morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-04-18
From: Old Apple Orchard camp site

To: Roan Mtn, TB
Miles today: 21.9

Departed Erwin, TN at 7:45am. Crossed a big bald called The Beauty Spot Gap. Climbed and crossed Unaka Mountain which has a dense Spruce Pine Forest. Walked a total of 21.9 miles. Biggest mileage day yet. Pretty bushed. I will walk over Roan Mountain (second highest mountain on the Appalachian Trail ) tomorrow. Tenting with "Mobius" and "Long Haul" at the Apple Orchard Camp Site. Right here in an old Apple Orchard.
Date: 2014-04-19
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Roan Mtn, TN
Miles today: 19.7

Walked over Roan Mountain and the Roan Highlands today. Kind of a discouraging day. I wanted to enjoy Roan Mountain and the Roan Highlands but the weather was just drab, wet , and windy. Walked 19.7 miles today. Tenting outside Overmountain Shelter which is a red barn converted into a shelter. "Toast" and "Big Spoon" are playing their banjo and fiddle over at the barn. Nice view of the surrounding mountains from my tent site. Right before dark a huge rainbow appeared over the mountains The sun should rise directly into the door of my tent tomorrow Easter morning. Going to walk thru The Roan Highlands into Roan Mountain, TN tomorrow morning where I will spend the night in town somewhere tomorrow night. The Overmountain Barn is alongside the trail the Overmountain Men travelled on their way to Kings Mountain, NC to put a whoopin on the British during the Revolutionary War. They were probably mad when they got to King's Mountain because they had to walk over these mountains.
Date: 2014-04-20
From: Newland, NC

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 8.7
Weather: clear sky

(To view Day 35 and Day 36 journal entries click on the previous Tab above). I did today what in AT hiking lingo is called a NERO which means nearly zero mileage or a low mileage day. A NERO is not quiet a ZERO day. A ZERO day is when you walk zero mileage. How many of you did a ZERO day this week? That's the conclusion of today's vocabulary lesson. I walked 8.7 miles this morning (see low mileage) from Overmountain Shelter, where I tented last night, to Highway US19E outside Roan Mountain, TN. I walked over Little Hump and Big Hump Balds which are simply amazing. Unless you have seen The Roan Highlands I cannot explain the size of the Balds or the views from the Balds. The Roan Highlands were beautiful this bright sunshiny Easter Sunday. You owe yourself a visit to the Roan Highlands in this lifetime. From HWY 19E I got a ride to Newland, NC from "Long Haul's" wife who is here to spend a NERO with Long Haul. Since arriving in Newland I have done laundry, eaten at McDonalds, grocery shopped, and eaten at Hardee's. I will be getting back to walking tomorrow morning. It is approximately 77 miles from Roan Mountain,TN to Damascus, VA where I plan to be by the end of the week. This week I will go over 400 miles walked and will enter my fourth State. Right Here is at the Shady Lawn Lodge in Newland, NC for the evening enjoying a NERO.
Date: 2014-04-21
From: mile 409

To: Damascus,VA
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: clear sky

Nothing real eventful today. Just grinding out miles on the footpath to Damascus. No revelation as of yet. At 10:30am I started back walking where I left off yesterday at US HWY 19E, Roan Mountain,TN. Pounded out 17.2 miles. Break out the bubbly. Release the balloons. I crossed over 400 miles walked today. Beautiful Spring day it was. Tenting tonight.
Date: 2014-04-22
From: Kincora Hiking Hostel, Hampton, TN

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: overcast clouds

(day 38 is posted. Click previous tab above to read) Up early. 8 mile walk to Kincora Hiking Hostel, Hampton, TN. I wanted to avoid the rain that started this afternoon. Bob Peoples has been operating the Kincora Hiking Hostel for 18 years. He says he has hosted over 20,000 hikers since opening. Staying in the hostel with at least 12 other hikers to include a young couple from South Korea. At 5pm we all loaded up in Bob 's pickup truck and went to Brown 's Grocery/Hardware in Hampton, TN for food resupply. Tank, Doctor Zoom,J -Rex,Listener,and me (Right Here) caught a shuttle from Brown 's Grocery to the Subway in Hampton. Nobody ordered the 6 inch sub. Everyone got a footlong sub. Bob is downstairs talking to people telling hiking stories. He seems to have a boundless enthusiasm for hiking, hikers, AT trail history, and trail maintenance. Bob loves the trail and all things about the trail. Bob operates Kincora out of a love for the trail and only asks for a $5 donation to stay overnight in the hostel. Heading out early tomorrow morning bound for Damascus, VA. I plan a high mileage day tomorrow in an effort to make it to Damascus by Friday. Right here at Kincora Hiking Hostel.
Date: 2014-04-23
From: campsite at mile 438.3

