morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-05-30
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: Grassy Bald Ridge
Miles today: 17.9

Day 28Tuesday, May 30, 2017 Iron Mountain Gap (363.1) to Grassy Ridge Bald (381)Miles: 17.92017 AT trip miles: 381Total AT miles to date: 1674.3Weather: Partly cloudy to sunny, pleasant, 60sDinner: One pot taco dinner, cliff bar  Hikers: Southbound Puck, Early Bird and Worm, ScreechWildlife: Two more tame rabbits, bear paw print in mudI had intended to stay at the Roan High Knob Shelter tonight after a 15-mile day. Rain Mountain is over 6,000 feet and the shelter is nestled within a spruce forest. Much of the afternoon felt like Maine, but I arrived a little after 4 to an empty enclosed building buzzing with flies and some senseless left behind garbage¢and I couldn't locate the spring. Because I want to hit a hostel tomorrow, putting in more miles today means less tomorrow and am I ever glad I pushed on. Am spending the night atop a bald, still not unlike Maine¢but with a view of the sun setting over the southern Appalachian mountain peaks. It's blustery but one of my best campsites to date. I woke up this morning with hair that Kay described as an 80s skateboarding look. Unlike last year, I didn't get my hair cut short. Like last year I have not packed a comb. Depending on the hotel, hostel or friend, I may or may not have access to conditioner, yet my hair has remained tangle-free. Wild yes. But snarly? Not yet. Interesting¢¦perhaps hair care products are entirely over rated. Like yesterday, Kay shuttled me back up to Iron Mountain Gap sonI could resume my hike north. No wildlife sightings en route today except for the two scampering rabbits I saw late this afternoon descending Roan Mountain. And a bear paw print overlapping hiker shoe prints ascending Roan Mountain. Made noise for a while but didn't see any actual bear. Today was my first day in a week with a fully loaded pack. A little slow going and my dry shoes soon became drenched walking through a dewy meadow and past an ancient apple tree. I pondered if this had once been a carefully cleared and tended homestead. As a normal person (i.e. not a hiker), you can reach the summit of Roan Mountain by means of driving a 1.9 mile road. It took me more than three hours to hike 4.5 miles to the summit parking lot. Another place to revisit by car, to be sure. Filled up my water bottle and kept going. And going. When I saw the balds from the Carvers Gap parking lot I knew I had made the right decision. Another two miles and I ran into Screech already set up for the night on the third bald. Home! Made dinner and stayed up to watch the sun set. The only problem with is great site is lack of trees. I sent my Ursack critter-proof food bag home in place of a lighter food bag which is now sitting, unsecured, on a rock about 50 yards away from my tent. We'll see if I will be eating breakfast tomorrow morning or not.
Date: 2017-05-31
From: Grassy Bald Ridge

To: Mountain Harbour B&B and Hostel
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 29Wednesday, May 31, 2017 Grassy Ridge Bald (381) to US 19E (393.8)Miles: 12.8 miles in 7.25 hours with one break 2017 AT trip miles: 393.8Total AT miles to date: 1687.1Weather: Sunny, pleasant, 60sDinner: Teriyaki burgerHikers: 8 or more new faces at the hostelI woke up to see the sun rise over the opposite side of the tent. This definitely was the best campsite to date. Plus my food bag remained untouched. Win-win.Most of today was spent traversing the Roan Highlands¢a series of unforested ¢balds.¢ It was spectacular hiking. Blue skies, cool breezes. You could see the trail for miles. This reminded me very much of a grassy version of Maine¢s Baldplate peaks without the rebar¢New Hampshire without the rocks. And then the trail descended four miles down to US 19E and for a time, it very much reminded me of New Hampshire. Or Pennsylvania. Rocks. Roots. Rocks and roots. I was hellbent on getting to tonight's hostel early enough to get some writing done. I finally reached the rhododendron level. The air was warmer. I am so not a southern woman. Arrived at the hostel at 3 p.m. only to discover that a hiking group has booked all of the bunks and the B&B rooms are full as well. Option was to tent or take the tree house. The tree house has a queen size bed. I can work with that.
Date: 2017-06-03
From: Pond Flat Campsite

To: Boots Off Hostel
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: broken clouds

