morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-30
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Mountain Harbor Hostel
Miles today: 16.5
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 27 - Mountain Harbor HostelToday's hike was super cool.   We went through the Roan Highlands, which feature two huge balds called Little Hump and Big Hump.   When you emerge from the woods and ascend Little Hump you can see for miles. Another thing you can see, which I think is awesome, is the trail as it ascends Big Hump, which is probably a couple miles from the top of Little Hump. You could see the ant-sized people as they slowly trekked up the side of Big Hump, and I just thought it was really cool. When you spend most of the time in the woods, getting out into the open and getting some perspective of where and how far you have to go on the trail is really neat. I've come a long way already, but most of the time it's really hard to have any perspective because time is spent just putting one foot in front of the other (and trying not to step on any snakes!).   It was a really great hike, and rivals if not surpasses the day coming out of Newfound Gap. We eventually arrived at the Mountain Harbor Hostel, which is actually on a really cool farm/ranch which has horses, goats and a river running through it. We took the shuttle (the bed of a pickup truck) into Roan Mountain to get some BBQ, which was delicious, then headed across the NC border in order to buy a couple beers from the store to take back with us. A big group of us hung out by a bonfire until pretty late (hiker late anyway - like 11:30pm). Today's quote: "Is that the tank? If I'm not back in 5 minutes... Just wait longer." Ace Ventura Pet Detective
Date: 2013-05-31
From: Mountain Harbor Hostel

To: Laurel Fork Shelter
Miles today: 26.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 28 - Laurel Fork ShelterEveryone, and I mean everyone, has told us that once we get past Roan Mountain the trail becomes MUCH easier. This is why we planned to try our biggest day yet. What can I say? We were feeling pretty cocky. So, when in the first couple miles I was sucking wind, nearly puking (maybe an exaggeration...maybe) and slowly trudging up some pretty tough terrain, I realized there were only 2 possible explanations - either these people are complete liars and just want to mess with the thru-hikers, or I'm a TOTAL wuss. Luckily, as it turns out, neither of those is true, and after the first couple miles it really mellowed out. The bad thing about mellow terrain is that it is usually boring. That was true in this case, and we spent much of the day in what we affectionately call "Creektown". This is when there are endless Rhododendron thickets, and the trail is exactly the same in that it weaves in and out of little ravines and crosses a creek at the base of seemingly every one. There were a couple highlights though. The Hardcore Cascades were good, but they are in fact not that hardcore. They do however have a cool name. Laurel Falls was the other cool aspect of the day. It's pretty huge - maybe 100 feet high and 200 feet wide (COMPLETE guess, but I'm trying here). And when you get down river, the trail actually follows a rock ledge right out over the river. On your left is the river, which moves pretty swiftly, and on your right is a vertical rock wall. All you have is the 2 foot wide trail to work with, and it was really cool. The only downside was that it was super steep to get down to the falls and filled with huge boulders which you needed to cross - that made the last 2 miles of a 26.8 mile day pretty tough, but in the end everything is good and it was totally worth the extra pain!Today's quote: "Alright that one hurt a little but I'm OK." - Happy Gilmore
Date: 2013-06-01
From: Laurel Fork Shelter

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: broken clouds

Day 29 - Vandeventer ShelterWe were all feeling just a little beat up by our big day, and decided that we were going to hike 6.5 miles then hitch into Hampton for some lunch. The hike started with a 1700+ foot climb away from the falls, and that was NOT a great way to start the day on my recently wimpified legs. However, after we got down the other side of the mountain it was all worth it. I called the local hostel in town and arranged for a shuttle to pick us up. A super nice lady picked us up and drove us back to their establishment, which is like a thousand different businesses all rolled into one: they serve food, have a hostel, do computer repair, have hiker resupply items (non-food), have pool tables, have laundry machines, and offer many other services as well. This was quite an industrious outfit. The first thing we did was order lunch. I had the burger and fries combo, which was delicious. Their food is never frozen and they hand cut the french fries, and the prices are quite reasonable. Shortly after our first lunch, we decided that it was time for a second lunch. Whenever we have the opportunity, we like to have at least two of each meal (and yet somehow, if their scale is correct (because of course they have one of those too), I have lost around 8 pounds in the last month) and top it off with some sort of ice cream as dessert. With that in mind, we started walking to McDonald's, which is on the other side of town. Only a minute or two into our walk, a passing car honked at us and pulled over. It was a guy we had met the day before at a shelter who was finished with his hike and was just getting ready to leave town.   He saved us the walk to McDonald's! When we got there I thoroughly enjoyed a second lunch and a cup of coffee, and afterwards we called the nice lady from the hostel and she came and picked us up (after I also got a Snickers ice cream bar of course). When she arrived, she had a birthday cake and some balloons in the van - it was one of the hostel workers' birthdays, and we were invited to have some cake and ice cream. Of course we obliged. When we finally hit the trail, after a 4 hour (and probably 4000 calorie) pitstop, we were greeted with another 1700 foot climb. Not SUPER fun, you could say, but we managed.   As darkness approached, we decided to cut our intended 20 mile day a bit short. On the hike there were some pretty good views of a huge lake which is right outside of Hampton. Behind the shelter is a bird's eye view of the lake - not bad!Today's song: "December" - Collective Soul
Date: 2013-06-03
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 9.9

