morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-05-01
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Lake Watagua
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I walked as quickly as I could to get to the truck , thinking I would have to find Grateful and see where we needed to be that night. I rolled into Lake Watagua a little later than expected and when I got there and found cell service I read a text from Grateful telling me he was back at the hostel and waiting for me.The good news was that the damage from the fall was not as bad as I was expecting. A broken nose but no other facial fractures and no concussion. But it was clear that Grateful was not able to pick up the pack and hike on at this point. After an evening together he let me know that he was heading back home to recover and he would think about whether he wanted to continue. It's painful to see someone have to leave the trail due to injury or accident because I know that Grateful was committed to the trip and I enjoyed his experience,wisdom, stories and his company.The walk included a few highlights, including Laurel Falls. I had visited the Falls several years ago in the middle of summer and the falls was a lazy flow of water over a 40 or so foot cascade. today it was raging as all the rain of the last week or so was forcing its way down through the falls. It was a beautiful site and I even saw a couple hikers take a swim - can't imagine how cold that water must have been.
Date: 2017-05-02
From: Lake Watagua

To: A Few Miles Beyond Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 19.7

Grateful took me to the trailhead this morning and we shook hands and parted company. I'm hoping he will find a passion for the trail again after he gets home and comes back, but I'll just have to wait to see what happens.My original schedule is to take three reasonable days to walk to Damascus where Linda is planning to meet me. I'm looking forward to that and it made today's lonely walk a little easier to handle. I walked alone almost all day, passing and being passed by others I've met along the way. The first few hours of the hike took me around Lake Watagua and I had views of the lake form several perspectives all the way up the mountain.Late in the day I caught up with Olive and Sparks, a couple of hikers I had met several days before at Beauty Spot Gap. They were at Iron Mountain Shelter, my planned stopover for the night, but there was plenty of day and daylight left. We talked a little about Grateful and then they invited me to walk on with them. Today turned out to be my longest mileage day, 19.7 miles, largely due to relatively flat terrain after the morning climb up from lake Watagua. We went pretty late - well after 6:00 p.m. - and finally found a good spot along the trail for the night. another hiker joined us and the four of us spent the night at a campsite well past Iron Mountain Shelter.Tomorrow will be over 22 miles into Damascus, but since Linda's not meeting me until Thursday I'll probably spend one more night on the trail.Until then...
Date: 2017-05-03
From: A Few Miles Beyond Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Damascus Campsite
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: light rain

Today turned out to be my longest distance for any single day and my first day over 20 miles, with a 20.2 mile day. It's just a couple more miles to Damascus but then I'd have to find a place to rent for the night and staying short let's me stay for free.Several others had the same idea I had and about a dozen people shared the small camping area just short of town.Damascus is an important landmark on the trail. It's the site of Trail Days, an annual hiking and Appalachian Trail festival held the third weekend in May, and it's the symbolic one quarter mark. It's not the actual quarter pole but it's within a several day hike. My personal feeling is that reaching Damascus is an important accomplishment - almost a fourth of the way there and prrof that you can stay on the trail for weeks on end.First thing in the morning the trail took me trough a literal cow pasture, with cows grazing around the trail to my left and right. I gave them a wide berth - not because I'm afraid of cows but because, well, you never know.... As I was walking I thought maybe I'd change my trail name from Persistent to Dances with Cows, but I"m not sure that one will take.Later in the day I passed a pretty meager shelter, named by the guidebook as "an unused shelter." It looked unused, although I used it to sit down and eat my lunch. It was a pretty poor shelter, that I'm sure for a while in its past served hikers well, but I was glad I didn't have to sleep there tonight. I'll try to include a picture if you're interest in seeing it.Twenty miles is another milestone for me. Experienced trail hikers say that eventually you'll start doing the 20 mile days, especially as the trail flattens a bit, so today made me feel like I'm getting strong and the miles might peal off a little easier - after all, there's only a little more than 1700 miles to go.The other highlight today was crossing from Tennessee into Virginia. For the last few weeks we've been crossng back and forth from North Carolina to Tennessee. I left North Carolina for the last time at Doll Flats during the hike out of Carver's Gap and today I left Tennessee for the last time. Leaving Tennessee is a good think because they don't provide privies at their shelters like the other states have. I much prefer a privy over taking a long walk into the woods with your hand shovel and some toilet paper. And it's also good to put the big mountains behind me.Until then...
Date: 2017-05-04
From: Damascus Campsite

