morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-05-03
From: Ash Gap

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: few clouds

The goal for today was to reach Overmountain Shelter, which is an enormous barn, converted to a hiker shelter. AWOL claims the shelter will sleep 20, but I'm convinced it had comfortable capacity for 50. But anyway, we made our way up the Roan Mtn summit, which was a beautiful, but tough hike. I remember wondering if Barnacles was still ever so slightly annoyed with making the summit this morning, but she seemed happy, and in good spirits when they blew past me on the way up. At the top, she voluntarily admitted that she was glad we put the summit off until morning. I think mostly because it was such a pretty section of trail, it was best experienced in full daylight. I concurred. I think today is Saturday, and when we got to Overmountain, the place was jammed packed with thru-hikers and about 375 boys scouts. SuperFeet told us earlier in the day that his aunt and uncle were going to do some trail magic for us at Overmountain, and would most likely be bringing something tasty for dinner. We had to scrap the idea of trail magic that close to Overmountain, because it was overrun, BUT, they were still meeting us in a parking lot about a mile below Overmountain with beer, chips, and cheeseburgers! Very nice! We also had a great campsite there with an excellent water source. Thanks again, Dennis and Nancy. That burger was awesome.
Date: 2014-05-06
From: Mountaineer shelter

To: Moreland Gap shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: clear sky

If nothing else, there was a lot of water available on the trail today. There were also several waterfalls, and footbridges that crossed a fast moving river. It was late in the day when I finally caught up to SuperFeet, and he told us they planned on stopping around the 9 mile mark today, or around Moreland Gap. I'm not sure why, but I wasn't feeling that strong today, and stopping around the 9 mile mark was agreeable to me. I'd mentioned a few updates ago that I'd been struggling physically lately; feeling run down and worn out. That changed dramatically after taking that zero day at Uncle Johnny's, and for days after that, I felt really strong moving down the trail. Physically speaking, today smacked of those days prior to arriving at Uncle Johnny's, and I felt like I was hiking through quicksand. I'm becoming more and more convinced that these symptoms are related to some degree of dehydration. I'm really bad about not drinking water while hiking, though in my defense I generally pound a lot of water at the end of the day. I think the combination of heat, pack weight, and not drinking enough water are the probable culprits to today's malaise. I did manage one smart move today, and that was grabbing water before I made it to Moreland Gap. The trail guide indicated that the water at Moreland Gap was "a long way down a steep hill." And ah, yes it was. My relief for not having to fetch water from a long way down a steep hill was palpable. For dinner tonight, I ate moms shrimp and rice, which was delicious. I waited a very long time for the shrimp to rehydrate, and these guys take a LONG time to come back from being dry. I also had some summer sausage that i was tired of packing around, and it was an excellent compliment to dinner. The icing on the cake though was from a German guy, who concocted his own hot sauce that he was packing around in a 12 oz coke bottle. Best trail dinner yet!
Date: 2014-05-07
From: Moreland Gap shelter

To: Dennis Cove Rd.
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: overcast clouds

This mysterious hiker malaise may be contagious, because the group collectively decided to pull an easy day, and stop at one of the hostels (as yet to be decided) about 6.5 miles away. The highlight of the day was Coon Den Falls, about a mile down a side trail. I think the picture of Coon Den is maybe one of the better pictures I've managed to get so far! Me, SuperFeet, and Barnacles spent a fair amount of time here before pushing off. Town food is a strong motivator to get ones ass engaged in hiking.The group has been carrying pieces of chalk so we can leave messages for each other. When I reached Dennis Cove Rd (just off the trail) Tuna left a message on the road that he was going to fetch beer, and we should meet him at Black Bear Resort.The owners of Black Bear are cool people, though they were a little leery of our group of miscreants, especially when the first thing we asked for when we got there was beer. In fact, they essentially told us that we could stay and drink beer, or we could hit the road; they would not be our beer bar. In fairness, they were polite about it, and I actually understood where they were coming from. We didn't want to commit to staying there for a few reasons. First, we were considering a stay at Kincora with the hiking legend Bob Peoples. I'm not sure what makes Bob a hiking badass, but I was game to stay and meet him. Also, there was a great place to tent right on the trail, right next to the river, and free. For the record, we ended up camping on the trail, but we spent a lot of time at Black Bear Resort. Drinking their beer. When I went to do laundry, one of the owners apologized to me for being snippy with us, and that she mis-judged the character of our group. Classy thing to do, and we ended up (collectively) spending some money there.
Date: 2014-05-09
From: Dennis Cove Rd.

