morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-04-12
From: PECKS CORNER SHELTER

To: DAVENPORT GAP SHELTER
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

TEIGAN & BONNIE: 20 miles! A new record. I didnt think we were going to make such good time this early but we wanted to get the heck out of the Smokey Mountains before it dumped any more of its crap weather on us. Very pretty sights, and cloudy all day. (At least it didnt rain!) P.S. We thought we should mention that the Smokey Mountains are not such a bad park to visit. I would have prefered to go later in the year and not have hiked the Appalachian trail section there. Apparently the blue blazed (or side trails) are the ones with the best views. Also, the drive through the Smokeys was awe inspiring.
Date: 2009-04-14
From: GROUNDHOG CREEK SHELTER

To: DEER PARK MTN SHELTER
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: light rain

TEIGAN & BONNIE: I cant believe we hiked 23 miles today!! Wow, that's a record for us. My dogs were barkin' for the last two hours of our hike, but I felt good about making so many miles. It rained on and off all day. Not too exciting. We went over a mountain called "Max Patch" though, and that was one of the most beautiful sights so far. A 360 degree view with sunshine and clouds really brought out the height of the mountains. Awesome!
Date: 2009-04-15
From: DEER PARK MTN SHELTER

To: HOT SPRINGS, NC
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: overcast clouds

TEIGAN & BONNIE: Got up early today to hike into Hot Springs. The first thing we saw in town was a diner, and obviously we stopped to eat breakfast. Then we checked into a hotel, went to the outfitters where Bonnie got new boots (to add a little more room for her toesies), and then bought beer, of course. Lazy day, it was great!
Date: 2009-04-16
From: HOT SPRINGS, NC

To: HOT SPRINGS, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

TEIGAN & BONNIE: Hey all, Today is a zero day for us. So far, we checked out of the hotel and into the hostel, which is supposed to be really cool! its an old colonial house from the 1800's. And of course, we went to the ice cream parlor and had banana splits. Bonnie customized her's with a brownie and m&m's as a topping. We head out tomorrow for more hiking fun! See you then.
Date: 2009-04-17
From: HOT SPRINGS, NC

To: SPRING MOUNTAIN SHELTER
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

BONNIE: It was extremely hard to leave Hot Springs this morning. The weather was wonderful (around 70!). We dilly-dallied all morning. First we went to the diner and ate breakfast, then we stopped by the library, post office, and outfitters one last time each. Finally we dragged our heals across the bridge and out of town. Just out of town the trail followed the river for a while. So after only walking about a quarter mile we stopped, took off our shoes, and gave our feet a soak in the river. It was COLD water! Gave us a shock back to reality that although the weather seemed warm and sunny, spring hadn't quite arrived to the eastern mountain states. Eventually we kept on hiking, although the first two miles took us about an hour and a half to walk! Talk about slow! Hot Springs is a wonderful town for hikers, bikers, and anyone looking for a tiny small town that is easy to walk across in 20 minutes.
Date: 2009-04-18
From: SPRING MOUNTAIN SHELTER

To: JERRY CABIN SHELTER
Miles today: 15.4
Weather: overcast clouds

BONNIE: This afternoon we had the most amazing gift! We came down into Allen Gap (mile marker 286.5) and found a sign posted at the road intersection saying that we were invited into the home Fal (pronounced "FALL") and Hercules (former thru-hikers from '99) for an AYCE FEAST! They served us belgian waffles and a little puffy egg/cheese thingy (I can't remember what she called it, maybe a keesh?), then we had pork stew and fresh homemade bread, then we had our choice of desert. I had carmel apple pie a-la-mode, and Teigan had bread pudding. The food was AMAZING! And the greatest part was that Fal's real name was Jodie! Just like you mom! After eating we politely turned down some Jesus books they offered and sprawled out on the lawn for a sun nap with the dog Heidi. Wow, what wonderful hospitality!
Date: 2009-04-21
From: BALD MTN SHELTER

To: NO BUSINESS KNOB SHELTER
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: moderate rain