To: Damascus
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning I made quick work of the 1.8 miles to the south edge of Damascus and later in the morning walked the 1.4 miles through town so that when I start up in a couple of days I can do it from the far end of town. I spent the morning doing some resupply and replacing some gear that had gone bad for one reason or another and to find and visit with old trail friends. Had breakfast with Butter and one of his friends and enjoyed a hot breakfast that someone else had cooked - those are always the best kinds of meals.Not much on the docket today except to wait for Linda to show up. I'm really looking forward to seeing her and hearing about how things are going back home.Until then...
Date: 2017-05-06
From: Damascus

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: light rain

Other than walking away from Deeds and Grateful today was my worst day on the trail. Linda and her father came for a visit and we had a great day yesterday in Abingdon. It was great to visit with Linda and leaving that morning was a bit sad. The day was cold and soon after leaving Damascus the rain started. The rain stayed all the way to the shelter and continued through the night. It was the first time I had to set up the tent in the rain so I was rushing to get the rain fly on before the inside of the tent got too wet.When I got to the shelter there was a crowd of Hikers huddled under the edges of the shelter trying to stay dry and warm, waiting to see if we could get a break from the rain. But no break came.(Whining alert) I spent a good part of the day thinking about why I am out here. There's not a good answer to that when you're wet and cold all day long.The walk was an interesting one, following the Virginia Creeper trail. The AT was separate from the Creeper trail but I could see it most of the day.Coming up on the official quarter of the way mark which will be quite a milestone.
Date: 2017-05-07
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: broken clouds

Today's itinerary included entering the Grayson Highlands.  The Highlands are a state park near Mount Rogers (Virginia's highest point ) and is made up of high elevation meadows.  The rain from yesterday showed up as snow on the ground today. White Top Mountain was true to its name with a covering of snow on the ground and trees.Temps were in the high 30s and low 40s all day (when I woke up the thermometer on my pack said 36). And the winds blew so hard that it staggered you as you walked.  It wasn't much of a day to recover from the soaking yesterday. The highlight of the highlands are the wild pony herds.  I was walking with a couple other guys and we came to the ponies soon after entering the Highlands.  The first two we saw had foal, one had two little baby ponies cute as could be. There was trail magic first thing in the morning and I had a big cup of hot coffee right on the trail - a real treat and a chance to warm up a bit.Later in the day I was walking with a hiker I had met several weeks ago and as he walked he took a tumble and landed on his shoulder.  After tending to him I thought to myself COME ON! How many times am I going to see this happen!  The hiker seemed OK and he went on with a bit of a tender sboulder.I prepared for a cold night and got to bed early after dinner with my sleeping bag puled up tight.
Date: 2017-05-08
From: Wise Shelter

To: Campsite near Mount Rogers Visitor Center
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: clear sky

With a thankful heart I got some payback today.  After a cold start the day turned warm and sunny and the long day I planned proved to be very doable.I woke to temps on the high 30s and the winds were still strong on the Highlands.  I moved as fast as I could with my buff covering my ears and stopped only long enough to take a picture of the long horn steer herd they keep on the Highlands.  Before long I came down the mountain to a warm and wonderful day. It's these kind of days that renew the spirit and make the walk see an easy task.I wanted to get close to Marion because I need resupply but don't want to take an entire day off.  If you stay close to town then it's possible to get in while it's still morning and have the better part of the day to finish errands.  So I kept pushing until it began to get dark - 23 miles and my longest day on the trail. Quick dinner and quick to bed.
Date: 2017-05-09
From: Campsite near Mount Rogers Visitor Center