To: Damascus,VA
Miles today: 21.3

Walked 21.3 miles. Good, cool, Spring day. Enjoyed seeing the baby ducklings swimming around with their mother on Watauga Lake (see photo to left). They couldn't have been more than a day or two old. Maybe they were born this past Easter Sunday? Tenting at a campsite with seven or eight other people. Frost warnings for tonight. Right Here is tired. Goodnight.
Date: 2014-04-24
From: unnamed campsite mile 458.2

To: Damascus,VA
Miles today: 19.9

(Day 40 journal entry has been entered and can be viewed by clicking on the Previous Tab above) Thanks to Nelson Baptist Church, Mountain City, TN I finally had that revelation on the walking foot trail to Damascus. Right before crossing Tennessee Highway 91 I turned a bend in the trail and a cooler loaded with ice cold sodas (see photo to the left) suddenly appeared. Hallelujah, Hallelujah. My revelation on the trail to Damascus came in the form of a cold 20 ounce plastic bottle of Pepsi. After crossing Highway 91 the trail passed thru the pastures of a working farm. Was a nice change from the ups and downs in the woods. I walked. 19.9 miles today and am tenting alone at an unnamed campsite at approximately mile 458.2. I am about 9 miles south of Damascus,VA. I will roll into Damascus around noon tomorrow for Dinner. I am going to take Saturday off to rest and to spend the day with my Wife, Soon, who is driving up from Georgia Friday afternoon. This will be the last time I will see my Wife for awhile because I am getting further north and it is becoming too far for her to drive to meet me. I will cross into Virginia tomorrow morning. Virginia will be my fourth State on this walk.
Date: 2014-04-25
From: Campsite mile 458.3

To: Damascus,VA
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: light rain

Entered Virginia. (see photo to the left ). Virginia is for lovers. I better learn to love Virginia because I am going to be in Virginia for awhile. One quarter of the Appalachian Trail (538.2miles ) runs thru the state of Virginia. I will be walking in Virginia for the remainder of April, all of May, and early June. The next state I will enter after Virginia will be West Virginia at which point I will be almost half way to Maine. I am resting in Damascus, VA today and tomorrow. The Appalachian Trail passes down Laurel Avenue in Damascus which is the Main Street running thru "downtown " Damascus. I will be taking a zero day tomorrow (no walking) readying myself to get back at it on Sunday morning. May 16-18 Damascus hosts an event called Trail Days at which time something like 30,000 people (I think) descend upon Damascus. I will hopefully be well up the trail from Damascus during Trail Days and don't anticipate coming back for Trail Days? For now Right Here in Damascus, VA.
Date: 2014-04-26
From: Damascus,VA

To: Right Here
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Zero miles walked. Drove (a strange feeling after not driving the past six weeks) to Johnson City, TN with my Wife, Soon, to an outfitter store to buy some pants. In the evening went out to eat with Wife and Mobius to a barbecue restaurant in Abington,VA. Beautiful Spring day in southern Virginia. Getting my mind right to get back to walking tomorrow morning.
Date: 2014-04-27
From: mile 484.6

To: Harpers Ferry West Virginia
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: light rain

Left Damascus,VA at 8:50am. Parts of the Appalachian Trail leaving Damascus are on the Virginia Creeper Bike Trail. Nothing noteworthy today. Just walking. Tenting at a campsite near US Highway 58 with Listener, Time To Eat, Tank, and Mobius. Tomorrow, Monday, and Tuesday stormy weather may be the story. I plan to stay tomorrow night in the Grayson Highlands.
Date: 2014-04-28
From: Wise Shelter