BONNIE: This morning at Bald Mtn. Shelter we awoke to more rain... so we decided to stay in our sleeping bags and see if it passed. Then it hailed... Yup, this mountain weather is just something else entirely. Finally around 11am it cleared off. The temperature was a refreshing 32, but we dragged ourself out of our bags and took off on our "super hard" 10 mile day. We got to No Business Knob Shelter at 4:30, set up a fire with our newly acquired posse (I'll tell you about them below), and dreamed of the food we'd be eating tomorrow when we stop off in Erwin, TN. The Current Posse: "Many Names" from Rhode Island- a crazy awesome massage therapist with a traveling guitar that Teigan goes ape over, "Huck Finn" from Ohio- a mellow guy with plenty of good humor, "Firecracker" from Arizona- another crazy awesome gal/environmentalist who doesn't have a guitar, but she does have a pack-a (this nifty tarp that fits her pack too, it makes her disappear in green).PS: For those of you who have expressed curiosity, "Jersey Girl" left us a guestbook entry. And in it she says "HI" to John and Hallon! I say "HI" too!
Date: 2009-04-22
From: NO BUSINESS KNOB SHELTER

To: ERWIN, TN
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: scattered clouds

BONNIE & TEIGAN: Today we arrived in Erwin, TN. Our plan was to "get in and get out". Our first stop was to resupply, and our second stop was the local KFC which had (believe it or not) an AYCE buffet! After 3 hours there and 4 full plates each we waddled ourselves down the street to the local library where we had last posted. Then after all that tiresome typing, we decided we were hungry again so we ate down the block at the Sonic. I couldn't believe I was able to eat again... After stuffing ourselves once more, Teigan, Firecracker, and I stood on the corner trying to get a hitch. It was hillarious watching the people try to avoid us. It was especially hard for them because we were standing at a stop light. When the light would turn red, some people would stop like 50 yards back from the corner, and others would pull over into the opposite lane. Awkwardly trying to avoid making eye contact with us. You would have thought we had the plague! Although we didn't smell very good... Anyway, we did finally get a hitch after about 20 minutes. Manynames and Huck Finn were supposed to hitch after us (since it would be nearly impossible to get a hitch for 5 people at once). Then after we all met up at the hostel (which is right on the trail) we were going to march on out of town. But it took Manynames and Huck Finn ages to hitch a ride, they ended up walking nearly 4 miles first! By the time they reached the hostel and we had packed everything up it was well after dark. We didn't want to pay to stay at the hostel because it was about $20 per person, so instead we walked across the Nolichucky River and camped the night under the bridge! It was amazing sleeping so close to the river. The campsite was perfect and the waves were like a lullaby.
Date: 2009-04-23
From: ERWIN, TN

To: BEAUTY SPOT GAP
Miles today: 10.8

BONNIE & TEIGAN: Another shorter hiking day. We left late in the afternoon because we had to play around down by the river before leaving our awesome campsite. The hike was pretty easy, though hot! When we got to the top of Beauty Spot the weather was gorgeous. Teigan & I cooked up the hot dogs we had bought, PLUS we got "trail magic". Some section hikers had met up with their thru-hiking friend and brought a ton of food. Mostly left over stuff from a grocers deli, but still very good. Around 6pm Teigan and I decided to move on to the campsite where Manynames, Huck Finn, and Firecracker had already moved on to. But on the way there we found Manynames and Huck Finn had camped just in some random woods, so we joined them. We were going to cowboy camp, but with all the leaves and crap we decided not to. Someday soon we will cowboy camp. I'm excited because I've never done it (Bonnie).
Date: 2009-04-25
From: CLYDE SMITH SHELTER

To: OVERMOUNTAIN SHELTER
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: few clouds

BONNIE & TEIGAN: Tonight we are staying at "the barn". (Mom, Dad, that's the place where the picture on the front of the handbook was taken). The barn is awesome and the views are too! On the way there we had a few rain showers. The funniest was just before Stan Murray Shelter, the rain started to sprinkle so we both put on our pack flies, then I (Bonnie) decided to put on my emergency poncho (best $1 ever spent!), but Teigan didn't want to. Then it started hailing slightly, so Teigan took off running. Running with a full pack on by the way makes anyone look ridiculously awkward and so it is always funny to see. She got to the shelter in only a few minutes, but by that time she was already soaked.
Date: 2009-04-26
From: OVERMOUNTAIN SHELTER

To: MOUNTAINEER SHELTER
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: clear sky