Day 31 - DamascusToday I hiked alone for the 10 or so miles into Damascus, and met The Voice and Rabbit at the Blue Blaze Cafe for lunch. The weather was nice and the terrain was super easy, so it was really a good morning - and to top it off, Haley came into town to visit and go hiking with me for a week or so! It was really great to see her drive into town, because I've missed her a lot for the last month. We ended up going for lunch (my second) with The Voice at The Mountain Manatee, and afterwards Haley and I "checked in" to our room - we stayed with a music teacher named Moonlight at his house. He's listed in the AWOL guide, and he turned out to be a super nice guy, so we're glad we stayed with him. We then went to get some coffee at Mojoe's Coffee House, which was delicious, then went to meet the guys at the Blue Blaze for happy hour - and that was of course a great decision. We ended up having dinner and additional drinks there as well, and had a great night in town! Today's song: "Shortest Straw" - Metallica
Date: 2013-06-04
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Day 32 - Damascus Round 2We met the guys for breakfast at the Blue Blaze (there's a theme here, I think), then went to the local outfitters to check out some new shoes. My Montrail trail runners served me well - 2 years plus 466 miles on the AT - but they needed to be replaced. I ended up going with the Merrell Continuum, because for me it was the most comfortable and affordable shoe I could find ($90). I think it will be a good choice. After that, Haley and I went back to Mojoe's to get some coffee and decide what our hiking plans will be for the coming days.   We then met up with Dunt and The Voice at Hey Joe's, which is a burrito place downtown. It was really good, and was cool because it felt like it belonged at the beach somewhere - it had a cool vibe. Haley and I wanted to go check out another town called Abingdon (ah the glory of having a car on the trail!), and The Voice tagged along in order to go to the Verizon store.   We all thought the town was pretty awesome - it dates back to the 1770s, and has lots of colonial style buildings and houses. Some of the architecture was really beautiful, and there were flowers everywhere, so we really enjoyed bumming around town. We decided that we should get dinner there, and chose a BBQ place located in the old hardware store building downtown (the building still says "Hardware" on the outside). The food was REALLY good, and if Haley hadn't given me half of here pulled pork sandwich I definitely would have had Second Dinner right then and there. We then walked around town a little more, and topped it off with some customary ice cream for dessert. Afterwards, we headed back to Moonlight's place to watch Inglorious Basterds - what a great zero day!Today's quote: "Ger-lammi" - Inglorious Basterds
Date: 2013-06-05
From: Damascus

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 33 - Saunders ShelterHaley and I met The Voice and Dunt for breakfast at Cowboys, which is located in a gas station and is famous for its blueberry pancakes. After the final breakfast the Four Horsemen will likely share together (I am slowing down a bit to hike with Haley, Dunt is becoming quite ambitious, The Voice is sticking with his 20s, and you never know what Rabbit will do), we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. The trail is interesting in that it doesn't take long at all to become good friends with people - in two or three weeks you've made what will likely be long term, even lifelong friends. The trail is also interesting in that, in the end, you do what you need to do and what is best for you. And that can mean going your separate ways just as quickly as you came together as a group. It's also interesting because it's not that sad, like when you move away from home and leave all your friends and family behind - we all understand that that's just how the trail is. After restocking at the Dollar Store, and getting Haley a new pack cover (it's supposed to rain for a few days straight, just when we're going through the Grayson Highlands), we got lunch at the In the Country Restaurant. We then (finally) hit the trail at like 2:30, and did an easy 10 miles to the shelter. Haley seems to be holding up well so far, and I think she'll easily handle the mileage over the coming days. At the shelter we hung out with a young couple who are hiking with their two pooches, and an older guy who is southbound and ending his hike in Damascus. We had a nice evening of shells and cheese, a fire, and maybe the most difficulty I've had yet at hanging my bear bag. Fun times!Today's quote: "Looked like sort of a big turtle - in a trench coat" - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - The Movie
Date: 2013-06-06
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: light rain

