morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-05-12
From: Watauga Lake

To: Iron Mountain, Uncle Nick Grindstaff Memorial
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: clear sky

I was very tired yesterday and slept soundly. I was slow to get going this morning, although it was perfect hiking weather. I usually know when to get up because the first the woods thrushes start singing about 5:50 a.m. It¢s so uncanny that they start the same time every morning. Today I ran into Baby Scrooge, Chatterbox, Greenhorn and Ever-Ready. Today I met a very interesting 73-year-old man (Trail name 65), who is hiking from Key West to Canada! He started December 1 and has already hiked over 2000 miles. He thru-hiked the AT several years ago and is now attempting this incredibly long hike to Canada. Today¢s hike was uneventful except water was hard to come by. I had to treat water with chemicals today for the first time on the trip. I had always been able to drink water from a spring coming straight out of a mountain which is perfectly safe, but today the only water I could find was in a puddle and I did not judge it to be safe without first treating it with chemicals.I am currently camped beside the monument and grave of a man known as Uncle Nick Grindstaff, 1851-1932. Part of the chimney from his cabin where he lived and died was the only thing remaining once his cabin was demolished. This chimney marks his grave. The caption on the monument reads, ¢He lived alone, suffered alone and died alone.¢ It¢s somewhat morose to think of his life being so melancholy, but it was a beautiful spot for his memorial and a very good place for me to camp tonight.
Date: 2012-05-13
From: Iron Mountain, Uncle Nick Grindstaff Memorial

To: 10 miles from Damascus, VA
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The Trail was easier today than I had been used to, being a little more flat than usual. The weather was also nice. Early on I found some Trail Magic provided by the Nelson Chapel Baptist Church who provided food and a soda submerged in icy cold water. The food and drinks were in a very bear-proof metal container with crosses cut into the metal to signify the Christian nature of the donation. I took a lunch break, then found some more great Trail Magic provided by two former thru-hikers and their families. Shawnee, who thru-hiked in1999, and Hiker Trash, who thru-hiked in 2010, provided big kettles of hot soup, cornbread, cookies, drinks, mints and sweet tea. It tasted great and they were very generous. I very much appreciated this unexpected, great tasting Trail Magic provided by these folks. I want to thank Shawnee, Hiker Trash, their families, and the Nelson Chapel Baptist Church for their generosity.The day ended of course in constant rain. I am in my sleeping bag in a shelter 10 miles from Damascus, Virginia. I am looking forward to crossing over into Virginia and also looking forward to an end to this rain.
Date: 2012-05-13
From: 10 miles from Damascus, VA

To: Rain, rain, rain
Miles today: 0.0

My commentary on rain¢¦RAIN. Rain, rain, rain. Mud. Rain. Trail like a river. Rain, rain. Wring out pants, wring out socks, wring out shoes. Rain, rain. Wring out feet. Rain, rain. Slippery mud. Rain, rain. Everything is wet. Rain, rain. Hat dripping. Rain, rain. Only dry area is a small spot behind my pee bag. Rain, rain¢¦WAIT! The sun just came out! I¢m okay now, I think!!!
Date: 2012-05-13
From: Rain, rain, rain

