morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-04-30
From: Hot Springs

To: Abby's Place
Miles today: 8.3

Dawn picked me up this morning. We went to Earth Fare and had breakfast, then drove to the trail head. I think we took the wrong fork and ended up on Old Buck Mountain Road. We stopped and asked directions of a very nice guy, who directed us to the wrong trail head. I knew that might be the case, but I forgot to double check when we got there. We had passed by a road we were supposed to take and figured we were back on track, but in retrospect I think we drove past the other end of that road.Long story short, I started too far south and ended up walking about 7 miles I had already done. Oh, well. It was a nice walk the other day and it was a nice walk today, too.I walked from about 2:00 to 7:30. I was about a half an hour past Walnut Mountain Road (where I had intended to start), at 7:35, when I came to a nice campsite by a stream. I though I was only about a half a mile from the turnoff to Abby¢s Place, but I wasn¢t sure and it was almost sunset so I stopped.The sound of the creek was wonderful, but unfortunately I barely slept. I could hear lots of airplanes and road noise. At a little before 2:00 AM three hikers set up camp across the creek from me and talked for 45 minutes. I had planned to get up at 4:00 AM but at 3:00 I turned the alarm off and slept until 6:00.
Date: 2010-05-01
From: Abby's Place

To: Moreland Gap shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: clear sky

I was tired and didn¢t get out until quarter to nine. It got hot quickly. I was very slow today. I guess I averaged over 1.5 M.P.H., but I took a lot of breaks.My new boots gave me a blister on top of my left big toe yesterday. I taped it, but the skin was broken at the edge of the tape when I checked at noon. I had felt it ¢ just didn¢t know it was a new spot.I sat for about an hour with my boots off. I couldn¢t find the New Skin, so I put some superglue on it, followed by a band aid, followed by tape. I got to Moreland Gap shelter at 3:00 PM. I thought I might go another 2 miles but opted to tent at the shelter instead. I was just finishing up setting up camp and treating my water when the thunderstorm started.It only lasted about 30 minutes. I¢m snug in the tent. At the shelter are Stumble Wolf, Dart man and three section hikers so far. It¢s only 5:20 and I plan to be asleep very soon. I can¢t wait to get to Damascus to get my lighter gear, today was tough.
Date: 2010-05-02
From: Moreland Gap shelter

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 6.0

I hiked to Kincora Hostel ¢ got there about noon. The weather was nicer. There was a stiff breeze higher up that helped cool things off. It was muggier down below, but not too bad.When I got to the road I wanted to keep going, but I needed to go to the hostel to pick up my box. When I got there, Bob Peoples showed me to a bunk and I decided to stay.I hung out, knitted, read a book and chatted with other hikers. I went into town on the 5 o¢clock shuttle, ate at Arby¢s and picked up some eggs and apples. I wore my boots with the Superfeet insoles in them to try them out. It didn¢t feel good on the blister. When I got back, the skin was coming off. I bumped my foot on the waist belt of my pack and it came off the rest of the way, leaving a new spot. Good thing I picked up some Neosporin at the store. I haven¢t decided what I¢ll do tomorrow.
Date: 2010-05-03
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

I really wanted to hike today, but the smart thing was to stay put. Every time I got impatient I just looked at that spot on my foot and I knew I was doing the right thing. Mostly, I settled in and enjoyed the day off.I soaked my foot a couple of times in a zip lock bag of warm water. I chatted with Doodlebug and Didgeridude and Dart Man. Went into town on the evening shuttle so I could call Steve. He has asked one of tenants to move out so that we can move into the apartment at the end of the summer. She doesn¢t want to go, talking ¢lawyer¢ and I¢m trying not to stress out about it. There¢s nothing I can do from here.I don¢t know if I will head out in the morning, do a 9-mile slack southbound to the hostel or if I will have to stay put. The mildew and cigarette smoke here are bothering me. I¢d like to move on.
Date: 2010-05-04
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: clear sky