BONNIE & TEIGAN: Today was a crazy day. We woke up early in the barn (no mice by the way- yay!) because we had heard rumor of an AYCE just off the trail 9 miles ahead. So we set off truckin'. We got to the road at 11:30 and walked the 1/2 mile uphill to the buffet because no one would pick us up. It was awful! I decided that I didn't like that county! But we finally got there and stuffed ourselves with disgusting greasy foods. And it was Sunday so all the locals came in wearing their sunday best, some of them looked like they had dressed for the movies! Feathers in their hair, ruffly summer dresses, pastel shirts and ties, and of course southern accents everywhere! After eating we hit the trail again. Got a little lost once or twice from all the 4-wheeler trails weaving through and making things confusing. Finally we made it to Jones Falls. The tallest waterfall on the AT. We sat and rested our feet for over an hour before leaving because it was starting to get dark and we still had 4.5 miles to go. We hiked in the dark that night to our shelter. (Bonnie) I'm scared of the dark so I was really not liking it; I kept clacking my sticks together to scare off any crazy bears.
Date: 2009-04-27
From: MOUNTAINEER SHELTER

To: DENNIS COVE / KINCORA
Miles today: 15.6

BONNIE & TEIGAN: Trotted in to the Kincora Hiking Hostel today to stay with the famous Bob Peoples. We both found this man to be a saint. I'm not even sure how to explain him- he talks like elmer fudd, he had the best sense of humor, and he would do anything anyone needed of him. Always ready to help. He maintains the Tennessee section of the AT. At cost, he lets hikers into his place year round for only $4, drives them to town twice daily for free, gives free laundry, free shower with towel... his hospitality was just simply amazing.
Date: 2009-04-28
From: DENNIS COVE / KINCORA

To: DENNIS COVE / KINCORA
Miles today: 0.0

BONNIE & TEIGAN: Today I (Bonnie) took a zero day for my sore feets. Teigan did honorable trail maintenance. She went out with Bob People, Baltimore Jack, and a few other older guys to pick rocks from the ground so that they could move the trail from an area of high erosion to an area of less. They worked from 8:30 to 2:30. She said she had alot of fun and that her abs ached afterwards. I felt guilty for not going but my feet were happy I didn't stomp on them all day. Anyway, GO TEIGAN!
Date: 2009-04-29
From: DENNIS COVE / KINCORA

To: DENNIS COVE / KINCORA
Miles today: 8.9

BONNIE & TEIGAN: Today we slack-packed. Teigan didn't want to at first, but then she just decided to try it. And I wasn't even trying to convince her or anything. So we were dropped off and hiked backwards without packs for 9 miles. It was amazing being able to jump and run and skip! The day was awesome and we saw Laurel Falls, the biggest waterfall on the trail. Then we showered and slept in beds... (We have to be careful not to get used to treats such as this).
Date: 2009-05-01
From: IRON MOUNTAIN SHELTER

To: DAMASCUS, VA
Miles today: 26.1
Weather: light rain

BONNIE & TEIGAN: NEW RECORD TODAY!!!!! We did 26+ miles! We were pumped to go all the way- and we did! Our feet kill!!! Bonnie got a blister and had to hike 10 miles with just one croc on & one shoe, then she did the last 2 miles in both crocs. It was dark when we got here. YAY!!! We went straight to the burger joint and had giant burgers then we found the hostel and crashed. Great day!
Date: 2009-05-19
From: Campsite

To: DALEVILLE, VA
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

Got into Daleville today. What a nice hotel we are staying in! I actually feel safe leaving my stuff in the hotel room and walking around town. The hotels in Pearisburg were terrible. Our room neighbors were locals that lived in their hotel room that did nothing but drank and harassed eachother all day. They would stare at us and smoke infront of our door. Creepy people. I also recieved my trail runners from my parents (thanks mom and dad!) which are working out ok. They dont provide the support I want or need. Now I can really relate to Bonnie's feet aching so much. Going 17.5 mile was a task for me! In Daleville, I decided to get a pair of new socks and some nice insoles. That should fix my feet problem. We met some interesting characters on the trail at Dismal Falls. They convinced us to jump off the falls, into the pool below (pictures coming soon). They were fun locals, out for the weekend.
Date: 2009-06-05
From: FRONT ROYAL, VA