To: Marion,VA
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Up and over White Top Mountain in the fog and a wind that about blew me over. Up and over Mt Rodgers in the fog and rain. Walked thru Grayson Highlands State Park in the afternoon. Highlight of the day was the wild ponies in the Grayson Highlands (see photo to the left). The wild ponies are actually very tame and just walk right beside you as you hike along. According to The Blonde Coyote (an internet site):" In 1975, fifty hardy Assateague ponies were released in Virginia¢s Grayson Highlands to graze the balds and keep the brush from taking over. You see, the balds aren¢t natural; the Highland¢s vast open hilltops were once heavily forested, but extensive logging in the late 1800's cleared the land. Cattle ranching kept the balds open through the early 1900's but when the cows left, the brush started growing back with a vengeance. The ponies thrived in the harsh high country and today, around 150 graze the scenic balds, keeping the brush at bay." I am not sure about the 150 number sited in the internet article. I am staying this night in the third shelter that I have stayed in since beginning. I have been driven into all three shelters due to severe weather. Tonight I am staying in Wise Shelter due to heavy rain and thunderstorms this evening. I far prefer staying in my tent to staying in a shelter. More rain and thunderstorms in the forecast for tomorrow and the day after. Today I went over the 500 mile point. Hard to believe. Day at a time.
Date: 2014-04-29
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Marion, VA
Miles today: 20.0

Started walking this morning in a steady downpour. The trail resembled a creek more than a walking trail. As the day progressed the weather improved. Really couldn't see much today because of the foggy, rainy conditions. Walked 20 miles today. For the next couple of weeks it is pretty much about putting in some miles per day in order to increase my overall average of miles walked per day. The first 30 days I kept my miles walked per day low in order to let my body get used to walking everyday and to get my trail legs. My body has settled into the walking and I have pretty well established a steady walking pace of about two miles per hour regardless of the terrain. Not a fast pace but a steady pace. It seems to be a pace that doesn't do harm to my legs and feet. Tenting tonight in the Trimpi Shelter area (mile 520.5) with Apple and Mobius (from just outside Minneapolis, MN). I plan to go into Marion ,VA tomorrow for food resupply, dry out, and do laundry. Another thought. Filming of the Bill Bryson book "A Walk In The Woods" is underway. As far as I know Robert Redford will play Bill Bryson and Nick Nolte will play Katz. At least that's what people have told me. I know at least one thru hiker who went back to North Georgia to participate in the filming. I can't imagine how many people will attempt a thru hike next year after the movie comes out. All I know is I am glad I am attempting my hike this year before the movie.
Date: 2014-04-30
From: Marion, VA

To: Marion, VA
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: moderate rain

(Days 44,45, and 46 journal entries have been posted. I am posting my journal entries with my cell phone and there just hasn't been much cell phone service since I entered Southern Virginia. To view previous days entries click on the Previous Tab above). This afternoon's location has been Marion, VA doing food resupply, laundry, and the Kentucky Fried Chicken all you can eat buffet. I believe I may have lost between ten or twelve pounds of body weight since I began walking (not sure exactly about the weight loss because I haven't really weighed myself). Grocery shopping for food to carry while thru hiking is really humorous. Instead of shopping for low calorie food you seek out food that provides the highest calories possible. One item I have found that is great for calories is the big honey buns. The best place to find the biggest high calorie honey buns is in good old gas station convenience stores. This afternoon I picked up some huge sugar glazed honey buns at a Shell gas station that are 650 calories each. Now those babies are good eating. On of those in the morning is money. Weather looks great for the next ten days. Back to Mt Rogers Visitor Center, Virginia Highway 16, tomorrow morning to resume walking thru Virginia. All is well.
Date: 2014-05-01
From: Campground Mile549

To: Pearisburg,VA
Miles today: 17.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was the best weather I have had since I began. I don't believe there will be many, if any, days the rest of my hike with better weather than what I had today. The temperature was just ideal for walking. At 9:45am I left the Mount Rogers Visitor Center on HWY 16 just outside Marion, VA (see photo to the left. Extra credit if you can identify which one is the dummy). At 2:30 pm I reached Atkins ,VA where I had a one half pound hamburger at the Barn Restaurant. Walked until about 6:30pm when I called it a day. Tenting the night with Chops, Mobius, and two young men from Kentucky.
Date: 2014-05-02
From: Walker Gap mile 567

To: Pearisburg,VA 
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: few clouds