To: Griffith Branch
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Personally, I thought today was one of the best days in Tennessee. About a mile into the day, I reached Laurel Falls, a beautiful waterfall with an accessible footpath to the top. I spent way too much time on top of the falls, and when dark clouds started to roll in, I took it as a signal to get back in the trail.After Laurel Falls, hikers are obligated to climb Pond Flats, which proceeds upwards for several miles. Im fairly sure this climb is only here to mess with your head, because there are no views anywhere along the way. The water source at the top is a natural spring, though when I was there the water was flowing at a trickle. The group plan today had been to hike on to the Shook Branch Recreation Area, just outside Lake Watauga. Dirt Bag and I were well behind the rest of the group, and when we reached the recreation area, there was no sign of the group. There was however, a sign that prohibited overnight camping in that area, so we assumed the group pushed on down the trail. Our assumption proved correct when we saw a chalk message indicating they were camped 0.4 miles down trail. The mileage estimate is sort of an inside joke, as anytime someone asks how far from "x" destination, the answer is 0.4 miles. Well, after we walked a mile, Dirt Back and I gave up looking for them. It was almost 7pm, and starting to rain. We pitched our tents right off the trail, which was not an ideal location. Anyone who's set up a tent in the rain knows it's not fun, so to keep vital gear from getting soaked, we had little choice but to stop where were. I'll mention we were careful not to obstruct the trail.Watauga Lake is one of the nicest lakes I've been to, and while I'd like to report it was a quiet place, it wasn't. We camped close to the shoreline, and boats of all types could be heard traveling the lake during all hours of the night. I guess we pissed a group of ducks off, because they quaked and raised hell for most of the night. I think I had mashed potatoes for dinner. Maybe a pasta side (the just add water variety)...meals seem to run together. They're good at the time, but not generally memorable. Light rain tonight. Just enough to lull me to sleep.
Date: 2014-05-10
From: Griffith Branch

To: Campsite north of Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: light rain

Happy Mother's Day!I get the impression that SuperFeet may be a concerned that our place is just a little too slow. Even if I factor out the 4 zeros I took back in North Carolina, I should've been in Damascus, VA., two weeks ago. I can't say I haven't enjoyed the hike so far though.The mileage goal for today was right around 14-15 miles. The elevation profile for today didn't look too bad, though there was quite a bit of uphill hiking. It looked totally doable, and I was fine with the idea of pushing some miles.Since I was asleep at 8pm last night, I was up and moving before 10am. Ironically, we found where the rest of the group camped last night within 5 minutes of leaving our makeshift camp: literally 50 yards away from where we tented! Shortly after leaving the lake area, or right around Wilbur Dam Rd., the rest of the hike was uphill, and water sources were at a premium. Of course, this means I needed to carry more than a liter of water, and frankly, water is heavy. I forgot to mention that I'd done another light resupply in Hampton, TN., a few miles away from Black Bear Resort. I'd like to report that I've finally figured out how much food I need to carry for x number of days / miles, but I don't think that's the case. As of today, my food situation may be a little tight going into Damascus, VA., still about 3 days away. I have just enough food to make it there. That's if nothing unforeseen happens. And yes, thinking about my food situation occupies a lot of my time. I drank most of my water during lunch at Vandeventer shelter. There IS a water source there, but when I saw the straight down trail leading to it, (0.3 miles one way) I decided to skip it. The next water source was 3 miles away, and I felt comfortable I could make it on 250 ml of water. There's a campsite near the next water source, and when I got there, I knew I was done for the day. Not because the site was anything special (quite the contrary), but because I was done hiking today. The campsite was a filthy mess, with trash, and toilet paper, and used band-aids scattered around. I'll pack out trash that other, thoughtless people leave behind, but I draw the line at toilet paper and used band-aids. Leave. No. Trace. It's not a difficult concept.More rain again tonight, and I ate two packages of Ramen in my tent before falling asleep.
Date: 2014-05-11
From: Campsite north of Vandeventer Shelter