To: Side notes...
Miles today: 0.0

Side notes¢¦Rattlesnakes ¢ People at a nearby shelter reported a 6 foot rattle snake. They moved it into the woods because it was so close to the shelter, but it came back several times because it wanted to eat the mice living around the shelter. Speaking of mice, a week or so ago I was in a shelter sleeping when a mouse ran right across my face! This wakes one up in a hurry, but there¢s nothing you can do about it. At least he didn¢t eat any holes in any of my bags or clothes.Bears - One hiker said that just a few days ago he had seen a mother bear and 3 cubs. It is very unusual that a female would have more than 1-2 cubs, but these 3 seemed to be doing very well.Snot rockets - I have become proficient at getting rid of snot from my nose by just blowing it out, however launching these is somewhat complicated by my overgrown beard.   Characters - Okey Dokey is a gentleman I met who seems to be living out of his backpack, just wandering around, sleeping under bridges and anywhere he can to get out of the weather. He seems quite content with this sort of existence. As noted earlier, he has not driven a car for 10 years and I¢m not sure where he might even call home.Privies ¢ There are no privies in Tennessee! You find a tree and/or dig a hole as there are no other methods of waste disposal.Flora and fauna ¢ There are beautiful plants along the Trail. The Rhododendrons are beautiful with their blue-purple blooms. Mountain Laurel is an evergreen shrub that has white blossoms that look like popcorn from a distance. There is also a beautifully fragrant flowering shrub that I haven¢t been able to identify. The blooms are a wonderful shade of orange and look like large honeysuckle blossoms nestled together.   Trail Days ¢ Beginning Thursday, May 17, is a huge reunion of sorts in Damascus, Virginia known as Trail Days. It¢s a three-day party of former hikers, as well as current hikers, who come to town for free food, free gear and free lectures on the correct way to do things on the AT. They expect about 700 hikers to attend this event, almost doubling the population of 1000 for this small Virginia town.
Date: 2012-05-14
From: Iron Mountain, Uncle Nick Grindstaff Memorial

To: Damascus, Virginia
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: light rain

I started out again this morning with a hard downpour. The Trail was like a river, but fortunately it was a fairly easy, downhill walk to Damascus, Virginia. I have now completed my trek through three states and am starting my fourth. Susie, from Montgomery Homestead, picked me up and took me to her bed and breakfast where I will spend the night. Damascus is a fun place to be. There is much excitement here associated with the upcoming Trail Days which will take place this weekend.   There were many hikers hanging around town waiting for this annual event that occurs the first weekend after Mother¢s Day. It is one big party for hikers who show up. There will be free food, free equipment repair, equipment to buy, and much partying. I am sorry I will miss it, but I feel like I need to continue on the Trail and not wait here another 4 days for the party to begin.While in town I ran into Missouri Mule along with about 20 other hiker acquaintances. I got some ice cream and sweet tea and ate well. I got some laundry done and got cleaned up. I was able to weigh myself and found that I have now lost 35 pounds since starting this journey. It has become apparent that I must eat and drink more.It rained hard today, but I felt good being inside, in a chair, clean, well fed and wondering what else the Trail would bring. My half day of relaxation in Damascus went by much too quickly. It is hard to believe I have been hiking for just over 7 weeks.
Date: 2012-05-15
From: Damascus, Virginia

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: light rain

I had a great breakfast with Missouri Mule at a local eating establishment called Calloway¢s. I took care of a few last minute details while I had a cellular signal, texting and calling. It was hard to get motivated to pack up and leave town, but the sun had come out and it looked like it would be a nice day, so I finally took off. On the way out of town the First Baptist Church was providing free food including homemade cakes, cookies, sandwiches, fruit and drinks. The food was great and once again I am reminded of the generosity of these people along the Trail. There was an elderly man from Ireland there who gave an impromptu performance of a song about the hard times growing up in Ireland. He looked somewhat like an elf and even carried a wooden stick for a cane. The hike out of town is always with mixed emotions because you don¢t know what the day will bring. Today I ran into quite a few section hikers who were heading southbound to the Trail Days party in Damascus. I also ran into Red Wolf, whom I had not seen for a week or so. Today¢s hike was rather tough, a steep uphill hike in near 100% humidity with no breeze. I arrived at Saunders Shelter where I was joined by three very nice gentlemen from southern Wisconsin who were out for a section hike and heading for Damascus. They apparently met on a curling team in the town where they live. One was originally from New Zealand. They were finishing their 5-6 day section hike, so gave me some of their food, which I gladly accepted. I couldn¢t take too much as I would just have to carry it for the next week or so. This ended up being a good day with good miles and some beautiful vista views. Saunders Shelter was also nice.
Date: 2012-05-16
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Whitetop Mountain
Miles today: 10.3

