jeans and other clothing that a normal hiker would not wear. After talking to him I learned that he was a fairly recent hiker. I continue down the last hill and briefly stopped at Knot Maul Branch Shelter. I continued for one more mile and came upon Lynn Camp Creek footbridge campsite. Tom and Bill were already there along with another hiker. I set up my tent among the rhododendron bushes. There was a nice Creek here to wash up and also rinse out my clothing. My freeze dried lasagna tasted extra good today because of the rough terrain. I ended my hike at 5 o'clock after doing 12.3 miles. I talked to the other hiker at the campsite and learned that he was waiting on a friend of his that was only a short distance away at the last shelter, he couldn't understand why it was taking him so long to get down to the campsite. Then it occurred to me, could that amateur hiker I met on the trail be his friend. If it was he was walking in the wrong direction. After I describe the person to him he realized it was him. He quickly had to gather up a few items and headed up the trail hoping that he could catch him before his friend went to many miles in the wrong direction and be stranded alone.
Date: 2014-05-04
From: Lick Creek Footbridge Campsite

To: Davis Farm Campsitye
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

As I exited my tent I noticed an additional tent in camp and assumed it was the missing hiker. I was the first one out of camp at 7am. The first mile was a shallow incline then a short steep drop to cross over a stream and VA 625. I then started the 2100' 4.4 mile climd up Chestnut Knob. Half way up Tom and Bill catch me. The top portion of the mountain had large clearings that gave us great southern views. As we reached the top we were fooled twice by false summits. Finally at the top we enjoyed 360 degree views. The shelter at the top is fully enclosed due to the windy conditions on top of the summit. After our break we head down the steep rocky trail for 1.5 miles. The trail then become very rocky with large boulders and went up for 20' then down for 20' continually. This trail condition is slowing me down and Tom and Bill are soon out of site. This condition continues for 4 miles. A south bound hiker passes me and informs me of good tail magic at the next road crossing. This gives me renewed energy as I think about the possible food that is ahead. I find my self moving faster and faster worried that the food magic my be gone when I get there. Finally I reach the trail crossing and yes, there is trail magic. Tom is here, but Bill has moved on. The host of the trail magic is Chin Music and his wife. Chin Music is a dentist and a 2013 thru hiker. I enjoy a hot dog, hamburger, corn, chips, apple and mountain due. Due to the 1 1/2 hour stay Tom and me are stiff and move on very slowly. We decide to stop one hour down the trail at Davis Farm Campsite. We reach the side trail to the camp site but decide not to travel the .5 mile down the side trail, but make camp along the AT trail. We think Bill is 3 mile ahead at the next shelter. I covered 14.1 tough miles today.
Date: 2014-05-05
From: Davis Farm Campsitye

To: Bland Va.
Miles today: 15.0

Left at 6:40am after Tom. We want to make it to Bland VA and we know it will be a long day. Started off by going a little up hill then down for 800' then up for 150' then down again for 800'. At this point I stopped for good water even though the guide book said unreliable. We covered 3.2 miles to get to Jenkins Shelter at 8:10am where we meet Bill. Once we left the shelter we went up for 600' then the trail was some what level for the next 3 miles. We then dropped 600' to Laurel Creek at VA 615. Two hikers were just getting into the creek for a swim. Way to cold for me. For the next 6.5 miles we make a moderate 700' climb and a couple small ups and downs. Bill had hiked ahead during this stretch while Tom and I stay in site. At 3pm we arrive at the Gravel road above US 52. Bill was there and he makes a call to Bubba, a shuttle driver from Bland VA. We will meet him .5 miles down the gravel road at US 52. We covered 15 miles today. Bubba picked us up in his pick up truck and dropped us off at the Big Walker Motel. Bill and Tom shared a room and I got my own. There was no laundry at the motel or close by so i had to wash my clothes in the sink and hang them around the room. We had dinner at the DQ and walked down to the Dollar General to resupply. The bed was not to good but after 4 days in the woods it will due.
Date: 2014-05-06
From: Bland Va.

To: Jenny Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

Up and out of the Motel at 8am. Bill, Tom and me walked down to the Subway for breakfast and a to go sub for lunch. Bubba picked us up at 9am and on the trail by 9:20am. We all agreed that the name "Bland" fit this town. We started off by going down 300' for the first mile then up 400' for the next mile then a lot off 100' to 200' ups and downs. It was hot today with little shade. I did enjoy my subway for lunch today. I was moving slow after lunch until I was able to get water just south south of VA 611. I finished up at Jenny Knob Shelter at 4pm after 12 miles. Tom, Bill and me are the only ones here and we are all tenting.