Day 32Saturday, June 3, 2017 Pond Flats Campsite (423.7) to Boots Off Hostel (427)Miles: 3.3 miles in 1.5 hours2017 AT trip miles: 427Total AT miles to date: 1720.3Weather: Sunny, warm, 70sDinner: TBDHikers: Two guys on the trail day-hiking and with a new podcast recommendation and thus far, two guys here at the hostel of undetermined direction/later: Oreo and GramsSlept. Like. A. Log. Last night. Oh boy. Didn't matter that I was alone or in bear country. The Nalgene bottle shower probably helped as well. Slept in until 7 a.m. then took my time getting to the hostel at the bottom of the unnamed 3700-foot mountain, arriving around 10:30. After sustaining several days of decent mileages, that average is taking a hit today. But a nero or zero is a good thing.Boots Off is a newer hostel and the three bunkhouses are free-standing ¢tiny houses¢ holding four beds each. Thus far, I have my house to myself. This is a good thing. I¢m not too sure about the other two guests¢one of whom is currently talking to himself in the outhouse nearby and the other is smoking like a smoldering campfire and playing Fox News over his phone in the Common Area. Not using headphones is at best, poor form; at worst, rude. Fox News Guy introduced himself as hiking the trail for the experience and not the miles. Apparently the only miles he put in yesterday were between the Hampton, Tenn. Microtel Inn and this hostel, four miles by car¢which is how I¢m guessing he arrived here. After the third cigarette, I moved back to the porch of my bunkhouse. And our other current guest just walked by me back to his bunkhouse, still muttering. Am hoping other hikers to show up tonight otherwise the nightly bonfire could be pretty insufferable. Plus I'm missing our family friend¢s, Claire, wedding today back home. My friend Beckie, her daughter Claire, my daughter Kacia and I used to go on annual canoe trips beginning when the girls were in middle school through high school. So there¢s that. At least Kacia will get her Dad out on the dance floor tonight.I met two other local Tennessee men heading down this morning while I had stopped to download more History Chicks podcasts. We got to talking and they told me about a new one, Lovett or Leave It. I listened to one episode before reaching the hostel and now wish I would have caught up to them to let them know this podcast is a keeper. Meeting them restored a little confidence after the littering Laurel Falls crowds and the two yahoos here at the hostel. I should mention that the hostel owners are nice¢one of whom is from Wisconsin. Just sayin¢.
Date: 2017-06-04
From: Boots Off Hostel

To: TN 91
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 33Sunday, June 4, 2017 Boots Off Hostel (427) to TN 91 (447.6)Miles: 20.6 in 9.5 hours with one break2017 AT trip miles: 447.6Total AT miles to date: 1740.9Weather: Sunny a.m./scattered showers and one thunderstorm Dinner: Corn Chowder with fishHikers: Popsicle, Giggles, Early bird, Worm, Oreo, Old School, about a dozen new faces heading north that Imran into heading south, another dozen back at the hostelApparently the theme this week is change. Popsicle, the woman I met a night earlier at the Vango/Abby Hostel, arrived at breakfast saying she was slacking back to this hostel tonight. Hmmmmm¢¦.Slack packing¢¦.the mileage could be longer today, the chance of getting to Damascus sooner and there is rain predicted for tonight. I¢m in! Got a later than desired shuttle up to TN 91 and headed southward bound, returning to the hostel for a second night. Unlike last night, this place is packed tonight. There are a few familiar faces, but I don't have the little house all to myself. At least the four of us in it are all women and the two jackasses from yesterday have left. I learned from Jackass #1 that he thinks some people deliberately try to snore loud. He doesn't trust anyone, so as all his items marked so no one accidentally takes his stuff (aka steals.) He won't walk in the rain because¢ he doesn't have to¢ and he has opinions about his great gear. Jackass #2 (picture Gary Busey) was seen heading south and was also recognized by his muttering ways¢actually one of the hikers here reported he was yelling at himself. No complaints about this lot.The trail was fairly kind, mostly following ridge lines. The best part, for me, was the last five miles over Watuga Dam and around Watuga Lake. Great scenery. This is the area closed to all but hiking through due to high bear activity. Popsicle has yet to see a bear on this trip, and as it turned out, still a bust despite all the warning signs. One of the AT shelters has been closed since 2015 due to bear nuisances.Thundered threatened around noonish, but the rain held off until late afternoon¢and even then, it was more of a shower. Thunder did boom overhead at one point. Arrived around 7 pm and wolfed down a chowder before showering. One guy bought s¢more makings and made a campfire and I ended up staying up past 10:30 mostly telling bear stories.
Date: 2017-06-06
From: Damascus/Hiker Inn