To: Mt. Rogers Visitor Center
Miles today: 6.4

I planned a short walk for the day stopping last night about six miles short of the Mount Rodgers Visitor Center.  There's a shuttle from the Visitor Center into Marion, VA and it makes for a quick in and out.  I'll stay the night but be back at it tomorrow.I set my alarm for 5 a.m. this morning hoping to get up and make a few miles before the rain came but even with the early start I spent the entire three hour walk in a pouring rain.  the trail was three inches of mud in places and after awhile all I could do was plod through.  Thankfully it was a short walk and I made it to the Visitor Center in time for a Coke and a candy bar while waiting for the shuttle.I don't ever drink real Coke at home and seldom have a candy bar but on the trail there are no rules - everything you eat burns off pretty quickly so the sentiment among hikers is eat whatever you want - it won't last long.Today was the fourth or so day of hard rain the last several days and it was another 'Why am I here day'.  But when I was in my hotel room warm and dry it didn't seem nearly as bad.  But let's hope for some good weather - I could use it.
Date: 2017-05-10
From: Mt. Rogers Visitor Center

To: Camping area past The Barn
Miles today: 13.5

I missed the 9 a.m. shuttle back to the Visitor's Center this morning because of a mixup on schedules.  It turns out that the 9 a.m. shuttle leaves at 8:30.  So instead I caught the 11 a.m. shuttle that left at 10:30.  So things are a little lax on the trail. I met Foggy yesterday and we had dinner together last night.  Foggy remembered me from Newfound Gap when I was hiking with Grateful, but I didn't remember him.  We started walking together when we got back to the trail and maybe we'll walk together for the near future.  It always depends on hiking speeds and distances before you can be sure that you have a hiking partner.  But it's good to have someone to hike with, both on the trail and in the evenings when you find a remote spot to camp.The 11 a.m. shuttle was completely full of hikers and they had to call a back up shuttle. In all about 30 hikers returned to the trail today.  I think all the rain and cold from the last several days created a bit of a bottleneck and with the promise of a good day everyone wanted back on the trail.The day was full of interesting little surprises - the best being the cool and sunny day without a hint of rain.  These days are great for walking through the woods and you can the smiles come back to every hiker's face.Midway through the day I began to hear a buzz in the woods.  As I walked on it got louder and louder until I found its source.  I walked under a high tension power line and the lines were buzzing so loudly you could hear yourself think.  I didn't know they did that.After that I found a group of hikers and trail magic at an historic old one room school house - pop and snacks, always welcome!At the end of the day I made it to The Barn with a group of other hikers.  The Barn is a road side (and trail side) resaturant famous for their Hiker Burger.  It's always good to not have to cook dinner so about everyone stopped.  Foggy caught up with me there and we sat together enjoying a cheeseburger, fries, pop and even some peach cobbler with ice cream.  It was a little bit of heaven.The day ended at a campsite with about 12 tents and hammocks - the trail still seems a little crowded.What a great day to be hiking.  These days make the task seem doable!
Date: 2017-05-11
From: Camping area past The Barn

To: Campsite along a surging creek
Miles today: 14.0

Today I passed the quarter way mark!  Another two weeks or so and I'll pass the one-third mark.  Small goals, small accomplishments and then maybe it will be done.There were rumors on the trail of more big rain tomorrow and the crowd of hikers seemed to disappear.  Foggy and I stayed on the trail and found a campsite that evening along a beautiful surging creek and we slept to the sounds of running water.  It was a great little home for the evening.No one passed us all day, which is odd because I'm certainly not the quickest hiker on the trail.  I'm guessing other hikers have started looking for a dry place out of the rain - not only are they quicker than me but it appears they are smarter.
Date: 2017-05-12
From: Campsite along a surging creek

To: VA 623
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: overcast clouds

