morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2021-04-13
From: Sam's Gap 

To: Whistle Gap stealth 
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We left Nature's Hostel clean, resupplied, and on the trail by 8:20am. Blessed with another beautiful morning as we climbed out of Sam's Gap.Tree tagged along with us the entire day as we climbed over a rusty fence, meandered thru a small pasture and thru the forest as we ascended to the top of Big Bald Mountain, standing proudly at over 5,500 ft. The 360° views were endless and words escape my vocabulary on the beauty, it never ceases to amaze me or gets old!
Date: 2021-04-14
From: Whistle Gap stealth 

To: No Business Shelter 
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a planned short milage day. We left Whistling Gap about 8AM, we the always expected climb out of camp. The forecast called for rain at 1pm, so we wanted to get to the next shelter before the rain, so we could setup camp. While yesterday's route was full of views and fields of flowers, today's terrain was skirting the side of the mountains nooks and crannies and full sun at some points. We beat the rain, in fact it didn't rain until 7PM. This gave us a chance to rest and catch up on Journaling.  Tomorrow is town day.
Date: 2021-04-15
From: No Business Shelter 

To: Erwin Tennessee 
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: light rain

No Business shelter was the first shelter that I've seen built with masonry block and I think I was the only hiker amazed at the effort it must have taken to get those blocks up the mountain to build the shelter! I jokingly said that maybe a boy scout troop had to strap a block on their back to earn a merit badge!°We were one of the first to head out of camp and make the long switchback descend towards Erwin, Tennessee. The birds eye view of the Nolichucky river glistening and sparkled as we stood high up on a ledge. In the Autumn this must be a beautiful place to stand and admire God's beauty during the peak of leaf season! We stepped off the trail and headed left on River Rd. towards Uncle Johnny's Hostel where we called Shuttles by Tom and he scurried us to Super 8. Tomorrow we head to Johnson city to get our 2nd covid shot!!
Date: 2021-04-18
From: Erwin Tennessee 

To: Stealth spot
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

In the past Erwin Tennessee has always had a bad vibe with hikers. The town is quaint but unfortunately, shops have been boarded up. We couldn't find a diner within walking distance for breakfast kinda odd for a small town. Our understanding is the town doesn't like change and good help is hard find. One bright spot for us was some old hiking friends who hike the trail in 2007 met up with us and took us to dinner and paid for it all! We were so grateful to catch up and for the amazing generosity of trail magic! "Slinky Dog" is their trail name. Fun trail name for a couple! It's been 14years since they've done the trail but you wouldn't know it by their in oozing enthusiasm while we swallowed down some libations. I believe we could of chatted for hours about the trail and all their experiences!Tom's shuttle(wife Jaywalker) arrived promptly Sunday morning@730am. We were so pleased with their service. So reasonably and reliable. They are a bright spot of sunshine in Erwin! Jaywalker dropped us off at Uncle Johnny's and we were able to weigh our packs and were pleasantly surprised they both were around 26lbs with food and water..yay because we have a long ascend 14miles to be exact to get to the top of Mt. Unaka. 5180 ft all the way from Erwin at 2694 ft. Please forgive my delay in telling YOU ALL, how honored and deeply touched that you take time read about our journey towards Maine. It takes a village to do this hike and we certainly could not do it without all your love, support, prayers and well wishes..we hold them all close to our hearts.. So, Thank you!
Date: 2021-04-19
From: Stealth spot

To: Clyde Smith shelter 
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: scattered clouds

One month on the trail full-time. Woke up this morning with aching feet. The 20% chance of rain in the forecast found us throughout the night, but thankfully stopped by 5am.Weather was colder than we had expected, so we needed to get moving quickly. The morning was a walk in a winter wonderland. After reaching the summit, we walked in a field of Spruce Christmas trees with a light snow gently falling.  Adult and baby xmas trees everywhere. The day was cooler than recent days, and sun never fully came out.  In the early afternoon we came across wild onions growing in the valley along the trail.  We stopped to forage them and added them to our salami and cheese sandwich at lunch. They were mild, but good. Getting closer to our Mother Earth.We had several smaller climbs today. Through the afternoon we heard Woodpeckers thumping thier tunes to each other. They each tapped out the same beat, which made us think it was a call to each other, not just looking for bugs in the trees.Yesterday we did weight training by carrying lbs extra in water, today we did sprint training as we tried to stay ahead of other hikers heading to camp. 12.9 in the books!
Date: 2021-04-20
From: Clyde Smith shelter 