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Hey everyone!Its been a while since I wrote anything. Just trying to gain as much miles as possible. Right now, I am up to 20 miles a day! I'm in Front Royal, just north of the Shenadoah National Park. And honestly, I didnt think the SNP was all that great. It looked like the rest of Virginia, except there was a road crossing every 15 minutes with people and cars that totally killed my vibe. But the good news is, I'll be out of Virginia in two days! West Virginia and Maryland should go pretty quick. I hope that some of my trail friends can catch up to me, since they went to trail days. Miss you guys!-Teigan
Date: 2009-06-06
To: Bear's Den Hostel
Miles today: 30.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Hey everyone. I am so ready to be out of Virginia!! I think I am going crazy! The border is so close, I can feel it. I cant wait to get to the half way point as well. It is still raining here. I think God is crying on me for something I did. He wants me to be miserable too. I saw some deer today, and lots of section hikers. They all seemed grumpy and mad at the rain. They did say that we were hard core though, for walking in the rain all the time. I just tell them that we have no choice. I also caught up to a thru-hiker I have not seen since day one! Sam (samwise) who stayed that the shelter before the approach trail to springer mountain. Dad and Hallon should remember him. This hostel is amazing! Its owned by the ATC, and looks like an old castle and grounds. A bunk, pizza, ben and jerry's ice cream, shower and laundry deal is only $25 for thru-hikers. Pretty cool. Tomorrow, I will be in Harpers Ferry, WV. Hope all is well!Teigan
Date: 2009-06-07
From: Bear's Den Hostel

To: HARPERS FERRY
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: clear sky

Hey guys, I got to harpers ferry just fine. What a cool little town!! There is a re-enactment of the civil war there every year, which I missed, but the town is recreated in the image is was during the civil war. I got in to town around 8:30 pm with samwise. Everything was closed, so we debated what to do until a worker from the outfitters asked us if we needed help finding anything. We told him we are trying to find somewhere to stay for cheap. He offered to drive us to the Blackburn hostel/center, ten miles back. We accepted, and man what a hassle that turned out to be. Te drove around looking for the place for an hour and a half. The ridgerunner didnt know the exact location of the place, so we missed the turn 3 times, and finally get there when everyone is sleeping and its late at night. We sleep on the portch for the night, get eaten alive by bugs, hardly getting any sleep at all. We wake up the next morning, and wonder how we are going to get back to harpers ferry. By just dumb luck, we call the Bear's den hostel, asking for the Romanian (who said he was getting a ride from some section hikers), and he came and picked us up, bringing us back to harper's ferry. By this time, I am sick and tired of the town, so hike out the same day to the next shelter. I was so happy to be back in the woods!!
Date: 2009-06-08
From: HARPERS FERRY

To: Ensing Cowell Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: broken clouds

Rain and hail on top of the mountain. I thought to myself, what would my mother do if I got struck by lightening on top of a mountain while hiking the Appalachian Trail. I figured it would be best just to get off the mountain as fast as possible. This is the morning that I figured out that you can eat oatmeal cold!! I put oatmeal, dehydrated milk, water, and honey in my cu. It tastes just like familia!(the cereal my dad eats every morning). This way, I dont have to waste fuel, and its fast in the morning.Happy trails!PS. I pufiry my water with "aquamira". A brand of chlorine found in hiking and outdoor stores.
Date: 2009-06-10
From: Ensing Cowell Shelter

To: Quarry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

Quarry gap shelter is the best shelter ont he AT so far!! They even put up potted flowers, hanging over the stream/water source. They had a bear canister, and two different sleeping pads. It was pretty amazing. to top it off, I went to an itailian resaraunt and ordered a huge calizone. I ate the second half of it the next morning. Now that I am ont he trail, I crave fat more than anything. I probably cound eat just mayonaise out of the jar!! If you gave me the chance. Icecream is another thing I cant get enough of. Well, that to come. Tomorrow!
Date: 2009-06-12
From: James Fry Shelter

To: Darlington Shelter
Miles today: 26.0
Weather: light rain

What happened to shinanigan's cookies!! A friend of his mother's left some delicious oreo double stuffed cookies. Some girls stole them at the ATC barn. The locals were not very nice. They were very disrespectful of out belongings and the shelter journals that we write in. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. It just goes to show that lots of people dont understand why we hike the trail, and the hard work and dedication that is put into it. We are just bums and hippys to them, aimlessly walking the earth. I was going to confront the local girls on eating Shinanigan's cookies, but he said it wasnt worth it. Why do people have to steal in the real world? I can leave my pack with a bunch of thru-hikers in the middle of the woods for hours, and they wouldnt even touch it. Well, I though his cookies being stolen was pretty funny, but it sucks for him, in reality.No worries though! Everything is funny on the trail. Even falling on sharp rocks.
Date: 2009-06-14
From: Darlington Shelter