I woke up with my alarm and 6:00 AM. I still wasn¢t sure what I was going to do. I took the wrapping off my toe to let it air out and see what it looked like. I hung out for awhile, thinking about it. The toe was still raw, but not infected, and healing. I bought more New Skin on Saturday (lost the first bottle in the woods). I put some of that on it, then a Band-Aid and then tape to hold the Band-Aid on.I decided not to do the slack pack. If I got out there and my toe gave me too much trouble I would be stuck going the whole nine miles so I decided to head north with the pack. Even if I could only go 2 or 3 miles I could tent by the creek and hang out.I got out at 7:20. I wanted to get over Pond Mountain before the heat of the day. Most of the way up was shaded, so it wasn¢t too bad. A few people passed me. Blue Meany and a guy who was hiking with him. I passed Sparky making a phone call, Stumble Wolf went by slacking the other way.I got to Pond Flats at about 12:30. I stopped and got water and ate. I was glad to have the climb behind me. Some parts of it are not graded well. Bob Peoples and Hardcore are going to reroute some of it this year.I got to Shook Branch Recreation area at about 2:30 PM. I sat on the grass for an hour, eating and reading. As I was leaving a nice young man who works at Braemar in Hampton, TN offered me a ride into town. I said no thanks and told him how much I appreciated him offering. I wondered if it meant I was supposed to go into Hampton, but I didn¢t have a strong feeling about it so I moved on. At about 5:15 I stopped below Watauga Lake Shelter and set up my tent, I had a cell signal and I had arranged to call Ross (my therapist) after 8:00 PM. I met Trog passing by as I set up my tent. I went up to the shelter to be friendly and to sign the register. There I found out that a nuisance bear had been stealing food bags. I went back down to move my rope. It was in a tree right next to my tent, which I don¢t usually do, but it was the best ( and only) spot nearby.I spent almost an hour trying to find a tree and/or trying to get the rope up over branches that were too tall. Finally I thought if I hang it anywhere near the tent he is going to get it because I can¢t find a good tree. And if it¢s near the tent, it will keep me awake listening for him and shooing him off. If he¢s going to get the food anyway, I might as well not let him steal my good night¢s sleep too.So I back tracked down the trail away form the shelter and decided to hang it in the first remotely adequate tree I found. I hung it in a rhododendron about a third of a mile from my tent. It was high enough and he would have had to knock over the tree to get it. My hope was that he would hang around the shelter and never even see it. My bag would be the needle in a haystack.I started falling asleep about 7:30 and realized that I would be useless for a therapy appointment at 8:00, so I called Ross and cancelled. I thought I heard the bear once around dusk and hollered at it to get out of there.
Date: 2010-05-05
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

I woke up to the alarm at 5:00. I had wanted to get out early, but I decided I didn¢t want to go down the trail to get the food bag in the dark with the bear roaming about. I was disappointed that I hadn¢t gone a little farther yesterday since I didn¢t end up getting to talk to Ross.I dozed off and was awakened at 5:20 by the sound of a tree limb crashing. I couldn¢t tell what direction it was coming from and I thought, ¢There goes my food bag.¢ Then I heard a male voice yelling at the bear and realized the sound came from up above at the shelter. Shortly after that I heard the bear creeping around my tent site. I wasn¢t too worried because I had nothing he wanted. I even ate supper away from the tent ¢ but I hollered at him anyway.I got up at daylight. I packed up everything except my tent and took it with me to get the food bag. After Friar Tuck¢s experience there was no way I was going to leave my pack unattended with a bear around. My food bag was still there. Yay! I don¢t think the bear tried for it, so my story is that I out smarted the bear. My rope did have a catch in it, but I think I did it last night when I was trying to hang the bag.So I got out a little later than I wanted. I passed a place to camp right before the dam that I remembered hammocking in last year.I called Steve from Watauga Dam. I told him I had decided not to stress about the tenant. We would just go through whatever process it took for as long as it took until she was gone. It¢s personal, and sooner or later she will have to move out. I missed the turnoff at the top of Watauga Dam Road. I thought I remembered 2 section hikers doing the same thing last year and that the road intersected the trail further up. I took a chance that it did and kept going.I stopped at a spring a couple of miles before Vandeventer Shelter in the late morning. I was soon joined by Walking Cowboy and Chicago Wally. At Vandeventer Shelter I took a 20 minute break with my boots off and chatted with them again. Walking Cowboy said, ¢Somebody please tell me its downhill all the way to Damascus.¢ So of course, I said, ¢It¢s downhill all the way to Damascus!¢I stopped about 5:00 PM at a clearing by a spring about 3 miles south of Iron Mountain Shelter. It was a nice spring. Right off the trail. I was down there getting water and bumming out a little. I had stopped because my feet were tired. I had wanted to go further and I was bummed out because I had only gone 10 miles. I was sitting there thinking, ¢This is ridiculous. I¢m here in this beautiful spot and I¢m not enjoying it because I only went 10 miles. Ten Miles is good! I need a way to redefine this because there¢s no point in doing it if I¢m not enjoying myself.¢So I decided that this will be a happy hike. I¢ll hike when it makes me happy and stop when it doesn¢t. Happy Hike 2010. GA to ?After I pitched my tent I met Montana and her dog Niko and a couple nice guys who were ahead of them. Doodlebug and Didgeridude also camped by the spring. They are fun and have great senses of humor.
Date: 2010-05-06
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Double Springs Gap
Miles today: 16.0