To: Stan Murray Shelter 
Miles today: 13.7
Weather: broken clouds

Left camp about 8:30. A nice surprise of trail Magic at Hugh's Gap. Met Grey Ghost, and Day Break who did the trail in 2014.  Suz dove into the home made Peanut Butter cookies and coffee, and I took out a bag of Fritoes with no problem. As we hiked up Roan mnt. we saw 2 deer cross the trail about 6000' high. They paused and we made eye contact and then they continued into the dense high pines.The south side of the mountain was much more lush, with vibirant green moss covering everything that layed on the forest floor, the scent was intoxicating while the trees touched the clouds...more mystical than that North side. Suzanne's little ditty from a nite when she couldn't sleep in our tent..In the fetal position on my left sideIn the fetal position on my right side.In a coffin position on my back, no! Nothing feels right.Please airtraffic cotrol person, avoid my camping spot tonight.
Date: 2021-04-21
From: Stan Murray Shelter 

To: Station 19 E
Miles today: 11.1
Weather: few clouds

After several days of nice weather, the forecast told us Mother Nature is ready to dance. Through the night we heard and felt her preparing for tomorrow's performance.  We dressed into our costumes, first layering for warmth, then for dryness. We didn't know if it would be rain or snow, but hoped for snow.Reviewing each other's outfit looking for flaws in our attire. Are we ready for her, we wondered?We left camp at 7:30 AM, the morning still fresh, but the sky divided. To the right of our path, the sun was slightly breaking through the clouds and trees, to the left (North) we saw ominous clouds heading for our path.She did not pounce us right away, but let us warm up with a 3 mile gradual climb.  The stage was set, our entrance would be from a protected treeline on the Southwest end of the Mountain.  As we came out onto the stage she greeted us with a fierce gust of wind from the North. We summitted and decended Little Hump Mnt slightly shaken, but in one piece. She gave us about a mile of intermission. We adjusted our gear and attire during an intermission which was tucked in the lower treeline section. The next scene was climactic as we went over Hump Mountain at 5,587'. It was a mile climb that never seemed to end. There was no talking as Mother Nature read her script and whispered gusts into our ears and blocked out all voices. Her power pushed us off the trail several times as we were clearly puppets for her amusement. As we finally submitted, she let us loose of her grip. Probably just to entertain herself with the next hiker heading up the mountain for scene 2 act 1..
Date: 2021-04-23
From: Station 19 E

To: Stealth site
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: clear sky

Slipped out before the free breakfast at Station 19E. We're always anxious to get back into the woods after staying in town. So off we headed to walk a half a mile on a very busy 19 East to pick up the trail where we left off. Log loaded Semi's, work trucks, and cars, quickly whipped by us as we hugged the guardrail, paying attention and keeping an eye on any vehicle that may stray over the yellow line. It was the most unnerving experience of the day!This mornings hike was a welcome change, we meandered over grassy hillsides and could see little hump and hump standing so calm and peaceful to our left, hard to imagine that just the other day we were socked in, getting tossed, turned, and blown around up there. Amazing how quickly things change from day to day.We trekked past the beautiful Jones water fall and mile marker 400 when I heard a hard thumb behind me. Suz had fell hard on her right side and was on the trail! I quickly dropped my trekking poles and access if she was ok. She needed a minute but then reached for my arm to help pull her up. Thank goodness she was not hurt! I can not count the numerous times we trip over roots, stumps, and rocks. Most of the time our trekking poles save our butts but sometimes thats not the case and when your top heavy, gravity usually wins...
Date: 2021-04-24
From: Stealth site

To: Laurel Falls Stealth site
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: clear sky

