morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2019-04-27
From: Cullowhee 

To: Mount Mitchell NC
Miles today: 0.0

Having hiked to the highest point on the AT, Clingmans Dome, earlier in my hike, I now got the opportunity to visit the official highest point in North Carolina, Mount Mitchell.  Elevation listed at 6684 feet above sea level. John, his friend Rebecca and I went by car to visit the historic spit with breathtaking views. We were blessed with fairly decent weather so had some incredible views. Traveling on parts of The Blue Ridge Parkway to get there provided great views as well. It was a fun trip was really glad I didn¢t have to walk to the highest point in NC. More high points await during my hike I know, but glad to be able to ride to this scenic spot.
Date: 2019-04-29
From: JohnnyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Hostel 

To: Red Fork Road past Beauty Spot
Miles today: 12.3

After a 3 day break due to exhaustion & a stomach bug, it was back to hiking finally.  With a late start (noon) but warm weather, managed to complete 12.3 miles before stopping to camp. I met and hiked with 4Beard, an Artist from Bainbridge,GA, who thru hiked in 2011. He told tales of his previous hike so the afternoon passed easily. Lots of uphills coming out of Erwin. Was strange not having Pepere there since we had hiked together for a month. I¢m sure he is glad to be home though. Beauty Spot was pretty but nothing like Max Patch. Camp site decent but close to a road and several cars went by after sunset. Was good to be hiking again.
Date: 2019-04-30
From: Beauty Spot Gap

To: Clyde Smith Shelter 
Miles today: 13.9

Another rather uneventful day, just warm and lots of hiking. Passed a few Shelters, a few springs, but nothing exciting. 4Beard shared more stories from his hike which helped time pass. Met a few new hikers at camp, Scout, from Texas, and Poptart, from Sarasota, FL. Covered 13.9 miles today. Feeling almost normal after bad last week.
Date: 2019-05-01
From: Clyde Smith Shelter 

To: Beyond Overmountain Shelter 
Miles today: 17.2

This hiking today was once again hard, lots of elevation gains and crossed some balds which gave us some really nice views. Our destination today was the Over the Mountain Shelter which is an old barn converted into a shelter. There was a big crowd there and it will sleep a lot of people. There were at least 20 there. Around 5:00 a family of 4, along with their dog and a friend appeared with food & drinks for a bunch of weary hikers!  They had hotdogs & hamburgers, along with some beer. Mega man, from Houston, volunteered to cook and did a great job. Everyone enjoyed it immensely. We learned the reason behind the Trail Magic was the wife/mothers 40th Birthday was recently and this was how she wanted to celebrate!  What a great gesture!Names that were there - Mega Man, 4 Beard, Scout, Rascal, Patience, Skunk, Cowboy are those I could jot down. Good bunch of hikers.
Date: 2019-05-02
From: Over the Mountain Shelter 

To: Mountaineer Shelter 
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: overcast clouds

4Beard was only hiking for a week so today ended at noon for him. He was hanging around fir the weekend as a big hiker party is going on in Roan Mtn,I think. After all my off days from a stomach bug and exhaustion, decided to pass on the party and keep moving forward. I made it to the Shelter and claimed a spot just before the rain started. It was a packed house and the rain came down hard. After a long day, it was good to be dry. Names I caught included Rascal, Treeman & Data.
Date: 2019-05-03
From: Mountaineer Shelter 

To: Pond Flats
Miles today: 21.3

Walked in the rain a lot today as there were thunderstorms most of the afternoon. Took shelter from lightening at one point in an old cabin by a pasture. Had to use its ¢basement¢,ground level, but the old metal roof was intact enough to protect from rain & lightning. Later I was rewarded by seeing Laurel Falls and all of the Mountain Laurel in bloom in this incredible canyon, so it was really pretty. My long day (21.3) was due to the fact I missed signage to Laurel Fork Shelter, so my day was increased by another 4 miles! I camped at a legal spot but was the only one there, my first night alone on the AT!  All went well thankfully.
Date: 2019-05-04
From: Pond Flats

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 12.3
Weather: broken clouds

Another long day of hiking interrupted by some great Trail Magic around lunchtime. A former Thru Hiker, his father and Grandfather brought out Chik Filet sandwiches and biscuits along with fruit and drinks!  It was a fantastic surprise and greatly appreciated before hiking around Watauga Lake. It¢s  a beautiful lake, TVA owned, with a  dam of course. But you walk miles to get around it. Rain moved in but I managed to snag a spot in the Shelter just before it started to rain so managed to stay dry overnight.
Date: 2019-05-05
From: Vandeventer Shelter 