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I spent the day in Duncannon yesterday, mostly eating and hanging out with friends at the Doyle Hotel. We swapped stories at the bar on the bottom floor of the hotel. Today, my highschool friend, Yang, has family close to here. I am staying at their house tonight and tomorrow night. They have been great hosts! They live in a nice house just outside of Penn State. We saw the campus, ate the famous icecream of Penn State, and ate lots of food. (I had no idea that Penn State had such great icecream.)
Date: 2009-06-16
From: DUNCANNON, PA

To: Peters Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I had a great vacation with the Liu family (thanks Yang!!). I rested, repaired my feet, and am ready to hit the trail again. I think my days of doing big miles is over though. I don't feel that I enjoy my time out here nearly as much, and miss many opportunities, such as seeing various towns and spending time at rivers, creeks, mountain tops, etc. This shelter was a great place to stay though! It sleeps 20 people, and I was reunited with a few friends. I also met some new characters, OG, 1 pint, Angry Beaver, Ducky, and Prairie Dog. They told me this great story about being attacked by a rabbis infected skunk! So, Angry Beaver, Prairie Dog, and Early Bear were tenting for the night. In the middle of the night, there is this skunk scratching at the door of Angry Beaver and Prairie Dog's tent. Being too scared to go outside, Angry Beaver pees in a disposable, and throws it out the tent door, and goes back to sleep. Apparently, in her early morning stooper, she didn't zip the tent door all the way closed. So they wake up, with a very angry skunk, in their tent, on their sleeping bags, spraying skunk all over them and their stuff. So they jump out of the tent using the other door, potatoe sacking around in the woods in their sleeping bags, trying to get away from the skunk. Early Bear wakes up from all the noise, trying to find out what is going on at 5 in the morning. They chase the skunk away, pick up their gear, and hit the trail wearing their flip-flops and crocs. 1 mile up the road, they see the skunk again, who had been tracking them and stalking them this entire time. The skunk bites Early Bear on the leg, who is now very angry and demands the skunk dies. So, seeing now that the skunk is definitely rabbies infested, they decide to kill it. Which is funny because Angry Beaver and Prairie dog are both vegetarians. They hit the skunk a few time with rocks, and club it to death with a big staff that one of them had been hiking with. (I hear that Early Bear was a bit excessive in clubing the dead skunk). So, now Early Bear has to get a series of Rabbie shots, which cost around a thousand dollars. How crazy is that story!! I am not making this up either. I cant believe They are still on the trail after that! I have to say, I give them props for sticking it out. Because, believe me, if that happened to me on the trail, I would have the next flight home.Happy trails to everyone!
Date: 2009-07-06
To: HANOVER, NH
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Hey all!We finally made it to New Hampshire. The trail and woods in Vermont were amazing! The trees were taller, older, with little brush on the ground. It seemed much more open. We are exploring Dartmouth a little, but from what I see, the students seem snooty and unenviting. The outfitters was very nice. Unfortunately, hotel rooms here are $100 a night, so we are going to hike out to the next shelter, which is 1.5 miles from town. But first, we are going to see a movie, "the Hangover", with the free movie tickets that I found at the outfitters. There is also a great pizza place here that gives thru-hikers a free piece of cheese pizza when you sign their trail log. So overall, the town is nice, and the college is snooty. Pretty good for a trail town. The students here say "like" alot. I cant remember if all students do that, or if its just this area. They are talking behind me right now saying "like" every other word. Weird.
Date: 2008-12-30
To: Amicalola Falls State Park
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

The Taxi from Gainesville now charges $75 to AFSP. Checked in at the Lodge. Ate a buffet lunch. Walked down the 479 (?) steps alongside the waterfalls then signed in at the visitor center. Walked back up to the lodge via trail behind the visitor center. The lodge is booked solid. Many families. Guess there will be many day hikers on the approach trail tomorrow. Today felt like a warm, Spring day.