morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-06-14
From: Howard Johnson Express

To: Howard Johnson Express
Miles today: 0.0

Did not sleep well last night. Too tired I guess. We met Willow for breakfast ( and a whole bunch of others) and then Phatmandu and I walked across the road to St. Mark's United Methodist Church. It was a good service and the people were nice, especially the pastor. They welcome hikers, though it seemed the membership did not know quite what to make of us.We came back to the hotel immediately afterwards, changed clothes and hung out with some other hikers under a big tree. We had an impromptu concert by Fiddler & I grabbed a tray & a stick for a drum & played along. Fun!The hiker bash started at 3:00, so we all hung out until then just talking and telling stories. The bash was put on by a group of friends who do a Bible study together & they did an awesome job! Hot dogs, chips, bananas, apples, watermellon, pasta salad, cookies, brownies & drinks. Good job & thanks! I guess we stayed for 2 hours or so and then Phatman and I jumped in the pool (2 days in a row!). After that it was time to get the room cleaned up and pack up our stuff.Phatmandu is heading back to the trail tomorrow. I am heading home - in a round-about sort of way. I have rented a car and will drive back by way of a couple of places I want to see along the way. Yes, I said I am going home. I had to come back out here because I had to know I didn't just quit because I was so sick last time. I have discovered I am just not a thru-hiker - I'm a better section hiker - & that's ok. I have done almost 500 miles out of 2175 - a lot more than I have every done & I am proud of that accomplishment.This journey was about so much more than miles though. I have met some incredible people: Phatmandu; Bruce & Dot; SNP & Hack; Good Will; Willow & Forrest; Phoenix; RLB; Maui Bob; Phoenix Rising; Lazer; Fiddler & Savage (cousins); Slapshot; Seque; Tully; 40 Degrees; and so many others. I hope their journeys are everything they dreamed they would be and that we will all keep in touch off the trail. It's been great!We just had an impromptu get-together in my room (me, Phatmandu, Willow, Phoenix Rising & 40 Degrees), and I was presented with my hiker bracelet by Willow. So much fun! Phatmandu, Willow, Phoenix Rising & I are going to get together for breakfast tomorrow, and then Homer (trail angel) will pick me up and take me to the Roanoke airport to get my rental car and we will all go our separate ways.Thanks, everybody, for a wonderful time!
Date: 2010-05-06
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

A new year - a new beginning. I am going back on the trail for a section hike. Can't wait! Cuffs (a new friend) and I are leaving Saturday, May 8, to hike from Hampton, TN (where I got off the trail last year) to Damascus, VA. We will be in Damascus for Trail Days 2010. Should be a lot of fun. I am really looking forward to this hike as it will be at a much slower/easier pace - which means more photo opportunities. Also, a lot of my trail family from last year (Willow, SnP, Trampoline, Good Will, Gnarley, Phoenix Rising - but sadly not Phatmandu) will be at Trail Days and it will be great to see everyone again.Two days and counting . . .
Date: 2010-05-08
From: US321, Hampton, TN

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 1.8
Weather: few clouds

Wendi "Cuffs" and I drove from Birmingham to Damascus today. We had planned to leave about 6:30 and actually left around 7:30 after eating breakfast. The drive down was very enjoyable. Cuffs (she was a police officer for 12 years in Tampa) is very funny and we learned a lot about each other on the drive. Arrived at Damascus right on time (I had arranged for a shuttle with Mt. Rogers Outfitters at 3:30 pm), put our car in the old lumber yard lot, transferred our gear to the van, and they drove us back to Hampton to begin our hike. We hiked the 1.8 miles to Watauga Lake Shelter for the night. There were 2 people who had set up hammocks. Cuffs set up her hammock and me my tent. There were 2 other people who stayed in the shelter. It was cold and windy but I stayed warm and cozy in my 50 degree sleeping back and tent. Great way to start the week.
Date: 2010-05-09
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: scattered clouds