(Day 48 journal entry is posted. To view day 48 entry click the Previous Tab above)7:30am start on a cool Spring morning. Walked thru some beautiful southern Virginia farm land during the morning. Couple of long tough up hill climbs during the afternoon. A 75 year old gentleman who thru hiked the AT in 2005 when he was 65 years old was parked near where I am tenting tonight. He stopped by and enjoyed talking for about thirty minutes about his thru hike. I am tenting again tonight with Mobius. I have been hiking off and on with Mobius for the past three weeks. We seem to be keeping the same schedule. Mobius hikes much faster than I hike but we seem to end up at the same location at the end of each day. Looks like Mobius and I will be hiking together until about the Shenandoah National Park when Mobius' family is going to join him and he is going to take three or four days off to be with his family. Mobius is about three months older than me and he retired at the age of 60 years old after a career in the Concrete Finishers Union. He lives near Minneapolis, Minnesota and sounds like Garrison Keillor on the Prairie Home Companion radio program. Another cool early May evening. It's getting to be that I sleep better in my tent than I sleep when I stay in a motel room when in town. So, it is almost dark which means it's time to get some sleep.
Date: 2014-05-03
From: Mile 588.4 VA HWY 621

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 21.4

Just walking today. Nothing out of the ordinary. Camping near Interstate 77 and man is it noisy after being in the woods all day. Definite noise pollution. A few words about my boots (photo to the left). Thus far I have walked 588.4 trail miles in them (I have no idea of how many off trail miles I have walked in them). They were practically new when I started from Springer Mountain, GA. They are now beginning to tear and come apart in a few places. I am going to try and make it to mile 724, Daleville, VA (another 135.6 miles) before I replace them. I am not going to throw them away. I am going to mail them home. They have been my best friends since I started. I have yet to have the first blister. In fact I haven't even had a hot spot from these boots. I will put them on a shelf in the garage or the basement and when I see them I will remember all the rain, snow, hills, mud, roots, rocks, and places they carried me over. I probably will go thru at least two more pairs of boots/shoes if I make it to Maine. I sure hope my next pair will treat me as well as these. I am going to hate to see them go but they just can't hold together for the whole 2,185 miles. My dependable old friends are ready for their retirement.
Date: 2014-05-04
From: Dismal Falls

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: clear sky

Beautiful Sun Day. The month of May is my favorite month. The weather in early May is just about perfect. That was the case today. Good walking. Crossed over the 600 mile mark. Someone took the time to make the 600 number with sticks in the middle of the trail at approximately the 600 mile point from Springer Mountain, GA (see photo to the left). Since leaving Damascus, VA last Sunday until today (Sunday), in the past eight days (The Beatles were right. There are eight days in a week) I have walked 139.3 miles. Since leaving Marion,VA four days ago, I have been hiking in the same clothes everyday (no shower). That way I don't have to worry about making wardrobe decisions in the morning. That's keeping it simple. At about 5pm today, as I came out onto Virginia HWY 606 a section hiker in a van offered to take me to Trent's Grocery Store, Bland, VA (one half mile down the road). We went to Trent's where we both had a hamburger and then he drove me back to the trail. Now that's trail magic. Tomorrow I am going into Woods Hole Hostel. My trail guide describes Woods Hole as "a slice of heaven not to be missed". Woods Hole is part Hiker Hostel, Bed and Breakfast, and organic Sustainable Farm. The trail guide says that"guests are invited to share local/organic communal meals." Sounds like a do not miss to me. Tenting tonight next to Dismal Falls (mile 607.8). The sound of the falls roaring are putting me to sleep. Much better than a Compact Disc recording of roaring falls. Right Here at Dismal Falls in a tent is a good place to get a good night's sleep after walking 19.4 miles.
Date: 2014-05-05
From: Woods Hole Hostel

To: Pearisburg, VA
Miles today: 13.1

Arrived at Woods Hole Hostel at around 1pm. Spent a pleasant afternoon taking a nap in the bunkhouse in the peaceful environment of Woods Hole. Definitely a do not miss Hostel. I had the best supper meal I have had since beginning my walk. At 7pm about seventeen hikers gathered inside the Woods Hole cabin for dinner. We stood in a circle holding hands and took turns introducing ourselves with each of us saying something we are thankful for. Certainly not something I have done very often. The menu was salad with homemade salad dressing, homemade bread, Mexican lasagna, brown rice, homemade salsa, and a desert of blueberry ice cream cones (happy cinco de mayo). I spent the night upstairs in a bunkhouse with eight or nine other hikers (see bunkhouse photo to the left).   Breakfast. Same as at Supper. About 17 hikers standing in a circle around the tables, holding hands, introducing ourselves, and saying something we are thankful for. Breakfast menu: scrambled eggs with ham and chives topped with yogurt, brown rice, homemade bread, and fresh grape juice. Life is rough out here on the trail. Right Here is thankful to be right here and in good health.
Date: 2014-05-06
From: Pearisburg, VA