We had a great stealth site last night that was right off the trail and tucked under some Rhododendrons, which are EVERYWHERE! I'm excited to see them bloom in June. Unfortunately 100%"rain was in the forecast so we broke camp early and were about to put our packs on when a fluffy orange blur ran up to us. It was a 4 month old golden retriever named Dora with its owner in tow. Out for a morning stroll.. She was super adorable even though she almost ran off with my trekking pole.° Let's just say it was a great way to start our day! She also reminded us how much we miss Simon, our fur baby who's shacking up with his girlfriend Pinkie in Florida for 6 months! With all our rain gear on, our packs covered, and ponchos on top we headed down the trail. It drizzled most of the day and we were alone as the trekked thru what seemed like a rain forest towards Dennis cove rd. We followed a large flowing creek on our right side for awhile, slushing thru mud puddles, crossing a narrow wooden bridge, and then up these steep rock steps to the top where we were surrounded by high rocks cliffs. It was soo beautiful and we could here and see the strong moving water well below us! We continued until we had to make a sharp left turn down approximately 300 large boulder steps straight down to the bottom of Laurel Falls! We were exhilarated with excitement as we tried to followed the white blazes to what seemed to be the end of the trail as we continued towards the last white blaze on a large cliff that skirted the rushing creek.Did we have to cross the raging creek? We quickly realized you had to hug this large rock cliff that maybe had a foot wide ledge for you to walk on. Our concentration was elevated because everything was wet and slippery in spots and I could tell Suz was nervous but I felt like a kid again with no fear! Thankfully, we both made it without any issues. This was certainly the most adrenaline rush adventurous day we've had on the trail thus far and because of the rain we had the area all to ourselves!
Date: 2021-04-25
From: Laurel Falls Stealth site

To: Vandaventer shelter 
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

Today we had a hard climb out of Laurel Falls as we headed towards Lake Watauga. It was one of those days where we were constantly stopping to either shed layers because we were too warm during our climb or chilled because of the wind. But once we walked around the lake and to the Dam we finally had it dialed in. Lake Watauga is a very pristine large body of water that we followed for miles. We actually ran into a couple hikers later on that actually Auqa blazed part of the trail on the lake. Aqua blaze means that they rented kayaks and paddle the same distance they would have hiked on the A.T. For purist that's a no no but we were intrigued by the idea. This part of Tennessee is so beautiful it made our hike today very enjoyable even though we had to hike our 6 liters of water to a very crowded Vandaventer Shelter. This shelter backs up to a rock cliff that looks down over Lake Watauga..Stunning views!
Date: 2021-04-26
From: Double Springs She

To: Double Springs Shelter 
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: clear sky

Vandaventer shelter and tentsites were at full capacity and we were lucky to be tucked behind the shelter and rock out croppings that over looks the very large Lake Watauga. In the wee early morning hours a whippoorwill came a calling on a tree limb above our tent and if you weren't familiar with this little creature and the repetitive melody of singing his name over and over and over well you would be by the end of the night! Oh and we were blessed to have him come by twice in one evening °As Suz got up to grab the bear bag she peaked her head back in the tent and whispered..the sunrise is going to be beautiful! I hurried to put my down jacket on and something to cover my wild bed head and out the tent I went. I love Sunrises and this one was not going to disappoint! Quickly we made our coffee while the sky became more vibrantly pink and right before the little bright orange orb poked thru the eastern horizon other nappy headed hikers with long beards were stirring and climbing on the rocks just to see this beautiful phenomenon, sun salutations to bless our day!
Date: 2021-04-27
From: Double Springs Shelter 

To: Stealth 
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Chilly morning, but we're on the trail before many from camp. Hiked about a mile and had to start shedding our jackets.  We were passed by a few groups of younger hikers, mostly with a look of dread on thier face as they were shooting for an 18+ mile day in order to get into Demascus. Hopefully thier spirits will improve after they get some miles under thier belt.As we came into Low Gap we were surprised to see Trail Magic. This was a blessing as we were running low on snacks for the next day.  Randy from Chicago had driven to the AT to join in the hiking spirit through Trail Magic.  We enjoyed his hot dogs and homemade cookies and of course a couple of beers for the road.
Date: 2021-04-28
From: Stealth 