To: Hwy 91, outside Shady Valley, TN.
Miles today: 7.6
Weather: few clouds

I'm concerned about my food situation going into Damascus. I'm okay with dinners, but lunch, breakfast, and snacks will probably be gone before I get there. I think I've worked out a rationing schedule to where I'll run out of food the day I reach Damascus. It's cutting things close. The good news is, my backpack weight is probably well below 30 pounds, and I hardly notice it on my back during the day. Not long after I broke camp, I heard rumors of trail magic at an upcoming gap, maybe 3 miles up trail. And sure enough, a church group had left a cooler full of sodas and snacks in a gap just before Hwy 91. This effectively extended my rationing schedule, and couldn't have come at a better time. When I made it to Hwy 91, a group of locals in a parking lot offered me a cold Coors Light, and told me that a hiking club / group out of Damascus was feeding hikers less than a quarter of a mile up trail. And sure enough, a hiking group called Riff-Raff had beer, soda, snacks, and had plans to cook lunch and dinner for incoming hikers. Very nice. Riff-Raff had a few large tents set up on the trail, and as I approached, one Riff-Raff member actually took my backpack off of me, and handed me a cold beer. It appeared that a considerable number of thru-hikers were calling it a day here, and had pitched tents in an open field. I wasn't ready to call it a day just yet (it was only 2pm) though I did take my boots and socks off. After 3 beers, and a couple of hot-dogs, I decided I was done hiking today, and would be joining them for dinner. I did manage to control myself, and stopped drinking beers at number 5, and was in bed by 930. Thanks to Riff-Raff for hosting excellent trail magic!
Date: 2014-05-12
From: Hwy 91, outside Shady Valley, TN.

To: Abingdon Gap shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Twenty-one miles to Damascus, and thanks to well-timed trail magic(s), I could breathe a little easier about how much food I had left. Also, the elevation profile into Damascus looked very favorable, and indicated almost level trail the rest of the way in. This is a good opportunity to give a shout out, and thanks to those back home who are supporting me while I'm out living the dream. First, my brother, to whom I signed complete control of my financial kingdom. Todd has been making sure my student loans, cell phone bills, car insurance, and a host of other things are paid while I'm gone. He also mails me food and other useful amenities. Thank you, brother. This wouldn't have been possible without your help.Additionally, "mission control" members Jeff and Tammy Harmon; truly great people who have been instrumental in helping me get through his journey. Most of what I know about backpacking I learned from Jeff, and I couldn't have asked for a better instructor. Not only does he know a great deal about backpacking, he has a rare teaching ability that offers the right balance of criticism and praise. When Jeff tells me to get my ass moving, I listen. And, he knows how to talk me off the ledge when I think I'm losing my edge out here. Thank you guys, both. If you decide to take this plunge, I hope I can repay the favor. Ah yes, thanks for that mail drop in Damascus! Game changing.Finally, to my mother, who dehydrated a bunch of home-cooked meals to send out with me into the wild. My original plan had been to live primarily off mashed potatoes and Ramen, and when I got sick of that, mix in some good food. It's been working well so far, and when I cook them, everyone wants to know where I got them. Thanks, mom!I decided to break the remaining 21 miles up into two days hiking: an 11 mile day, and a 10 mile day. It probably would've been possible to knock it out in a day, but I didn't see the need to put that much wear and tear on my feet, without being on the verge of starvation. Thankfully, it didn't come to that, though the contents of my food bag included one instant mashed potatoes, one foil pack of tuna, and two packages of grape kool-aid mix. That's it. Ultra-light backpacking at its best--about 18 pounds.Abingdon Gap was the stopping point today. A nice shelter site, with a murderous down hike to water. When I got to camp, I asked some other hikers about the water source, and they all broke up laughing. Not a good sign. It was the best water source in Tennessee, but climbing back up was not much fun. Tomorrow, Damascus. In my mind, the first real milestone on the trail. I mean, I think I should've received a trophy after the Smokey's, but Damascus represents a real completion of miles. I can't express how excited I am to eat town food.
Date: 2014-05-13
From: Abingdon Gap shelter