To: Double Spring Gap
Miles today: 20.3

Today was all about the rain. Thunderstorms all afternoon, muddy trails, slippery roots & rocks, miserable conditions. No choice but to keep moving forward. Made the conscious decision to hike a long day, 20.3, to make it easier to get into Damascus tomorrow for resupply and town food & rest. After waking and going to get my food bag from it¢s hanging limd, I discovered empty ziplock bags and a torn up food bag all over the hillside!  My food bag had been destroyed and all contents gone, except for 1 bag of ramen!  Even the Bear didn¢t want ramen!  I never heard anything thanks to being exhausted after the 20 mile day in the rain. Since I was headed into Damascus, it was of little consequence that I was out of food, just had no snacks or breakfast. I covered the 13 miles into town, found a great diner and had a great lunch. More on that later.
Date: 2019-05-06
From: Double Springs Gap

To: Damascus 
Miles today: 13.8

After the visit from a bear, my pack was very light for the mostly downhill hike into Damascus.  I covered the 13 miles in a little under 5 hours, leaving camp before 7AM, so was in Damascus just before Noon. I found the Damascus Diner, had a great lunch, then hiked on down the street looking for a place to stay. I talked to a lady on a front porch (there are no motels in Damascus, just Hostels & B&B¢s) and she was staying there, showed me around, said it was great (it was) so I got a bunk at the Hiker¢s Inn. It is a 2 bunk room, bathroom, shower, all I needed to recover. I took a full day off on 5/7 and enjoyed more great town food, resupplied from the grocery, washed clothes and prepared to head back out the next day. While at the Inn, I met Lucky Penny, Snake Eyes, Militant Buddhist, Rascal, 2 different ladies named Sue and Sharkchow. Sharkchow & I made plans to hike together for the next 2 weeks until he will leave temporarily for a planned vacation with his wife. He has a Trail Journal under that name, so check out www.trailjournals.com/sharkcho...Just search for Sharkchow
Date: 2019-05-07
From: Cornelius Creek 

To: James River (Glascow)
Miles today: 21.5

I hate to be repetitive but it was another long and hot day of hiking!  There were several long climbs in today¢s hiking and some great views on occasion of the Virginia wilderness. I didn¢t drink enough water today and suffered because of it. Water sources were hard to come by as well. It made for a really long & tough day. At the James River we got a shuttle to Staminals Hostel. After cleaning up, we walked to Dollar General and a local grocery for our resupply. Back to the Trail in the morning. Not a good nights sleep as one guy snored really loudly. I ended up on a couch trying to escape the noise. Oh well. Our group included No Keys, Snowman, Lightning, JTB are ones I remember. There were others there who were taking time off the recover from Trail injuries.
Date: 2019-05-08
From: Damascus 

To: Lost Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 14.9

Hiking with Sharkchow for the next couple of weeks. The days hiking was uneventful but with a lot of elevation climbing all morning as we left Damascus behind. Saw Rascal at the Shelter. She and many others had taken the local Creeper Trail, the old AT, from Damascus and goes along the river, much flatter, and she had covered in 4+ hours what had taken us 8+ hours on the actual AT!  Oh well. We learned from others that a bear got 2 more food bags in the same camp area where mine was shredded, so I have company in losing food to the bears/animals. Tomorrow¢s another day and we will continue to walk northward. It is still hard to believe I have walked from North Georgia to Southern Virginia!
Date: 2019-05-09
From: Lost Mountain Shelter 

To: Stream Past Wise Shelter 
Miles today: 17.6

When listing these Shelters as destinations, l do not usually stay in the shelter, I am tenting nearby. Those references are just for tracking mileages. We hiked through Grayson Highlands State Park, much rockier than expected, saw the wild horses and ponies and even received Trail Magic from Bouncer, a hiker who messed up his knee earlier this year and had to get off trail. He had little pies, chips and some bananas. This happened late afternoon, so it was great as our day wound down. Camped with Sharkchow, Strikout (New Orleans) and Paws (from Massachusetts). We once again had a bear visit early morning trying to get Strikeouts food, rocks were thrown, flashlights were flashed and the bear soon wandered away without any food.
Date: 2019-05-10
From: Big Wilson Creek 