Today the weather was beautiful for a change! I saw many southbound hikers heading to Damascus for Trail Days. There were also many section hikers doing the same. I met a couple of older gentlemen (in their 70s) who were good friends who were thru-hikers 10-15 years ago, one from Texas and one from New York. They get together periodically and attend the Trail Days reunion. The gentleman from New York is also a caretaker for the shelter in Upper Goose Pond in Massachusetts. Perhaps I will see him again when I get there Today was a good day, but a rough hiking day. There were many ups and downs today and the entire afternoon was spent going up to the top of Whitetop Mountain where I am camping tonight.   From the top the views are awesome. There is poor cell phone reception here, but I will try to get messages through to my family. I am tired and about ready to call it a day.
Date: 2012-05-17
From: Whitetop Mountain

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I have reached the 500 mile mark! It was a beautiful day weather-wise, but I was very tired by midday. I¢ve been trying to eat and drink more, but I am still very fatigued. I hiked over the Grayson Highlands area, a beautiful open area with piles and piles of large rocks which made it hard walking up and down. The Trail was fairly slick from all the rain and mud and it was also fairly steep. I fell down a couple of times, even though I was being very careful. No serious injuries, just a couple of bruises. The Highlands is a pretty area with lots of open area and large rocks. These rocks reminded me of structures I saw when I was on the Serengeti Plains in Africa called Kopke, which were favorite hangouts for lions and other animals who would climb to the top and look down across the Serengeti for food.A couple of Trail Angels showed up out of nowhere today. As I was walking across this open area on Grayson Highlands, an ER Physician¢s Assistant and friend from the Asheville area showed up. They knew that thru-hikers were typically hungry and they gave me all the food they had including two pieces of chocolate, a box of cookies and some saltine crackers, as well as a bottle of water. I was especially thankful for the water as I was getting low. Again, the generosity of people along the Trail is amazing. The weather was perfect until about 6:30 this evening when of course it started to rain. I am staying at Wise Shelter tonight along with a lady named Sandy from PA. She is section hiking Virginia, which is the longest state on the Trail. It covers about 550 miles, almost one-fourth of the entire length of the AT. She has hiked before and is quite knowledgeable.
Date: 2012-05-18
From: Wise Shelter

To: Hurricane Mountain shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: broken clouds

It was a nice day weather-wise, cool and misty early, but a considerable improvement over last night. We had one of the worst thunder and lightning storms I have ever seen. It went on for one or two hours and seemed to be centered directly over my head! I was in a shelter and safe and had no problems, but I felt sorry for those scattered along the Trail who were sleeping in tents or hammocks. Last night¢s rain turned the Trail into a river again with lots of slippery rocks and roots. During the morning the Trail went through an area where the wild horses live. Even in the mist I counted 25 horses, including many newborn. The horses are fairly familiar with hikers and if you stand still they will even come up and lick yours clothes and skin to get the salt from your sweat. There were also some longhorn cattle grazing in this area, some with horns 18-20 inches long. The cows, however, were less likely to come close. I went through an old livestock corral up in the mountain called The Scales, which has quite a history associated with farmers who used to graze their cattle and horses in the area. The Trail seemed deserted today since many hikers have left for Trail Days. It was a good day for hiking and I felt much stronger than I have for the last several days. I think I am having blood pressure issues and decided to deal with that by not taking my blood pressure medication. I found a spot on top of the mountain and was able to make a few phone calls. I will be spending the night at The Hurricane Mountain shelter with Sandy from PA.
Date: 2012-05-19
From: Hurricane Mountain shelter