To: Damascus 
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Town day, yippie.  And not just any town...Trail Town USA.  OMG, what to wear?? Oh, silly question, the same thing we wore yesterday.  We were up at it early, just pop tarts and coffee.  The plan is get there for breakfast.  I can taste the pancakes, eggs, and sausage now. Yummy. But first, we hit the Virginia state line. Tennessee is officially behind us. Took our pictures, sent our texts to family and we are on our way again.  Almost to the last decent into town, and Cindy hit the breaks!  Rat snake!!We clank our sticks together to try and get him to move along, but his 4 foot body does not move much.Cindy gets closer and he does give us a small path to cross.  Cindy goes first.  She makes it through alive.  Now, my turn. I need to put my big girl panties on and brave the crossing.  I him, I haul, I take a deep breath and sprint past the mysterious creature making all kinds of embarrassing noises, I also make it alive.  We did it. Made it past the snake, but we're late for breakfast.  Had to settle for Meatloaf Sandwich and Pulled Pork Sandwich.  Both were yummy.
Date: 2021-04-30
From: Damascus 

To: Stealth 
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: light rain

We left Damascus about 8am on Friday morning. The tail shares a path out of town with the Creeper Trail. This is a popular bike that meanders along the river. A place we would like to come back and visit. The trail was flat for the first mile before sending us up into the woods. The rain from last night cleared up, and the trail was still damp. We met up with Tree mid-day and ended up sharing a camp site with her. We were excited this evening, we get to try out our Two new luxury items we picked up in Demascus.  A chair which weights 1lbs and a USB powered blower for our bedrolls. Both items got gold stars.It had been windy all day,, so we knew the tent needed to extra secure for the even g winds. It blew most of the night, but by dawn it was calm.
Date: 2021-05-01
From: Stealth 

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Woke at 5AM to the sound of a Whippoorwill.  Or rather the second visit of the Whippoorwill. Left camp about 8:15, a good half hour after Tree.  Where yesterday afternoon was dry as far as water sources go, this morning we had water around every bend in the trail.About noon time we walked through another pasture, and this time we saw Cow's. A herd of them looking at us like we were in the wrong place. They told us to Moo along.The hike up White Face mnt was a long 5 miler, but the view was worth it. On our way back down, we ran into Sunshine. A 2019 hiker who dove into his bag and shared home made popsicle.  Wow, totally cool in more ways then one!°
Date: 2021-05-02
From: Deep Gap

To: Old Orchard Shelter 
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: broken clouds

Today we were up and at it early.We're finally headed to see the Grayson Highlands Wild ponies! I've read many trail journals about these wild ponies with admiration. I've learned that over 150 ponies graze on more then 4500 acres of open mountain meadows with sweeping vista views and that the A.T. has 2.8 miles of trial that traverses thru their habitat! So needless to say we were super excited for today's adventure and once we got to the top and found some of the ponies munching on the grass we decided to take a break and have lunch right along with them.°Oh and another milestone...we reached the 500 mile marker!! Pretty exciting day for us but we we're totally exhausted when we crawled into Old Orchid Shelter for the evening.
Date: 2021-05-05
From: Marion

To: Chatfield Shelter 
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: light rain

We left Marion HEAVY with all our resupplies and for all of you who aren't familiar with what we do on our resupply days here's a quick overview:-We got to our motel early and changed into our rain gear so we can do laundry of ALL of our dirty clothes. -While the laundry is going we review the next week of hiking and how many days we'll be out. This determines how much food we'll need to buy. We both carry a food bag and when we leave town each bag weights about 5lbs each. We try and purchase food that has the highest of calories as we are burning about 6k + calories a day and we're always in a deficit! - Once the laundry is done we then walk to the store and today it was raining ¢1We get what we need then walk back to the Motel and separate and organize our food bags. -Okay that's done! Now we head to the Mexican restaurant to stuff our hiker hunger faces! With our bellys full we walk back to the Motel to finally put our feet up! Now it's time to catch up with our family and friends via texting and calling, take care of some bills and then lights out before 8pm!  Gotta get up early to hit the trail, rains in the forecast!
Date: 2021-05-06
From: Chatfield Shelter 