Day 34 - Thomas Knob ShelterHaley did a monster 18.6 miles on her second day! She's definitely tougher than I was on my first couple of days, and she seems to be holding up well! We got up around 6:45, and were expecting it to be pouring rain. The forecast we saw earlier had shown a 90% chance of rain - so, when it wasn't raining we decided to hurry up and get out on the trail. There was nothing much of note in the first 6-7 miles, except that we were forced to blue blaze (use another trail to skip part of the AT) because a bridge was washed out. We rested at the next shelter, and then pushed another 5-6 miles up to Whitetop Mountain. That was a bit more interesting in that the terrain momentarily opened up and looked a bit more like the Virginia Highlands that we've been hearing about. It was also more interesting because that 90% finally came true. It poured rain for an hour or so and then was on and off for the rest of the hike. We reached our intended destination by 2:30 and had planned to camp. But, since it was still so early, Haley was cool with pressing on to the next shelter. During those five miles we definitely started getting more into the actual highlands. We saw cows and wild ponies, and had a lot of great views. At one point we missed a turn in the trail and ended up coming down the side of a pretty grassy hill. I later learned, after finding the trail from a blue blazed trail and backtracking, that there was a fork in the trail at which we stayed right. The left fork was not well worn at all, and the white blaze which would have helped was hidden behind the dense leaves of a tree.   In the end it all worked out, except that the shelter was full and we had to pitch our tent. We spent the rest of the evening inside as it continued to rain, but as of now it's stopped. Here's hoping for good weather tomorrow!
Date: 2013-06-07
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Day 35 - Old Orchard Shelter Today we got into the thick of the Grayson Highlands - unfortunately the weather was gloomy and rainy again, so we weren't able to see it in all its glory. There were some very cool parts with lots of rock hopping out in exposed fields, where presumably you could see for miles. We'll have to come back sometime when the weather's better. We did see a bunch of wild ponies throughout the day - maybe upwards of 20. We kept hearing they're everywhere, but I didn't expect them to be so accessible! At some points they were right off the trail and you can walk within feet of them! It was pretty awesome. Another cool thing happened - Haley saw her first bear! I didn't see it, because she was leading the way, but apparently a bear cub ran across the path like 25 feet in front of her and into the woods. She was really pumped! We made some noise just in case the mama was around, but we never did see another one. We pushed through the driving rain across maybe a mile of open grassland (with rocks everywhere, and quite a rocky trail which was flowing with water), then shortly thereafter reached our shelter. We hung out with a stepfather/stepson pair from Chatanooga. They were nice enough to share some chocolate sundae dessert with us, and also taught us a new dice game. We had a good time, and the weather cleared up for the rest of the evening. Hopefully tomorrow is clear and full of sunshine!
Date: 2013-06-08
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Baptist Church Hostel - Troutdale
Miles today: 10.2

Day 36 - Baptist Church Hostel - Troutdale Today's hike was a nice and easy one, and we got to the road which lead into troutdale by 2:30. We had planned to hitch a ride down past the church to a market, but the guy who picked us up insisted the Exxon up in Sugar Grove was better - so he was nice enough to take us up to Sugar Grove and then all the way back down to the hostel. Before leaving the Exxon we stocked up on deli sandwiches, chips, breakfast items and a couple of Yuenglings. The hostel was really a peaceful place. It's situated up on a big hill behind the church, and consists of a couple of separate rooms which are accessible from the outside. It's about the size of a small cabin and has a covered porch with a rocking swing on it. It also has free showers - woohoo! We spent a lot of the afternoon either on the porch or sitting on the hill which overlooks the church and the little valley through which the road winds. Later in the evening, we went on a little walk through the "town" (seems like there used to be some commerce here, but like many of the small southern towns it appears those days are long gone). We got out into the countryside a little bit, and it was really pretty. It was a really peaceful and relaxing evening, and we turned in around 8:30 (which is early even for hikers!). Today's song: "Bungle in the Jungle" - Jethro Tull
Date: 2013-06-09
From: Baptist Church Hostel - Troutdale