To: Virginia Creeper Trail
Miles today: 10.0

Day 35Tuesday, June 6, 2017 Damascus/Hikers Inn (469.3) to Virginia Creeper Trail (483.2)Miles: About 10 (biking) miles2017 AT trip miles: Total AT miles to date: 1772.6Weather: Sunny, pleasant¢Tea:¢ Margarita and fish taco at Old Joe¢s/Dinner: Chicken pasta with veggies (backpack dinner)Hikers: Grade School, Cindy Lou, General Hendricks, Blintz, Mellow, Wren, Earthtone, Benji and lots more in townAt 4 a.m., our room smoke alarm went off. Low battery. Took me a while to figure out how to get the batteries out. Other than that, Grade School and I slept very well on the edges of our King-sized bed. Joined a few hikers for breakfast at MoJos, then I headed off to pick up my food drop. Mellow had told us he had rented a bike and did a 17-mile shuttled trip on the Virginia Creeper Trail. This Rail-to-Trail bike path is 34 miles long, but local companies will shuttle you to WhiteTop, the highest point on the trail and from there you pretty much can coast downhill all the way back to Damascus. The Creeper Trail also parallels and intersects the AT for the first ten or so miles. Several people suggested that it is a more beautiful hike than the same distance covered by the AT. Grade School and I got our town chores done and then went for the bike ride/replacement hike. At least that is what I am doing. Grade School is returning to the trail from our Inn¢s doorstep tomorrow whereas I will get shuttled about ten miles ahead where the AT leaves the Creeper Trail. Basically, I¢m not counting today as a zero. So the bike ride. Fantastic! It was a wonderful sunny day today. The bike trail follows the Laurel Stream (or River?) and passes over it by means of more than a dozen trestle bridges. It was historic (there are several train station-like preserved buildings). It was summery, (we passed a guy cutting his lawn.) And it was easy on the feet. We covered 17 miles in just over two hours. We talked a lot. I learn I am exactly twice her age and that one of her favorite movies is ¢The Point.¢ Agree. Awesome. Afterward, we used the bikes to hit the grocery store located a mile away from the down town area, then stopped for an after biking margarita (the restaurant was closed on Mondays or that's where we had been planning to hit last night), and then returned to the hostel/inn where I ate one of my extra dinners. A few new faces here tonight and our room was reserved, so we have now moved to an adjacent room with twin beds.
Date: 2017-06-09
From: Hurricane Mountain Shelter

To: Stealth Campsite
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 38Friday, June 9, 2017 Hurricane Mountain Shelter (512.7) to Stealth Camp (534.4)Miles: 21.8 miles in 11 hours with two breaks2017 AT trip miles: 534.4Total AT miles to date: 1823.9Weather: Sunny, pleasant, 60sDinner: Noodle BowlHikers: Cindy Lou Who and General Hendricks stealth campingWildlife: Bear #6, deerLived up to my trail name this morning¢was on the trail breaking through the spider webs by 7:10 a.m. Funny how fast I can pack up when a shelter mate is insufferable. Napoleon was again talking from the minute he awoke¢and before he was even out of his sleeping bag. He¢s providing lots of material. I've concluded he's either really insecure or bonker balls.I decided to do at least 18 miles today and then I was on a roll and just kept going. I also want to have a shorter day tomorrow when I pick up my next food drop. Also I'll be in a hotel for shower day. Saw bear #6 mid-morning. Actually it saw me first and bolted before I even knew it was near.   The trail was pretty fast. Except when there were rocks. And roots. At the end of the day, I was hiking over the vertebrae bumps of a mountainous backbone.After stopping at the Mt. Rogers Visitor Center at 4 p.m. and grabbing a Dr. Pepper, which I did not know contained caffeine, I hiked another two and a half miles on and started looking for a campsite along the backbone. Two women at the visitor center told me tonight was a full moon¢the Strawberry Moon. I wanted to camp on a ridge and started looking around 6 p.m. F inally found a site without too many rocks. Not an official site, so it looked like I'd be alone. But about 20 minutes later Cindy Lou Who rolled in. Nice. Then General Hendricks arrived and made a campfire. I've been leapfrogging them since Georgia. Stayed up to watch the moon rise and even saw stars come out. The caffeine was working it's magic. Also there are giant millipedes milling about our feet. Like a lot of them. General Hendricks shared this quote tonight by Albert Einstein: ¢There are only two ways to live life, as though nothing is a miracle, or as though everything is.¢ The moon has illuminated everything.
Date: 2017-06-10
From: Stealth Campsite