To: Right Here
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: clear sky

Left the peace of Woods Hole Hostel (see yesterday's journal entry by clicking on the Previous Tab above) and walked 10.4 miles into the noise and hustle bustle of the town of Pearisburg ,VA. The more days I spend camping in the quiet of the woods the contrast with the noise of the towns becomes more evident. The noise surrounding the towns becomes louder and louder as the trail enters the town. The noise is really loud if the town is near an interstate highway. We humans create a lot of noise. The plan was to take a day off tomorrow, mail home my cold weather sleeping bag, mail home some of my cold weather clothing, and rest my legs a bit. I am intentionally trying to pace myself and occasionally give my legs and feet some periods of recovery time from just a lot of walking over uneven terrain. The trail runs thru Pearisburg but the town is spread out and difficult to get around in. Zero public transportation in Pearisburg. Today, a shuttle driver named "Skeeter" took myself, Mobius, and Mallet to Walmart where we did a little shopping. I am staying at the Holiday Motor Lodge in Pearisburg. The Holiday Motor Lodge appears to be home to some and the temporary home to a large number of construction workers. Between about 5 pm, after the construction workers get off work, until about 10 pm, it is an understatement to say that the construction workers blow off a little steam, have a few liquid refreshments, and unwind from a day of work. Really unwind. So it goes.
Date: 2014-05-07
From: Pearisburg,VA

To: Right Here
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today I mailed home some cold weather clothes and my cold weather sleeping bag from the Pearisburg, VA Post Office. Got my haircut at Melinda's Barber Shop downtown Pearisburg. Getting my hair shortened up in preparation for warmer weather. Another lovely day at The Holiday Motor Lodge in Pearisburg, VA (photo to left). One day off from walking seems like a long long time but the personal maintenance time will serve me well. Looking forward to getting out of town and back to the woods early tomorrow morning.
Date: 2014-05-08
From: The Captain's yard

To: Daleville,VA
Miles today: 20.5
Weather: clear sky

Good day. I physically felt good walking all day. At 6am my current hiking partner, Mobius, and I left the Holiday Motor Lodge, Pearisburg ,VA. We had breakfast at Hardee's in Pearisburg and at 6:40am I got back on the Appalachian Trail where I had stopped two days ago. By 4 pm I had walked 20.5 miles. I am tenting the night along with 12 other people in the yard outside a house where a guy called "The Captain" lives. Very nice spot alongside a beautiful mountain stream. The way everyone gets to The Captain's yard from the trail is by sitting in a swing seat and being pulled across the stream next to The Captain 's yard on a zip line/cable pulley system (see photo to left). Shortly after I arrived at The Captain's a former thru hiker named Chin Music and his wife barbecued hamburgers, hotdogs, sweet yellow corn,asparagus, and portobello mushrooms for everyone to eat. Tell me this isn't great. Probably the biggest decisions I make each day is when to get up and get started walking and when to stop walking for the day. Everything in between is just walking and seeing how the day unfolds. Pretty simple and very enjoyable. One other decision is when to go to sleep and for today that time is now.
Date: 2014-05-09
From: Laurel Creek Shelter

To: Daleville,VA
Miles today: 17.3

Grind em out miles today. Highlight of the day was taking my boots and socks off and soaking my feet in a cold mountain stream (see photo to the left). The water was so cold that I couldn't leave my feet in the water more than two minutes. It was like putting your feet in a tub of ice water. But it sure made my feet feel good afterwards. Simple pleasure. Also, at War Spur Shelter I met an Interesting hiker named Feather (he wears feathers in his hat). He lives in Richmond, VA. Feather signs all of the shelter notebooks/registers with: "the journey and the destination are one, contentment is the goal". Not an original thought but I like the reminder. I believe it is going to rain tomorrow. The rain is needed because so far it seems to have been a pretty dry Spring. The rain will help with the water sources which are getting fewer and further apart. If it rains I will get to try out my new $5 Walmart, One Size Fits All, Frogg Togg Poncho.