To: Louise Chatfield Shelter
Miles today: 27.0
Weather: clear sky

Last night was good with no rain! I hiked quickly to Dickey Gap, then went to Hurricane Creek campground which is operated by the National Park Service. There I found a thru-hiker I had seen several times before known as 8 O¢Clock Sharp. He was there with his family. His nephew, who had been hiking with him, had developed some foot problems, so I examined him and gave him some treatment recommendations. I also saw Marsha from Florida. She is the caretaker of the campground and lives near the entrance in her 5th wheel. I actually ran into her on the 4th day of my hike when she stopped at Neel¢s Gap to look at some supplies. I remembered her from approximately 7 weeks ago. She kindly fixed me breakfast of fried eggs, ham, toast and excellent coffee, which I greatly appreciated.After breakfast, 8 O¢Clock Sharp¢s family gave me a ride to a local Exxon station in Sugar Grove where I had pizza and sweet tea, something I had been very hungry for.   While sitting in the shade eating my pizza, about 50 Harley motorcycles rode up and parked in the parking lot. They were being followed by a Jeep with the top down. Standing in the Jeep was a person filming this procession of Harleys. Apparently this was some special outing. I walked around and talked to some of the owners. At one point a lady came up to me and offered to give me money that she was holding in her hand. I was quite touched as she obviously thought I was a bum and was in need, so she took up an impromptu collection from the bikers! I gave her a big hug and returned the money, explaining to her that I was fine financially and that I was walking the AT, but that I certainly appreciated her generosity. I understand why she may have been misled about my situation as I actually do look like a bum! I have not had a haircut or shaved in 3 months!When the bikers were ready to leave I asked for a ride back to the Trail. They were considering this, but Virginia state law requires that you wear a helmet and I didn¢t have one. So better yet, they gave me a ride in the Jeep with all the motorcycles following! I did, in fact, have a ride back to the Trail with a huge Harley escort, which was quite impressive!!They left me off at the Partnership shelter, which is the fanciest shelter I have seen thus far. It is a two-story structure with a shower and running water! The water is heated with a solar heater and was actually slightly warm for my shower, not ice cold like I thought it might be. After my shower I hiked toward Atkins, staying with a couple of section hikers at the Louise Chatfield Shelter.Today was a very good day as I covered some good miles and had a motorcycle escort back to the Trail!
Date: 2012-05-20
From: Louise Chatfield Shelter

To: Atkins, Virginia
Miles today: 4.5

I left the Louise Chatfield shelter later than usual as I knew I would not have any problem making it the 4.5 mile hike to Atkins. The hike was fairly easy and mostly downhill. I was in a little bit of a hurry because I wanted to get to The Barn in Atkins, which I had been told has a Sunday brunch. I got into town, and by town I mean the place had six buildings at most. I got a room, cleaned up, and went to The Barn where I had a very good Sunday buffet. I sat there for 60-90 minutes just eating, drinking and eating some more! I met up with some of my thru-hiker friends, Greenhorn and Stone Ticker. During the afternoon I did laundry and cleaned up my gear by washing it out and throwing away some junk pieces. I sent several text messages and made several phone callsI tried shopping for supper, but found the only possibilities were closed! These were places like filling stations that advertise food, but apparently closed early because it was Sunday. It was shocking how little food was in the grocery store and that so many shelves were bare with no apparent attempt to restock. It looks like I¢m going to be eating Uncle Ben¢s rice for the next week because it is the only grocery item I could find. The only thing I could find for supper was a bag of Cheetos and a Coke, so that was supper for today. Tomorrow I will buy more junk food to give me more calories until I can reach the next town, which is Bland, 5 days away. I hope to have a decent breakfast at The Barn tomorrow.Today was a good day to relax, kick back, enjoy the beautiful weather and get those things done that periodically need done but that cannot be done on the Trail. I was glad to be able to make contact with friends and family.
Date: 2012-05-21
From: Atkins, Virginia

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Breakfast at The Barn today consisted of biscuits and gravy and lots of good coffee. It was a good day for hiking most of the time, but just as I started to break for lunch, it started storming. I decided to keep moving just so I could stay warm. It only rained about 45 minutes, but was a cold, hard rain. The sun finally came out as I hiked across several hilly cow pastures. It got really hot and the grass was so wet that my shoes were soon soaking wet, as well. There was much appreciated Trail magic in a cooler at the bottom of a very steep up which included sodas, Little Debbie¢s and PBJ sandwiches. This was perfect as I was getting very low on food. I stopped for the night at Knot Maul Branch Shelter, just before it started raining hard again. It was fairly crowded there, but it was good to be inside. After the rain let up, somebody got a fire going and we shared marshmallows roasted over the fire.
Date: 2012-05-22
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: overcast clouds