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: moderate rain

We hiked long hours and miles today, taking advantage of decent weather and trail conditions.  Other than being another long day of hiking, we were in the woods with few to no views, nothing really exciting during the day, just satisfaction of now completing over 500 Trail miles!  Around camp tonight were Lucky Penny, Snake Eyes, Sharkchow, Strikeout, Snowman & Gouda girl were the names I jotted down. Be sure to checkout Sharkchows Trail Journal. Into Marion on a short hike day tomorrow for resupply.
Date: 2019-05-11
From: Trimpi Shelter 

To: Pat Jennings Visitor Center
Miles today: 10.0

Another long morning of hiking with more uphill than we expected, then the rains started!  Never rained too hard, but had to cover my pack, put on the rain jacket, etc. It just makes everything a little messy. As we passed the last Shelter (Partnership Shelter) before Marion and reached the Pat Jennings Visitor Center, we were met by a US Forestry officer telling us that the AT was officially closed for the next 18 miles due to a violent incident overnight. While details are still uncertain 24 hours later, I know at least 2 hikers were attacked overnight by a disturbed individual who had been arrested earlier in TN for harassment of hikers but released. He was even provided a bus ticket home and got on the bus and left the area. Unfortunately, he came back. An awful event to be sure that has many hikers talking here in Marion. You certainly don¢t think of the AT as a place of violence, but it proves violence can happen anywhere. The incident happened about 10 miles up the Trail from us. Prayers for the hikers and their families.
Date: 2019-05-12
From: Marion 

To: Marion 
Miles today: 0.0

A large group of fellow hikers & I met at a local Mexican Restaurant last night and had a good meal. Visited local stores for a food resupply and tried to avoid the intermittent rain showers as we walked around. Sharkchow and I are sharing a room and splitting food items but we still ended up with too much food. Food is heavy! That is an area I need to improve- don¢t carry too much food and keep pack weight down!  It makes a huge difference in everything you do. It has rained off and on all day, we learned the Trail has been reopened but decided to 0 and rest and will resume our hike first thing Monday morning.
Date: 2019-05-13
From: Pat Jennings Visitor Center 

To: Quarter Way Hostel 
Miles today: 1.5

First, I am trying to correct overall mileage as shown, not sure how to edit, so attempting to do a manual adjustment!  We hiked 21.5 today, but since I am off by 20 miles, only reflecting 1.5 to see if that will work. Our group of 4, Sharkchow, No Keys, Snowman and me, Perdido, caught the city bus shuttle back to the Visitor Center to resume our hike. We are all about the same speed, even if 1 may occasionally get ahead of the others, but we break together and lunch together, then camp together. It was a little solemn to start given the events of earlier in the weekend, but our hike must continue. After all the weekend rain, the Trail was muddy and slippery. We still managed to cover a lot of miles for us!  The one sad part was wandering into the very Campsite where the attacks happened. We had heard it was in one site, but it was a different one and we almost set up camp there once we learned this was where it happened, we hiked 3.5 more miles to the 1/4 Way Inn Hostel, which is 1/4 of the way to Katahdin!  We were glad to be there after seeing the other spot and everyone agreeing we did not want to stay in that spot. It was a long day, glad to be hiking with a great group and glad to be back on the Trail.
Date: 2019-05-14
From: 1/4 Way Inn Hostel 

To: VA 623 (Road)
Miles today: 20.2

Sharkchow, NoKeys, Snowman and I put in another long day. The Virginia trails are a little more forgiving than Ga, NC & TN, plus we are all in better hiking shape, so we are able to do longer miles. We also are starting early and hiking later. All those factors add up to long days and big miles (for us).  Young folks regularly crank out 25 to 30 miles a day. I¢m not ready for that. An added benefit of long days is that sleep comes easily. We met Mr. Clean tonight, a Southbound Hiker from Boston. As his Trail name implies, he has a clean shaven head, so the name fits!  Nothing really exciting during our hiking day, we take turns leading, just keep our train moving, just covering the miles.
Date: 2019-05-15
From: VA623

To: Helveys Mill Shelter 
Miles today: 18.0

The same 4 of us kept moving forward. We had great weather and not too many climbs, and covered 18 miles today. Spacing of Shelters and/or campsites & water more or less dictated where we stopped today. According to the AWOL Guide, the next option was further than we wanted to go today so this was our spot. We did stop at a highway crossing at the Bushy Mountain Grocery and had a great burger, fries and drink before moving on. Real food will always win out over Trail food!Today really was one of the first days where I could say I had fun!  At lunch, we stopped at a good size stream, fast moving water, etc, some of us took advantage and soaked our feet in the cold water. It was great!
Date: 2019-05-16
From: Helveys Mill Shelter 