To: Damascus, VA.
Miles today: 9.9

The 10 mile hike to Damascus took 4 hours. For me at least, that's moving fast. After completing 467 miles, I've caught a glimpse at how much punishment the human body can take, and still keep going. From feet that have looked like raw hamburger, to knee pain, I still want to keep going. This trip has been mostly a head game. Convince yourself that pain CAN be a motivator, and the battle is half won. Essentially, everyone who hiked into Damascus has dealt with pain of some type, and I think I find some comfort in knowing I'm not alone in the pain department. The remarkable thing is, the rewards for enduring have always been worth it, and I've yet to be disappointed at the end of each day. Now then. In my mind, I'm at least 3 weeks behind schedule. Mostly because Ive take so many zero days. Some of them have been necessary, but most of them have been "luxury" zeros. I don't necessarily regret any zero I've taken, though I have to acknowledge if I want to see Maine, I have to reduce the zeros. So, Damascus is a cool little town, about half the size of Fayette, MO., with friendly locals and good places to eat and hang out. Damascus hosts "Trail Days," May 16-18, and is sort of like Sturgis for hikers. That is to say, about 60,000 people will descend on Damascus this weekend. When asked, the local people just smile and say their ready for it. I'm staying at the Woodchuck hostel (in my tent), and the owner Chuck, is a super nice guy. There are certainly more cost effective places to stay, but the idea if taking a shower, charging my phone, and using Chuck's kitchen whenever I want, offset the price of staying. This year, Chuck is charging people $10 a day to pitch a tent on his lawn. It's agreeable to me, especially considering this town is going to be mayhem in a few days.Lots of town related chores to do. Like eat. I'm off!
Date: 2014-05-14
From: Damascus, VA.

To: Damascus, VA.
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I tried to arrange a slack pack today, but the shuttle to the trailhead fell through. It seems like a waste to not take the opportunity to squeeze in 10-15 miles with a mostly empty pack. But, Trail Days is approaching, and most business owners are busy preparing for the tidal wave of people about to hit town. Fortunately, I have enough things to do in preparing to get back on the trail this weekend, so zeroing here has worked out. First, I bought new hiking pants. My previous pair have a built-in belt, and I can't get it any tighter to keep my pants on. Also, my hiking boots are officially dead. I figure they've got roughly 550 miles on them, and they're starting to fall apart. I ditched the boots in favor of trail runners, which for those who don't know, are sort of like tennis shoes on steroids. The upside is they are much lighter than boots, and the pair I bought (Saloman's) have a sturdy sole. The downside is, I've given up basically all ankle support, so I can't go mashing down the trail like I could in boots. They're very comfortable, and I'm cautiously excited to try them on the trail. Total weight loss to date: 33 pounds. Makes climbing up and down mountains much easier since I've lost the equivalent of a loaded backpack!
Date: 2014-05-16
From: Damascus, VA.