The rumors were true and it started raining early.  But the rain stopped and the day stayed cold and foggy - not bad overall.We climbed for the better part of the morning, ending up climbing about a mile and a half of high meadow up to a shelter.  The shelter was one of the nicer ones on the trail with four walls, windows and a front door that closed.  It would have been a great shelter to stay in had we not arrived around noon.After a quick lunch we moved on and almost immediately the thunder and lightning and hard rains came.  For about three to four hours we walked on through the rain, a little worried about the lightning but with nothing we could do about it.We knew the bad weather was coming so from the shelter we called down to a motel in Bland, VA to make sure we would have a dry spot for the night.  The motel staff told us to call Bubba when we got down to the road and we set off, at least hopeful that we would sleeping in a warm, dry spot.We finally made it to VA 623, a dirt road mountain trail and called Bubba who told us he was rescuing others so it would an hour or so.  His advice was to start walking down the mountain road to stay warm and he get to us as quickly as he could.  So, off we went down the dirt road in the pouring rain.  But Bubba was true to his word and in about an hour he was there.  The shuttle fee was $40, a new personal record for me, but at that point I would have paid more (Don't tell Bubba that or the next poor, wet, shivering schmuck will get a bill for $60.)  Bubba was nice enough and got us into town as quickly as possible, even with a brief tour of the three or four places of business that exist in Bland, VA - a subway, a DQ, a Dollar General and a Kangaroo convenience store.The Big Walker Motel was a treat - clean and warm and a welcome site.Would somebody please pass along the word to the authorities that we've had enough rain for a while!!
Date: 2017-05-13
From: VA 623

To: Campsite around Highway 52
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: moderate rain

We had a morning appointment for Bubba to come pick us up and he forgot all about it.  The Hotel staff were very helpful and made a few calls to Bubba and others.  We finally found Jim to drive us back to our starting point but we didn't start until a little after noon. Jim made his living in the past working with mining companies and he gave us some very interesting geology lessons on the way up the trail.  He also told Foggy and me that you can eat the tips of a fiddle bow fern and they taste just like asparagus.  I haven't been brave enough to try yet because I don't know the difference between the fiddle bow fern and the 'might turn your tongue black' fern.  I'll stick with what's in my food bag for now.The evening before I heard from Grateful that he was back on the trail.  I'm glad to hear that and I'm glad to hear that the damage from his fall was limited to the first indication of a broken nose and no further facial or bone damage.  He's behind me about a week so it's likely I won't see him again for a while.Today was another perfect hiking day - sunny and cook with temps in the 50s most of the day.  As the days get longer we can hike longer and to make up for our late start we hiked until 7:30 so we could meet our daily mileage target.  When we left from the trailhead we bumped into a few hikers we hadn't seen for awhile, including 'Bartender' who I had not seen since Mountain Harbor Hostel over a week ago.  That's the nature of the trail - people come in and out of your bubble from day to day.  It's always fun to see someone you haven't seen for a while, especially if you have the time to compare notes about the trail.The privies in Virginia seem a step up from those in the other states we've walked through but I cam across one today that had tarp sides and no front to it.  It was well behind a shelter but it faced the shelter so the only thing protecting your modesty was distance and a few tress blocking the view from the shelter.  I'm sure there was a plan there but I'm not sure what it was.  You can be assured I tried to make quick work of my duties at the privy and move. on.Toward the end of the day we passed over Laurel Creek and it was raging with all the recent rain.  These normally quiet, slow moving creeks are literally all roaring with water right now.
Date: 2017-05-14
From: Campsite around Highway 52