To: Lickskillet Hostel & TrentÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Grocery
Miles today: 16.2

Steady hiking great weather had us moving early. We lost Snowman yesterday afternoon. He had given out on the last big climb and opted to camp along the Trail rather than come down the additional 0.3 miles to the Shelter. I¢m sure we will see him again. I needed to go to the Lickskillet Hostel to pick up a package sent by son Drew. I learned my other son,Rob, had also sent something. Lickskillet is .5 miles off the Trail, it was only noon, so neither Sharkchow nor No Keys cared to walk an extra mile, even for a soda. Off I went to get my packages. The Hostel is really nice, owned by Hiker Mongo and is operated by donations. It is an old, 1911 Church converted into a Hostel. Beds fill the old sanctuary and while rustic, it has great potential.I got a City Paper hat & shirt from Drew, then my surprise from Rob contained pictures of all my family!  Great pics of Drew & Megan, Rob & Challice & Harper Rea, and of course Mic!  A great group shit prior to a recent Dave Matthews Band concert in Pensacola they attended. Sorry I missed that show. So back to hiking and trying to catch the group. Snowman was at the road crossing, headed to Lickskillet for the night so he wasn¢t joining me, but I pushed on another 3.5 miles to join Sharkchow & No Keys at Trent¢s Grocery. They also grill sandwiches here, so that took care of dinner again. Camping is allowed in a field close to the gas station, so for $6.00 each, we had a camping spot!  No Keys and I later said goodbye to Sharkchow as his wife arrived to take him away on a planned vacation for the 2 of them. We hope to see him when he returns, if he can put up some big mileage days. We shall see. No Keys and I headed out the next morning, pressing on to reach Pearisburg and resupply and get cleaned up. Excited about that prospect!
Date: 2019-05-17
From: Docs Knob Shelter 

To: Narrows Road & Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 17.5

Hiking with No Keys now as Sharkchow is vacationing with his wife. Great weather for hiking so we are trying to take advantage of good conditions. We took an afternoon break at Woods Hole Hostel, one ofmany famous Hostels on the Trail. Since this is leading up to Trail Days, only 1 staff person is around. Did appear to be a great place, just to early to stop for the day. We had to walk an extra 1/2 mile to reach it (1 way) but got a soft drink and rested a while before moving on. Camped at Docs Knob Shelter with No Keys and Shannon. Quiet night thankfully so got some needed rest!
Date: 2019-05-18
From: Docs Knob Shelter 

To: Pearisburg 
Miles today: 9.4

We had a relatshort morning hike into Pearisburg. We checked in to the Plaza Motel, your basic cinderblock structure from times gone by. Nothing fancy but a place to clean up, wash clothes and resupply. I also got a haircut since I don¢t want to mess with long, dirty hair while hiking. It was just what we needed and we headed back out early Sunday morning. No luck catching a ride, so we hiked the mile or so back to the Trail. We have probably added an extra 2 or 3 miles lately that doesn¢t show on our miles since it isn¢t part of the AT!  Oh well, what can you do but walk!
Date: 2019-05-19
From: Pearisburg 

To: Bailey Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 23.2

Weather still good, warm and a little hut but will take it. Water a little harder to get in that sources more spread out. You have to plan more carefully aboutyour water needs at times like this. Some sources could be dry,you just don¢t know. And water is heavy so you don¢t want to carry more than needed. How lucky do you feel?  I don¢t want to gamble on water so I fill up when I can. Getting into camp last day or two it has been hot so I haven¢t cooked anything, just eat lunch stuff at night and let it go at that. Here tonight were No Keys, Brooklyn, Genious and Shannon.
Date: 2019-05-20
From: Baileys Gap Shelter 

To: Sarver Hollow Shelter 
Miles today: 21.0

We walked through several pastures today and with it being so hot, the pastures were not that much fun. With all the recent warm days, critters are out and about. We saw 3 rattle snakes, a mama bear and two cubs and a rabbit. May have been more but things scurry away quickly. We got some great Trail Magic from Willow (2016 Thru) and her daughter Isabel at the base of Sarver Mtn. They pulled up as No Keys and I rested prior to our final climb of the day. What great timing!  Willow entertained us with stories of her hike and about trail conditions ahead.Boiled eggs, soft drinks, beer, chips, hand sanitizer and she took our trash!!  Thanks so much for the refreshments!  Now we had to hike the final 3 miles uphill to our camp site. Uneventful (other than a bird that insisted on screeching all night!) evening at camp with No Keys & Brooklyn.
Date: 2019-05-20
From: Hog Camp Gap