It was pretty much a perfect day of hiking. It was sunny but the breeze made it comfortable and kept the bugs off.I got up a little after 5:00 and left at 7:00. I took a few minutes to wash out my undies and hankie. My summer routine includes a little camp laundry every day. I put it in my quart zip lock container with a little soap and water and shake it. Instant mini washing machine.It got hot about 2:00 PM and I finally put up my umbrella as a sunshade. It didn¢t cool me off as much as I thought it would until I raised it up higher. Then the breeze could get under it and it cast a bigger shadow. Perhaps the sun was coming from a different angle also. Anyway, when most of my body was shaded, it made a huge difference.I found the perfect umbrella attachers ¢ hair elastics with baubles at the end. Mine have hearts. They are light and cheap. I need two and I¢m carrying two more in case they break(and they did come four to a package). They worked the best of anything I¢ve tried.It was a day of trail magic. Long story short I drank 48 ounces of soda and one of the sodas had a lot of caffeine. I don¢t know if all the high fructose corn syrup caused me to retain the liquid but I don¢t know where those 48 ounces went. They disappeared down my throat, never to be seen again.I caught up with Doodlebug and Didgeridude at Double Springs Shelter. I took a break with my socks off, sitting in the shelter. Something bit my shin. D&D and a couple day hikers gave me some water so I took a nice, long break.I left the shelter at 4:40 PM. I¢d already gone 10 miles. I thought I¢d try to make Abingdon Gap Shelter for a total of 18 miles. I followed Doodlebug for the first hour or so, pushing myself to keep up. About a half hour after she left me in the dust. I came to a campsite that tempted me. I took a short break there but it was too close to the road so I kept on going. That was about 6:30.It was a beautiful evening. I climbed the hill on the other side of the road (US 421) and ran into the D¢s taking a break. They said they thought they would go another 2 miles and camp at Double Springs Gap. I said I had decided to continue and see what turned up.There was some very steep terrain in those two miles. The path was rocky in spots. There were also a couple of big piles of rocks. There were the remnants of a controlled burn along the trail. It was a beautiful section with the evening light across the ridge.I camped at Double Springs Gap. Doodlebug and Didgeridude gave me another liter of water and Didge tied up a little baggie of nuts for me after I discovered it in my pocket when I was inside the tent. Earlier he had showed me a new way to hang the bear bag.I discovered that I had a spider bite on my shin that I got back at Double Springs Shelter. It was swollen and I was buzzing from the caffeine, so I took a Benadryl that Doodlebug gave me.
Date: 2010-05-07
From: Double Springs Gap