To: Relax Inn, Atkins, VA
Miles today: 8.3

Day 39Saturday, June 10, 2017 Stealth Camp (534.4) to the Relax Inn, Atkins, VA (542.7)Miles: 8.3 miles in 4.5 hours with one break2017 AT trip miles: 542.7Total AT miles to date: 1832.2Weather: Sunny, pleasant/warm, 70sBig Lunch: An absolutely delicious pineapple stuff with shrimp, scallops and fish fillets and peppers and onions at a Mexican gas station restaurant Hikers: Cindy Lou Who, General Hendricks, Giggles and TreehouseWildlife: Truckers I slept great last night. Feel asleep to the sound of owls and coyotes and left the rain fly open to see the moon. Woke up before 6, but fell back asleep until 7 since it is a short day today. Not sure if it was because I knew I had a short day today or because I had a long day yesterday, but I thought the first few miles were tough. Virginia is thus far looking a whole lot like northern Pennsylvania. Was walking over a bunch of rock crap and not at all pleased. Caught up to Cindy and Hendricks and two other hikers, Giggles and Treehouse, at an old school house where a local Methodist church distributes trail magic in the form of cold soda for humans and dog biscuits for companion animals. Giggles prefers to night hike and she walked until 2 a.m. last night under the full moon. Another mile and a half brought us into town where I have a food drop waiting at this Interstate-adjacent motel that has definitely seen better times and seems to attract truckers in addition to hikers. But my clothes are now washed, I¢m clean and I even took a nap. Even though it's not a wasted day, it feels like one because I haven't moved from this room since lunch¢which by the way was one of the most awesome $13.99 meals I've ever had. My something-del mar arrived in half of a fresh, grilled pineapple. It was fantastic. Four of us plunged through three baskets of chips as well. This is one reason I probably felt like taking a nap. Four days worth of food now packed and trying to figure out how to hike the next few days. There isn't much in terms of sights or towns and I sure hope there won't be the rocks to deal with or this is going to be a very long four days.
Date: 2017-06-11
From: Relax Inn, Atkins, VA

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 23.8
Weather: clear sky

Day 40Sunday, June 11, 2017 Relax Inn, Atkins, VA (542.7) to Chestnut Knob Shelter (566.5)Miles: 23.8 miles in 14.5 hours with two breaks2017 AT trip miles: 566.5Total AT miles to date: 1856Weather: Sunny, hot, 70s, 80s?Dinner: One Pot Taco Hikers: Cindy Lou Who, Wild Horse, Bon Apetite, Lee, General Hendricks, Tobacco and Alley and about five others at the shelterWildlife: Deer and Bear #7I didn't exactly very well at last night¢s less-than-choice accommodations. Probably due to the nap, I ended up watching most of The Hangover on TV last night and then couldn't sleep. Was back on the trail walking through fields of shoe-soaking morning dew. I noticed that the higher elevations had lichens and blueberry bushes. Today's hike had elevation changes, nubbins on the map, but was relatively flat. It was a relief not to walk on rocks today. That is one reason I ended up going as far today as I did. Another reason is that there is not much over the next few days¢no Grayson Highlands¢so no reason to linger. Still not experiencing any of last year¢s knee or foot pain. Thanks glucosamine!Saw bear #7 today as it bolted across the trail in front of me, only two minutes after I had passed a shelter with half a dozen campers still packing up.Very tired tonight. That is all.
Date: 2017-06-14
From: Dismal Falls Campsite 

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 13.4

Day 43Wednesday, June 14, 2017 Dismal Falls (610.4) to Woods Hole Hostel (623.8)Miles: 13.4 miles in 6.25 hours with one break2017 AT trip miles: 623.8Total AT miles to date: 1913.3Weather: Humid, partly sunny, thunderstormsDinner: Curry Noodles, Smoothie Hikers: Eight or more new faces here at the hostel, Wild Spirit and Lee arrived at the end of the dayWildlife: DeerI tested out using my emergency piece of Esbit fuel to heat water this morning and thus was able to have coffee and hot oatmeal sitting by the banks of the Dismal Waterfall. Headed back to the trail. .3 miles is always so much faster and shorter in the morning than it is at the end of the day. The day was clammy and so humid even the rocks were sweating. I felt like it took a long time to get to the hostel. Not sure if my mental state was due to fatigue from yesterday's mileage or the heat or the fact that every time I look forward to a shorter day it always seems longer. Still I arrived at this fabulous oasis of a hostel around 3 p.m. as thunder started. Took a shower, got my clothes laundered, had the first of two smoothies and did some writing. Around 8 p.m. last night a big thunderstorm did roll through. It was nice to hear the rain hit the metal roof just outside my bedroom window. Lee reported that Cindy Lou Who and Hendricks were camping out tonight instead of staying here. We'll see how dry they stayed. Am staying here another day and will be slack packing again tomorrow.
Date: 2017-06-15
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: VA 641
Miles today: 15.6