To: HarperÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 21.9

Yesterday¢s storm made for a wet start to packing up. Not much happening on the trail other than being wet and muddy. Did go across an interesting creek, called Cripple Creek!  Search your memory bank for the words to that song. Delays in posting due to lack of time/service/connections of late. Days in towns or Hostels spent doing chores - washing clothes, getting clean and buying food for the next round. Hiking with No Keys, Snowman & Puzzles.
Date: 2019-05-21
From: Sarver Hollow Shelter 

To: Pickle Branch Shelter 
Miles today: 16.1

Shortly after starting the day we came to a road crossing with cold Cokes & Pepsi! We each had one and moved on as we had miles to go before the day was pver. We took a short detour at the top of one mountain to see the memorial for Audie Murphy, an American Hero from WWII, one of the most decorated men from the war, who died in a plane crash near the site on May 28,1971. Impressive site on top of the mountain. Warm days, dry and water still scarce. Met Viking (2015 Thru) as he headed to the shelter and he shared stories of his hike as well as Finisher signs he makes (Between The Blazes). No Keys and I camped alone near the Shelter but closer to the Trail.
Date: 2019-05-22
From: Pickle Branch Shelter 

To: Campbell Shelter 
Miles today: 17.0

There were several climbs in today¢s hiking. Lots of rocks, big ones, and tough climbs. We climbed Dragons Tooth, reached 700 Trail miles and reached the iconic McAfee Knob, where you can dangle your feet over hundreds of feet of nothingness!  Many hikers already there, everyone taking lots of pictures and some were going to wait several hours for sunset. Around camp tonight were No Keys, Daytripper, Pop & Lop (Section Hikers from MN). Another long, hot & dry day on the Trail.
Date: 2019-05-23
From: Campbell Shelter 

To: Daleville, VA
Miles today: 15.4

We started early today (6:30), passed Tinker Cliffs, more big rocks, and headed towards town. Water very scarce, another hot day and we came out of the woods about 1:30 or-so, having covered 15.4 miles. We made our way to the Super 8 Motel for showers, clothes washing and cleanup. Once we were clean, we headed down the highway to the grocery for resupply. Once food purchases made, it was back to the Super 8 and Snowman had emerged from the Trail and joined us at the motel. We all went to a Mexican Restaurant right in front of the motel, so walking was minimal. We all decided to take a full 0 rest day on Friday as each of us had different things to accomplish including just rest!  Back to the Trail on Saturday.
Date: 2019-05-24
To: Daleville 
Miles today: 0.0

Rest day for chores, Journaling, etc. Just trying to get caught up with the rest of the world. This trip is quite an experience, meeting lots of interesting people, even though some are brief encounters, and all love to talk about hiking, the AT, other trails and their big adventure!  It is amazing the knowledge so many hikers have about the AT, places along the Trail and things to do, don¢t do, where to stay, not stay, all things Trail and Hiking related. Here¢s hoping good things continue as we all hike towards Katahdin.
Date: 2019-05-25
From: Daleville VA

To: Bobblets Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 18.5

Uneventful and another long day of hiking. More climbs as always upon leaving town. It¢s always tough leaving towns, you have a new food supply so your pack is much heavier than it was when you arrived in town. In camp tonight were No Keys, Snowman, JTB (John The Baptist), Lightening (afast Hiking female from Ireland), Hansel & Songbird. A group of Boy Scouts (male & female) had taken over the Shelter area so we moved on down the trail and found an area to camp for the night.
Date: 2019-05-26
From: Bobblets Gap Shelter 

To: Cornelius Creek Shelter 
Miles today: 17.0

Another day of hiking with the Blue Ridge Parkway close by. We can hear cars and motorcycles in the distance and can occasionally see them as we hike either parallel to the highway or cross it as the trail snakes along through the mountains. It seems strange at times to hear so much traffic but after a while you hardly notice. We did get a little Trail Magic from Tambourine & Torch at a road crossing with a small river/creek flowing by. We each got a soft drink while we also cooled off in the water. We started early today as it was going to be hot, and planned to rest midday to escape some of the heat so this worked out great. It was a hot afternoon as expected and more big climbs made it another long & tough day, at least for me. In camp were No Keys, Snowman and Section Hiker Rachael from MN.