We slept late this morning and were slow getting out of camp. Finally left about 7:50 and headed north. Stayed in sight of the lake most of the day - beautiful! Lot of pretty views of Watauga Lake, flowers and birds. The trail was mostly uphill but very nice. We took out time and cruised into the shelter about 2:00 and ate lunch. Superman and the Riff Raff gang already had a fire going which was nice as it was a cool, windy day. This shelter overlooks the lake and has a very nice natural rock wall behind the shelter which made for some great views. We had planned to make this a short mileage day (too far to push to the next shelter) so Cuffs set up her hammock to the back of the shelter and there was a flat spot directly between the back of the shelter and the rock wall where I set up my tent. We met a lot of people today and a bunch stayed at this shelter. There were 8 people camping and 3 in the shelter. There was a very nice couple from Franklin, TN doing a section hike (don't remember their names); an older man from Pennsylvania also doing a section (Pop from PA); Skywalker (who was very funny and stands 6'11" tall) doing a section; and the rest were doing thru hikes (don't remember their names, but one of the girls was from Canada).Cuffs scared off a Whip-o-will before we turned in for the night. We hung out by the fire until after dark and then ducked into our sleeping bags. It was very windy and cold and somebody had left their hiking poles suspended on a tree so we had a lot of clanking going on. Woke up to the sounds of two owls yelling at each other. Slept pretty good in spite of the cold.
Date: 2010-05-10
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Nick Grindstaff Monument
Miles today: 8.1

Pop from PA snored like crazy last night. Between the snoring, the owls and the wind, it was a pretty short night. In spite of all that, when I slept, I slept soundly. Woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the lake. The clouds were below the mountain tops but above the lake so got some great pictures. Took out time packing up this morning. Don't remember what time we left but we were taking a nice slow pace so I wasn't too worried about getting an early start. Today was warmer with a lot less wind - thank goodness! A lot of the day was uphill which made for slow going but we did ok. Had planned to push farther but came to the monument and it was in a pretty flat gap with lots of space for camping. The Nick Grindstaff Monument is the grave of a man who lived from 1851 to 1923. His stone says "Lived alone, suffered alone, and died alone." A sad testament. It also says "Uncle Nick Grindstaff" which makes you wonder if he abandoned his family or was abandoned by them. We got here about 4:00 pm, ate lunch finally, got a fire started, set up camp and took naps for a while. Got up and cooked dinner and then walked around taking pictures of the various plants and flowers in the area. Caught up on my journal then crashed for the night.
Date: 2010-05-11
From: Nick Grindstaff Monument

To: Just past Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: light rain

We awoke to raindrops hitting the tent and decided to wait it out.   We finally started hiking at almost 10 am. No pictures today because the camera was under cover. We had some great views and crossed through a beautiful meadow. All of the colors of the trees, flowers and grasses formed a gorgeous quilt. We hurried across it because the wind was cold with no trees to block it. We saw a big doe today. She watched us for a while and then ambled off unconcerned. There are lots of people on the trail this week - all heading to Trail Days. We met two guys a couple of days ago - the Mainiacs - who just came home from Iraq and decided to hike the trail. They were going on in to Damascus when we met them - doing a 50 mile day by night hiking. I hope they made it and by all accounts they were the ones who could. We also met a couple from Bavaria doing a thru. There have been several couples hiking - more than last year. We passed by Double Springs Shelter - too short mileage - and kept going towards a campsite indicated on the map. It was right on a ridge and had no protection from the wind so we kept going and finally just set up camp along the side of the trail.
Date: 2010-05-12
From: Just past Double Springs Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

We had a very quiet night last night. Heard a couple more owls, but little else. After we set up camp we counted 18 hikers who passed by us. (We saw No. 18 several times in Damascus at Trail Days). Slept better here than any night previously. The temperatures were much more moderate. We got up early and began packing up - we wanted to get as close to Damascus as possible. Stopped for a break at Abingdon Gap Shelter at about 10 and had already done 5 miles. 9 more miles to Damascus. We kept going. Got to a gap before the Virginia state line and sat down for some lunch when the rain started coming down. Looked like it was settling in on us so Cuffs pitched her tarp and we stayed dry and ate some lunch . About an hour later the weather broke and we put our shoes back on and hiked on. We crossed the Virginia state line (with pictures of course)! I have now officially hiked all of Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee - just have 11 more to go! My legs were getting tired and my right foot was hurting bad but we only had 4+ miles to go. Kept thinking about a shower and a warm soft bed so we decided to push on to Damascus. Cuffs hikes faster than I do so she went on ahead to make sure we could get my truck out of the lot before Mt. Rogers Outfitters closed for the day. I put 2 layers of thick moleskin under my right foot and kept going.We made it! Got into Damascus in time to get the truck out and went to the hot dog dinner at the First Baptist Church. It was incredible! Churches from Virginia Beach and Alabama come up and help out each year. Good food and met up with a lot of the people we had seen on teh trail. Called the Quality Inn and checked in one day early. Hot showers and a soft bed!
Date: 2010-05-13
From: Damascus, VA