To: Crawfish trail stealth 
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Breakfast...Coffee first, Coffee is always first!Almonds with bananna chips. Grits with cheese sticks and precooked bacon added. Dessert, Honeybunn. Told you we had to eat more.Today we stepped back in history with a visit to an 1800 Farm and School House. So neat that the local community has preserved a piece of our history. The tools they used, the hard winters they had to endure. The teacher's who made $30 per month. I guess they have always been underpaid for the great service they provide. From there we hiked a few miles and finally found the train tracks we knew were there from the sound of the train the night before.  We had lunch on the far side of a pasture with Cow's looking at us like we were the main show.  Today was a great day with unexpected gems and rolling hills and pastures versus the hard rocky terrain. The sweet smell of Honey Suckle blooming on the trees and a cool Virginia morning.We ended the day Creek and fire side. Oh, and we had Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken, shared an avocado and chocolate granola for dessert. With our bellys kinda full we crawled into our tent, collapse and fell asleep to the babbling creek..
Date: 2021-05-08
From: Stealth 

To: Garden Hostel 
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Before going to bed, we double checked the tent lines due to the high winds.  The rain started about 3AM.  Coming in as bands of wind and rain, it beat on the tent wall like a snare drum.  We woke at 6 hoping to hear the sweet soundtrack of our forest birds, but the last track of the rain and wind was still finishing up. Cindy went to bear bag, but with all the wind last night it was twisted on the line and had to be negotiated down.  We made the hike up to Chestnut Knob which included traversing several balds with great view of the surrounding vista's. The shelter was unique as it used to be the local Fire Warden's cabin, made from stone and complete with a door.Chestnut Knob overlooks Burkes Garden which is a historic limestone sink hole. But this is not just any sinkhole, an 8 mile by 4 mile crater which is now beautiful farm land. It also has the name, "God's Thumprint".
Date: 2021-05-09
To: Garden Hostel 
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Got a later start than planned out of Garden Hostel. This is a VERY dry section which is why we had to get off the trail last night and go into the Hostel, we needed WATER!!Since we got into Virginia, water has been harder to find. Many of the streams are dry since we have not had alot of rain. We need about 4 Liters of water at night to cover dinner, drinking water, and break.breakfast. Some nights we need to carry the 4 Liters to the campsite. 1 Liter = 2 lbs. You can do the math. This is on top of our existing pack weight.We spent most of the day still on the Burkes Garden Ridge, and finally decended into a wetter area of the Mountain. We crossed a river tired and thirsty so we called it a day when we hit a great camping spot with plenty of water. Tomorrow we see FAMILY!!
Date: 2021-05-10
From: Stealth 

To: BLAND 
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Today we get to lay our tired eyes on FAMILY!!Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Bud made the long trip up from Florida to see thier crazy Nieces.  Out fitted in thier 30 Foot Trailer we were treated like Queens during our stay. We had the chance to catch up on some good home made cooking. Steak, Potatoes, fresh veggies, beer and Wine. All the things we lack on the trail.The weather in the mornings was colder than Uncle Bud ordered, but he was a trooper. We did our resupply and town chores as Aunt B and Uncle B observed the details of our tasks. They both mentioned that "they knew there was a lot that went into it, but actually seeing it was fascinating". Yep, a lot of details, and easy to forget something. Just can't forget the TP!!
Date: 2021-05-12
From: BLAND 

To: Stealth 
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Leaving our Aunt and Uncle on the 10th was very hard. The comfort and warmth of thier trailer and company was hard to walk away from especially as it was snowing.  We were both sad and the gloomy weather was just an external reflection of our inside feelings.  We are loving our adventure, but miss our family and fur babies deeply. We know life in the real world continues without us, and we are blessed with all the support and love that is sent our way.Oh,...we hit 600 miles today!!  Yippie Skippie.
Date: 2021-05-13
From: Stealth 

To: Wapiti Shelter 
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: light rain

Went from the stealth Site, down the mountain to the road then hiked .5 to Trents Grocery. Talk about small town USA. We needed fuel, the Walmart at our last resupply didn't have any. Trent's did, and they had great Ice Cream sandwiches.  Had 2 each.Walked the .5 back to the trail head and were on our way again. This section DID have water, Dismal Creek area. We walked amoung the Rohodendrums which reminded us of the Mangrooves of Florida, only much cooler.  We stayed the night at Wapiti Shelter, where we met Lolygag and Nimble.