To: Damascus-The Place
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

I¢m sitting in the Laundromat in Damascus, VA. It¢s d©j vu all over again and I can¢t believe its May 7th already. I¢m one week behind where I planned to be.I set the alarm for 5:00 AM and started moving about 5:20. I packed up and was hiking at 6:48 AM. I waited to eat breakfast at Abingdon Gap Shelter. By the time I did that and went down the hill for water, Doodlebug and Didgeridude had caught up with me. We chatted a bit and I moved on.It was a little hotter than yesterday ¢ not so much of a breeze. I stopped again at noon at a campsite. I was soon joined again by the two D¢s and Sticks. Sticks was tired. We talked about why people think the section from Watauga Dam to Damascus is easy. There¢s quite a bit of climbing and once you reach the ridge when the trail goes up and over it¢s sometimes a pretty steep grade.Later I figured it out to my satisfaction. It¢s like when you¢re studying something, you¢re supposed to study for 15 minutes and then take a break. It seems counter intuitive until you realize that you tend to remember the first thing you studied and the last thing you studied the best. Create more firsts and lasts and you¢ll remember more with less effort. Anyway, I figured out that the beginning of the section is flat and easy and the end is flat and downhill, so that¢s what people remember. Also, there¢s pizza at the end if you are so inclined.It was getting hot around noon, but when I got up and over the hill after my break, the wind picked up and it was a pleasant hike all the way to Damascus. I pushed it a little and made good time. I got to town about 3:45.I was tired and sore today after yesterday¢s 16 miles. I lost my watch along the trail, it fell off my wrist. When I got to town I went to the outfitter¢s I bought a pair of flip flops and weighed my pack. It has been feeling really heavy to me, but it weighed only 24 pounds when I got in (with no water). I took out the food and a book and it weighed 19.I decided to hike to VA683, Atkins, and meet Friar Tuck Thursday night at the Relax Inn. I¢m not going to swap out my gear until I get back to Damascus next week. I have 5 (!) boxes at the outfitter and it was too much to try to go through them tonight. If I get out early tomorrow it¢s a very doable 6 day hike to Atkins ¢ about 12.5 miles a day. Get out late and it gets much harder.So I¢ll play with supplies and gear when I have friends to drive me and a cabin to do it in. I¢ll have my winter gear to go over Mount Rogers and I¢ll save the learning curve that goes along with new gear to an easier section.I¢m staying at The Place. I put up a note about my watch and it has already come back to me. LoRod happened to take a break right where it fell off.I re-supplied at the Dollar General so I¢ll be eating sausage, beef jerky, sunflower seeds, almond snickers and cheese popcorn for the next 4 days. I still have some of my more healthy food left.That¢s about it except that I saw my first bear today. I scared up a little cub this morning about 20 minutes from where I camped.
Date: 2010-05-08
From: Damascus-The Place

To: Saunder's Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: few clouds

I set my alarm for 6:00 AM. It was pouring rain when it went off and I felt like I could sleep some more, so I did. I got up at 7:00 and debated about taking a zero. The rain had stopped but it was gray and very windy. I felt tired and achy and my left big toe was a little swollen, but after dawdling a little while, I decided to go. By the time I headed out to breakfast at Cowboy¢s the sun was out. After breakfast, on my way out of town I stopped at MoJo¢s and had a fresh fruit smoothie. I wish I could have one of those every day.Thru-hiking the A.T. is insane in one way (at least), it¢s endurance exercise without food. (Sorry, Pop Tarts, Snickers Bars and ramen do not constitute a complete diet).Off the soap box. The weather was sunny, cooler and windy. Great hiking weather. There are fairly hefty climbs today. I felt in shape for them and averaged my usual 1.5 m.p.h. I wasn¢t pushing it on purpose. The wind picked up in the last half hour or so of the climb up to the turnoff for Saunder¢s Shelter. It was starting to be a bit unpleasant.I wasn¢t sure I was going to stop at the shelter but as I neared the turn off I realized I was going to have a problem with the town food and I needed to use the privy. So I hustled on over there.I remembered the shelter from 2008. I wasn¢t going to stop then either but it was such a beautiful spot, I stayed. That year I had it all to myself but there¢s quite a few people here tonight.I called Steve for a weather report. No rain until Tuesday. It¢s still very windy outside my tent and it¢s going down to the low 40¢s. I¢m glad; I¢ve been too hot at night for awhile. Right now I¢m getting a little chilly though, so it¢s time to zip up and go to sleep.I saw several perfect little wild irises today (among lots of other wild flowers ¢ spring is finally here). The last two days I saw Lady¢s Slippers.
Date: 2010-05-09
From: Damascus-The Place