The day started out great with only a few ups and downs, but then there was a big up, 4.5 miles of a combination of switch-back and open meadow hiking near the top. I passed a small pond on the up that was filled with singing bullfrogs. Near there was a small spring where I got some water. I had to treat it with chemicals because it was just a small trickle and didn¢t look particularly safe, but there were no other water sources within several miles. It took quite a long time to get to the top of the mountain, but the view is beautiful from there. On top of this mountain is Chestnut Knob Shelter, a concrete building with four walls and a door. I haven¢t found such a nice shelter as this up to now, as all the other shelters had three walls with a roof made of wood. You can close the door of this shelter and stay warm and dry no matter how hard it storms, and of course it did start storming mid-afternoon. I debated about walking on in the rain, but instead stayed in the shelter and enjoyed the comfort of a warm, dry place. Other hikers joining me were Knoxville, I Don¢t Know and Jonah with his dog, Zephyr. We spent the night as it stormed outside. I didn¢t get in many miles today because I just didn¢t feel like grinding out the miles in the bad weather.
Date: 2012-05-23
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: light rain

I had hoped to have some good views this morning, but it was cloudy and foggy and I couldn¢t see much of anything. I left early for what looked like an easy day with a fairly long flat area, but there were loads of rocks and ups and downs. The rocks slow you down because you have to step up, down, over and around. There were very large jumbles of rocks the size of bushel baskets which made the hike difficult.   I also noticed some rocks with intricate designs that looked like a tangle of roots, but later found out they were petrified worms.I ran into several section hikers today who had seen bears. This area is known for its many bears and apparently a lot of people have had luck seeing them, but I have not. There was more great Trail magic where the Trail crossed a gravel road. The local Lutheran church brought a great amount of lemonade, as well as water. Water was getting very scarce so these were both greatly appreciated. On the other side of the road they had more Trail magic in the form of hard boiled eggs inscribed with Bible passages, applies, candy,and PBJ sandwiches. They had left supplies of medicine one might need including powder for your feet. They also left a phone number you could call if you wanted someone to come and get you, take you home and feed you, and make you comfortable for an overnight stay in their home. I very much appreciated this Trail magic, but chose to stay on the Trail. The Trail was wet and slick all day from yesterday¢s hard rains. I fell again, this time landing on a huge rock. I suffered only bruises and scrapes, nothing too serious. I arrived at the Jenkins Shelter for a break. The privy was interesting as it had no walls, just a toilet. There was no privacy at all. It was sunny, so after a rest I prepared to continue on, but it began raining very hard. I decided just to stay at the shelter and finish with very short mileage for another day. Several other hikers stopped in, including the Troverts (¢ In¢ is the man and ¢Ex¢ is the lady), a married couple from Mississippi. Little Wolf, who is in his early 70s and thru hiked the AT 18 years ago, is trying it again stopped by. The 73-year-old gentleman whose Trail name is 65 and who I met previously and is hiking from the Keys to Canada also stopped in. He started 12/01/11 and has now gone over 2800 miles. He is having a lot of pain in one knee which is making his hike difficult. Another gentleman named One joined us. This was a very interesting group of intelligent, proficient hikers who have hiked many, many miles before, so I learned a lot by watching then and talking to them. We all stayed in the shelter, while Gandolf and J-Dub slept in tents outside. We had no problems, but previously there had been a problem with bears here. It was reported that a bear walked on a tent with someone inside it two weeks ago at this shelter.
Date: 2012-05-24
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Near Bland, Virginia
Miles today: 11.0

It only sprinkled this morning, not even enough to put on my raincoat, and then the sun came out. It was an otherwise fine day weather-wise, but the Trail was again slippery and muddy. The hike was relatively east without too many ups and downs. It is a beautiful evening.Tomorrow I will go into Bland, Virginia and take some time off. I¢m worn down, have lost too much weight and I am concerned about my blood pressure. I will take two or three days off to rest, eat and hopefully get my energy level back. I have done several low mileage days and I need to be able to crank out more miles if I hope to reach Katahdin by the end of the hiking season.Several hikers have seen bears. Today a thru-hiker known as Semple See saw four bear cubs. Surprisingly he did not see the mother bear anywhere. Right now I am camped just outside of Bland, Virginia and have my food in a bear bag hanging from a limb. I hope to reach Bland fairly early tomorrow and find something to eat.