To: Trent's Grocery
Miles today: 19.7
Weather: broken clouds

We crossed 600 miles today with a beautiful sunny day.  Foggy and I decided early to try to push on to Trent's Grocery today which would give us a day right at 20 miles - certainly a long one for us.Trent's is a small grocer, convenience, hunting, fishing, trapping supply store in the middle of nowhere.  It also has a grill with burgers, fries, onion rings and much more.  It also has a tenting site that includes laundry and a shower for $6.  Trent's is a little bit of heaven.It seems every hiker on the trail was heading to Trent's because we literally saw hikers coming and going.  the day ended with a walk across a long suspension bridge and then a short, off trail hike to Trent's.After our dinner of burgers and fries and a dessert of Little Debbie's Zebra Cakes we tented out back with Chief and the small group he's walking with.  I met Chief way back at Hot Springs when we shared some time over a beer and a bar and grill.It was fun to watch Chief and his group.  They all met on the trail and now they sit and argue and chide one another like old friends.  The trail does that.  It makes quick friends of people you otherwise would have never met, I think because of the shared purpose and shared experience of the hike.  It's the base part of the hike and I'm grateful for every new friend I make.
Date: 2017-05-15
From: Trent's Grocery

To: Doc's Knob Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: clear sky

We had breakfast at Trent's this morning on the way back to the trail - more Little Debbie's treats and good hot coffee.We planned another long day because we want to end the day near enough to Pearisburg, VA to be able to walk in before noon.  We'll be taking a full day off in Pearisburg so the longer we can be in town the day we walk in the more errands we can get done so the following 'zero day' will be relaxing and rejuvenating.This was our third straight day of perfect weather and I can't say enough how great that it - walking in the mountain cook with a bright sun makes the experience something to marvel at.  We ended the day at Doc's Knob Shelter and when we arrived we were the oly ones there.  It's been a while since I slept in a shelter so we decided to not pitch tents but just sleep in the shelter.  A couple of hammockers showed up later but Foggy and I turned out to be the only ones in the shelter all night.  It seems the crowd on the trail pushed on to get even closer to Pearisburg or pushed all the way through. It's still another eight miles from here and that's a little too long for my old legs at this pont.I'm looking forward to the zero day in Pearisburg because it's been about 10 straight days of hiking.  I can use the physical and the mental rest, for sure.
Date: 2017-05-16
From: Doc's Knob Shelter

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 8.3

It was a quick day into Pearisburg with great weather and lots of beautiful views along the way.  The final couple of miles were hard because we crossed over a mountain top and had to climb long rocky patches on the way up and way down.We had reservations at the Plaza Motel and they provided a good clean room, free laundry (that they did for us!!), and a small foam chest full of ice for our beer that we grabbed at the Food Lion right across the street.  These people know how to treat hikers!Tomorrow will be our zero day and then we'll be back at it Thursday morning.Until then...
Date: 2017-05-18
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter
Miles today: 20.4
Weather: light intensity drizzle

We left Pearisburg in good spirits today with good weather and anxious to move on to Harper's Ferry, the trail's half way mark.  The walk out took us across the New River and for the better part of the day we walked the ridgeline that defines the border between Virginia and West. Virginia. Today is a bit of a challenge because we either have to take a short day of under 12 miles or walk 20 because of an 8 mile gap where there is no water.  The walk isn't too bad so we decided to push for the long day.I talked with Grateful yesterday and its looking like his injuries have healed pretty nicely. He's back in the truck with a new partner, Chip, and the two of them came to Pearisburg to check out of some parking places they might use in the near future. According to Grateful he is still about a week behind  me on the trail.Sometimes when you're walking through the woods you don't realize how close you are to civilization. Today we were reminded about every half an hour because we could hear train whistles throughout the morning.  The hiking crowd is way down rightnow because everyone is moving back to Damascus for trail days, a hiker festival held in late May every year. We'll see if the shelters are less crowded.Until then...
Date: 2017-05-19
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Wat Spur Shelter
Miles today: 12.7
Weather: clear sky

There were only three of us at the shelter last night so it was a quiet evening. I guess Trail Days have lured a lot of hikers off trail.We woke to a thunderstorm so we sat in the shelter to wait it out. It cost us a couple ofhours of hiking time but it was worth it to stay dry.About lunch time we cruised into another shelter and sa tjrough anotjer rain storm. We felt lucky that our timing was so good and we were keepong dry.There's a restricted camping area coming up we're hoping for a couple of long days so we can make it through in two days.