To: Somewhere on Iron Mtn
Miles today: 10.1

I'll confess right now: When I left Damascus I didn't leave on the AT. Here's what happened instead--and I'll let the White Blaze Purists throw eggs in my direction. I crave them anyway. On my way out of town, I stopped at a gas station to buy a Coke, when two local guys asked how many miles I planned on doing today. I shrugged and said, "10-12. Something like that." He asked if I planned on hiking the AT out, and I must've given him a strange look, because he whipped out a map of all the local trails, and showed me how they all shook out. The AT looked like a plate of spaghetti, and actually went compass SOUTH for a good stretch. Then he showed me the Iron Mtn trail. It went due east, and reconnected with the AT many miles north. Additionally, Iron Mtn featured some climbs, yes, though most of the hiking was on a ridge line. It was nearly noon, and he was confident I could be at the first shelter on Iron Mtn by 5pm. So I took it. And was there by 345. A few tough climbs, but lots of straight-away hiking after making the ridge line, made for relatively painless miles. Iron Mtn is primarily a mountain bike trail, and I ran into a local biker at the shelter. Or he almost ran into me. Anyway, when he asked about my plans, I told him I was going to take Iron Mtn all the way to State Hwy 600, and he offered an apologetic frown. He explained that I certainly COULD do that, but I'd miss Grayson Highlands, and the wild ponies. I wanted to see that, and since I didn't have a map of Iron Mtn, he provided an extremely complicated set of directions on how to get back on the AT within a day (or so) of hiking. His directions where spot on and I would've experienced some grief if I hadn't met him. I don't remember his name now, but thank you!For the record, Iron Mtn is a cool trail, and other than a lone biker, I had the trail to myself. Getting back to the AT did add about 5 miles to my overall trip though.Oh yeah. Trail Days in Damascus was...an experience. The town allows hikers to tent for $5 in a baseball field. There's the quiet side of "tent city," and then there's what I called "The Thunder Dome" side. The Thunder Dome side was a bit out of my league, and I only hung out there for about an hour. In case you're interested, I stayed at a hostel in Damascus, owned by a great guy named Chuck. Overall, I thought Damascus was a nice town, with friendly people. And get this: some places in town ran out of food. Twice. Backpackers can eat ridiculous amounts of food!
Date: 2014-05-17
From: Somewhere on Iron Mtn

To: Campsite near Buzzard Rock
Miles today: 11.5

I reconnected with the AT today sometime around noon. I don't regret taking the Iron Mtn trail out of Damascus, because I got to see Bear Tree Lake, which was awesome. Definitely worth the 5 mile detour. I forgot to mention, the new trail runner shoes are working out well for me. A special thanks to my pal SuperFeet, who provided me with some great advice prior to leaving Damascus, and recommended periodic OSHA breaks to rest my feet. Lunch time foot breaks proved to be game changing. Thanks, bud.Even with periodically taking my socks and shoes off, it was still a tough day. At some point, another hiker saw me coming up the trail, and yelled, "hey what size shoe do you wear?" I yelled back, "10!" (I've been a size 9 since high school, but have gained a full shoe size since starting.) So he yelled back to come see him. Okay. I was mildly annoyed, because this whole exchange was jacking up my flow. It seemed that another hiker, Rhode Island Red, found a brand new pair of hiking boots (size 10) on the trail, and left them with this hiker camped waaay off the trail and up a hill. I wasn't interested in new boots, but I was interested in the whereabouts of RI Red. I'd been hiking off and on with Red since the beginning, and he's a pretty cool guy to hike with. Red keeps a faster pace than me, but our daily range is about the same, so I've seen him a lot at camps and shelters. This guy told me Red just left 10 minutes ago. Nice. It did take me an hour of hard hiking to catch him though! Red acquired a new hiking partner from his hometown, who joined up with him in Damascus. Kelsey (yet to be provided with a trail name) is in the process of getting her "trail legs" but she puts up the miles without much complaint. I predict when she does find her stride, she'll outpace both Red and myself. Kelsey might weight 100 pounds, and carries a 35 pound backpack, which I further predict will be 8-10 pounds lighter in the very near future. These two are lots of fun to hike with, and I like leading the pace up the trail with them while listening to their thick New England accents. We've also had incredible weather for the past few days, though it's still cold at night. We'll be in Grayson Highlands tomorrow, AND break the 500 mile mark. Combined, this means my winter weather sleeping bag will be going home very soon, in favor of something much lighter. (And we'll get to see wild horses there.) I almost bought a new sleeping bag in Damascus, but couldn't get my current one sent home before I left. I'm excited to drop another 3 pounds off my base weight!