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: light rain

Day 37 - Partnership ShelterWe enjoyed a nice morning on the porch, and eventually hitched a ride to the trail (well, actually about half a mile shy of the trail, as the fella who picked us up was on his way to church). We had 14 or so miles to go, and it was all pretty smooth sailing. The "highlight" was seeing a big snake - maybe 5-6 feet long - as it slithered across the trail. It's unfortunate for a guy who hates snakes (and who's named Indy because of it), but that's by far the animal I've seen the most of (not counting things like squirrels and chipmunks).   This one was different than the others I've seen so far though. It was like a matte black color with a yellow undertone. It seemed indifferent that we were there, which is also mostly different than what I've experienced. The rattlesnake was very defensive, and most of the others have been quick to get out of the way. This one just made its way, pausing only for a second to make sure we weren't cramping its style. We made it to the shelter around 5, and it was already nearly a full house. There were some familiar faces - mostly people I had quickly met, but hadn't yet gotten to know. We had a chance to meet a few new people as well, including a couple guys who are trying to finish the trail in 3 to 3.5 months. They are crazy. They also have badly blistered feet. The best part about the shelter is that you can walk .1 miles to the Mt. Rogers Visitor's Center and order delivery pizza! It may be the most glorious thing I've seen yet. The Fontana Hilton has nothing on this place!Today's song: "Basso Profundo" - Devotchka
Date: 2013-06-27
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Helvey's Mill Shelter
Miles today: 24.0

Day 41 - Helvey's Mill ShelterIt's amazing how much a little sunshine can increase your enthusiasm - and how much the pouring rain makes you want to punch yourself in the face...I headed out about an hour later than I had planned, because I awoke to pouring rain and howling winds. It eventually stopped raining - that is, until I put my pack on and walked outside. The first 45 minutes of the day were filled with torrential rains, the kind that soak you to the core in seconds. Within the first couple miles, and while shouting obscenities, I went 15 minutes out of the way to try to find some water (did I mention it's been scarce?).   Luckily, I found some, but I can tell you I wasn't very happy about adding extra mileage in the pouring rain on a day where I was supposed to make it 24 miles. Those moments are definitely when I'm at my lowest out here. I was praising the good Lord once it died down, and continued to do so as the rain held off for the rest of the day. Once I started to dry out and the sun came out, I was as happy as a clam. The miles were easy today, thank goodness, which is why I finished the day a little earlier than planned and in decent shape. There wasn't much of note today, except for when the trail comes out into a clearing which overlooks I-77. This was notable for two reasons - first, it was by far the best view of the day. I could see for a long way with maybe a 180 degree view. It was very pretty, even with the highway and the noise of the traffic. Second, it's always weird to be subjected to something "normal" after I've been on the trail for a while, like a highway or a town, or even a road if one hasn't been crossed for a while. On the trail, I don't ever feel like I'm doing something unusual - to me it's just what I do. But, when I crossed the highway today, I recalled driving that very highway to get back to Atkins just the other day, and I had absolutely no idea at the time that the the trail crossed at that point. I guess, for me, the trail is some sort of alternate universe which only mingles with the "normal" way of things once in a while (like traffic is an everyday "normal" occurrence - it is constant and we don't even think about it). After I cross the bridge and go back into the woods, I'm going my way, and everyone else is going theirs. It may sound weird, but it makes sense to me! It's an interesting aspect of the trail for sure. Tomorrow is another long day, as long as my body holds up!Today's song: "We Stand" - All That Remains
Date: 2013-07-01
From: Pine Swamp Branch Shelter

To: Laurel Creek Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: light rain

Day 45 - Laurel Creek ShelterSparticus and I hiked together again today, and we both enjoyed sleeping in until around 9:30.   We hit the trail around 11, and started with a tough climb within the first few miles. We made good time up to Wind Rock, which is a rocky outcrop with some pretty nice views. We stayed up there for probably 45 minutes just soaking it in. We had some generally flat terrain after that and were able to make good time, just before we began a 3.5 mile climb which was basically the end of the day. That 3.5 miles was TOUGH, but when we got about two thirds of the way up there was a box full of trail magic - sodas and oatmeal cream pies and peaches!   It was exactly what we needed to keep the morale up and to make it to the top. Once we got to the top, there was a spot called Kelly Knob. It's another outcrop with good views, and we decided to cook dinner there and hang out for awhile. It was quite nice. We then hiked the last 1.2 miles to the shelter, where we met a girl by the name of Ridge Runner, and two guys named Xy (sounds like Zai or Zye) and Elijah, who are also thru hikers. Update:   Last night we were terrorized by mice. Or at least Ridge Runner and I were, as the others were in tents or hammocks. I was up for 2-3 hours listening to those little A-holes run around and try to get into stuff. Eventually I got up and went over to where a couple of the guys hung their food bags (they got in after dark and I guess didn't want to bear bar - whoops!) on one of the mouse-proof hooks along with two packs. I heard a bunch of rustling around and eventually saw the little bugger gnawing on one of the food bags. We figure the only way he could have gotten to the bags was to jump up and grab onto the dangling pack straps and climb on up (which would explain the loud thud and squeak I had heard not too long before - a failed attempt). I pulled the food bags off the hooks and re-hung them on others, which calmed all the racket, not TOO long before sunrise. ..Today's quote: "How can I have some more of nothing?" - The Sandlot