To: Stealth Camp Past White Top
Miles today: 13.9

I got out about 7:20. The terrain went up for a little way and then down to the Virginia Creeper Trail where I took a mid morning break and ate. Then I did the climb to Lost Mountain Shelter. The trail was pretty and not too steep, I got there noonish. I wasn¢t hungry but I needed to take my boots off. I was there almost an hour talking with Caleb, Kikker, Treecycler and Charlie (Sparky).About 40 minutes past the shelter, Kikker and Treecycler passed me and then we came to a spot where we saw a patch of at least 40 lady slippers in bloom. All I could say was ¢Wow!¢ Treecycler said she¢d send me a picture. It was sandy going up to Buzzard¢s Rock, I got to the clear part and I could see a white blaze shining in the sun on a rock way up over my head. It was so windy that I didn¢t stop ¢ just kept on going up to White Top. I stopped and got water at the spring that gushes right out of the mountain. I could hear it gurgling periodically, right before a big slpurt of water gushed out.Kikker, Treecycler and Charlie were camped on White Top. It was really windy there so I moved on. I camped there in 2008 and thought I remembered another campsite past where I camped. There was one only a few feet past and I didn¢t know if that was it or not.As I continued, there was nowhere to camp. The trail down hill was steep on either side and rocky. I thought, o.k. maybe I¢ll be night hiking up Mount Rogers. After about 45 minutes I thought I saw a flat spot and went off the trail to check it out. I found a nice little campsite by a stream. It was down out of the wind.
Date: 2010-05-10
From: Stealth Camp Past White Top

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 16.7
Weather: overcast clouds

It was cold last night ¢ 35 degrees in the tent this morning and at midnight when I chased a critter away from the tent. I heard it make 2 hops ¢ it was much bigger than a mouse. In the morning a tent stake was missing at the corner of the tent where I heard it. I hadn¢t pushed that stake all the way into the ground and a raccoon must have taken it.There was a little frost on the tent and on the food bag. I ate beef jerky and a partially frozen Snickers while I packed up. It was cold and I missed my head band that I must have left at Laurie¢s in Asheville. I got out at 6:38. The trail was beautiful with the sun coming up, the rocks and all the fresh spring green. I stopped at a campsite at the road to eat and change clothes. I was still wearing my long undies instead of my hiking shirt. After I ate I was too cold to change, so I headed across the road and up the hill. About 20 minutes later I went over a rise that blocked me from the road and I was warm enough to change.It was a beautiful climb over Mount Rogers and the Grayson Highlands. I stopped twice ¢ once just before Rhododendron Gap at a campsite off on the right to eat, brush teeth, take the boots off, etc.I was moving well and felt light and bouncy coming down the rocks at Grayson. I got to Wise Shelter about 4:40. Charlie arrived shortly after I did. I decided to move on and left at five. Steve told me rain was coming and I wanted to get over the spot I though was the Scales, but actually turned out to be Stone Mountain. I remembered it being exposed, cold, windy and rainy the last time I traversed it and I didn¢t want to repeat the experience.I hiked quickly. I stopped at the privy at a fenced in spot between Stone and Pine Mountains, where people park their horse trailers and camp. I thought about pitching there, but it was windy. I pushed on to Old Orchard Shelter and got there about 8:15 PM.
Date: 2010-05-11
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Baptist Hostel
Miles today: 10.2

I woke up at 4:00 and considered getting up and out. The wind was blowing hard but it wasn¢t raining. I¢d gotten to bed late, so I slept a couple more hours.When I got up I heard the rain, so I hustled outside to get my food bag before it got too wet. I brought it in the tent and ate while I packed up. It didn¢t rain much. The tent was a little wet, but that was all.I got out about 8:00. It rained a little for the first hour or so. By the time I got to Fox Creek it had pretty much stopped. When I got to the top of the hill I took down the umbrella and took off the rain gear.It was a beautiful hike ¢ a very pretty section with lots of streams. I kept expecting people from the shelter to pass me until I finally realized that at least six of them were heading south to Damascus. The only two north bounders who passed me were Shutterbug and Sarge who were out section-hiking.The weather stayed slightly overcast and I made good time even though I was tired from yesterday. It was wet, so I didn¢t take any sit-down breaks. Also I was only going 10 miles and I wanted to get to Troutdale with some time to spare.I passed Shutterbug and Sarge at about 12:30 when they were eating lunch. They offered me a ride to the Trading Post and the Baptist Hostel, which I gladly accepted.I went on ahead and they caught up with me at the trail head at about 1:30. I hiked 10 miles in 5.5 hours with minimal breaks. S and S drove me up the hill to the hostel to drop off my gear and then back down to the restaurant. I sure appreciated the trail magic.I ate, went online to check my email and bought a few supplies. Went back up to the hostel and showered, and hung up my tent to dry. I shared the bunk house with Dwayne a hiker from Florida. We chatted while I went through my food and generally got my gear together.