Day 44Thursday, June 15, 2017 Woods Hole Hostel (623.8) to VA 641 (639.4)Miles: 15.6 miles in 7.5 hours with one break2017 AT trip miles: 639.4Total AT miles to date: 1928.9Weather: Humid, partly sunny, thunderstormsDinner: Curry Rice and TunaHikers: Grade School, Cindy Lou Who, Hendricks, Giggles, and another dozen or so in passing as well as a dozen new faces at the hostelWildlife: Daily DeerAnother hot, humid day today. Knocked off another chunk of ridge line, which held some views, between Pearisburg, Virginia and the hostel. Pearisburg includes passing by a large plant, a railroad, an interstate and a landfill. Nothing very wilderness-like in that. A highlight of slackpacking southbound is again running past people who are ahead of you. I expected to see Cindy Lou Who and Hendricks (who did indeed get soaked last night), but was surprised and happy to see Grade School again. I'll be ahead by five miles tomorrow, but should see her again soon.More scattered showers and thunderstorms in true form this afternoon. The first cloudburst was interrupted by sunshine. There had to be a rainbow, but the rhododendrons hid the sky. Two more bursts passed and I probably spent more time attempting to get the umbrella perched just right than hiking for a time. Arrived back at the hostel during a lull and got dried out before more storms rolled through, knocking out the power. I am writing in the dark by the glow of my ipad and headlamp. Just like camping! Most of my night has been spent attempting to upload an very overdue TheTrek.com blog posts. Time to call it a day.
Date: 2017-06-16
From: VA 641

To: Stealth Campsite
Miles today: 21.0

Day 45Friday, June 16, 2017 VA 641 (639.4) to Stealth Campsite (660.4)Miles: 21 miles in 12 hours with two breaks2017 AT trip miles: 660.4Total AT miles to date: 1949.9Weather: Overcast, humid, afternoon thunderstormsDinner: Ramen with GreensHikers: Cindy Lou Who, Hendricks, Autumn Leaf and Wombat, Reset, plus about another half dozen hikersWildlife: Owls at duskNumber of falls to date: ThreeToday was just another day at the office. Got shuttled back to VA 641 and walked all day. The first 12 miles followed smooth ridge lines, but I made a mistake¢sort of¢not stopping at the last shelter after 18 miles. The trail was nothing but rocks. Wasn't quite able to make my goal of 22 miles to a campsite purported to have a view. Finally found a flat piece of ground where someone must have camped last night because the ferns laid down for cushion are still fresh. Besides the shelters being mouse-ridden, people are really smelling bad after a few days of rain. Nothing is able to completely dry out even though the rain has fallen only in the afternoon for a few hours. My shoes have been soaked and today I got a few blisters where none had been present previously.I stopped at 3:30 at the mile 14 shelter to wait out a thunderstorm and rest and wound up taking a little catnap while four others were talking (and smoking). I continue to be surprised by the number of people who smoke out here. I had no problem curling up on a wooden platform of questionable cleanliness. One guy attempted to scare me by shining his flashlight on an admittedly p, extremely large spider. But it was no where near me, so no worries. Decided to make dinner there before continuing on in what turned out to be another six miles. I really feel like I¢m just putting in the miles on days like today and I am now driven to be done by the end of June. After yesterday, to do that, I need to average 15 miles/day. In sections like this¢which are long walks along ridge lines¢I might as well hike as long as I can. The rocks, though, in these last few miles, were maddening. Also¢I fell this morning, number three on this leg. Slipped on a slick rock¢so I don't go very fast with these conditions. The fall wasn't at all serious¢I landed on the pack in some ferns. But this humidity and rain makes the rocks even more challenging. As I'm writing here in the dark, I just heard a hiker pass by. I don't know how night hikers do it! Plus¢how do they sleep at night without (presumably) hanging their food?!