To: Trail Days
Miles today: 0.0

We woke up early and got ready. Had to get in line at the church for meal tickets for dinner that night. Got our tickes, left the truck and went walking. First stop was the outfitters to get a shoulder bag to carry my stuff around in (forgot to bring anything like that). Got an Osprey bag and am very pleased. Then headed over to the vendor area to find Cuffs' friends. George of Antigravity Gear welcomed us and we helped them get set up. We hung out there most of the day. This afternoon I got a text from Willow that she was in Abingdon and was headed for Damascus. Wrote her back and met her on the way to dinner. Dahwahe (whom she met last year) was with her. Cuffs did not want anything to eat so gave her ticket to Willow and she, Dahwahe and I ate and visited a while. Cuffs headed back to the vendors. We finished dinner and were walking back through town when we saw a car pull in - it was George and Journey. George reminded me that she and I had met last year - she and her dog Gracie were the ones Phatmandu and I met in the thunderstorm that shocked Gracie and made her jump into the shelter. What a small world! George and Journey met last year on the trail. Right after that another car blew its horn and Jungli and another girl I recognized got out. Then came Phoenix Rising! Reunion time! After visiting for a while everyone scattered and everyone (Cuffs' friends and mine) ended up meeting again at Quincey's and visited some more. Had a blast. Got back to the hotel about 9:30. Lights out by 11.
Date: 2010-05-14
From: Trail Days

To: Trail Days
Miles today: 0.0

Started out at the gear repair lot but nothing was open yet. Wanted to drop our hiking poles off for a check up at Leki tent. Drove back to the vendor area and walked around for a while. Wonder, a friend of Cuffs, had her tent set up and got some jewelry from her. Did a lot of walking, looking and visiting with old and new friends. I went back to the church for a medical consult about my shin splints. Caught back up with Cuffs and we took out poles back out to the Leki tent for clean-up and ended up eating a sandwich at the Damascus General Store - with Willow and Jungli. Met up with Skywalker and bought his book about the AT and had my picture made with him. He is a hoot! Spent the rest of the day just hanging out. Trail Days is really cranking up.
Date: 2010-05-15
From: Trail Days

To: Trail Days
Miles today: 0.0

I bugged out on Cuffs last night and her friends brought her back to the hotel. Stopped at the local grocery store and got a salad and headed back to the hotel for some "me" time. I was tired and worn out from all the sun and visiting.We spent most of the morning at the Antigravity Gear tent and then took Takashi and Monabu with us to watch the hiker parade through downtown. It is basically a great big water balloon fight. We had a great time and I took lots of pictures. Visited with Ron Haven from Franklin, TN, got out hiking poles back and I headed back to the vendor area where I visited with Willow and Phoenix Rising for a while. Stayed at George's tent the rest of the day and into the evening. A lot of the vendors got together and we built simple sandwiches and told jokes and stories, played some music and visited well into the night. Made it back to the hotel by midnight.
Date: 2010-05-16
From: Trail Days

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Finally woke up around 7 this morning and began packing up to come home. Checked out and headed back to Damascus for one last goodbye to friends. Willow was dropping off George and Journey in Damascus and came by to say goodbye. It was so great seeing her and catching up on all that had been going on. Said goodbye to George, Matthew, Monabu and Takashi from Antigravity Gear, Chris from Energia Trail Foods, the 2 Jacks and Sam from "Jacks R Better" (hammocks), Brian from Varga (titanium gear) and Skywalker and headed towards Birmingham. It was a great hike and Trail Days was a lot of fun. Met some great people and got to visit with some of my trail family from last year, which was wonderful. I cannot say enough about the wonderful people at First Baptist Church of Damascus and the way they took care of the hikers. What a wonderful mission they have! Found a great new tent I am thinking about getting (much lighter and bigger than what I have now). I have completed 3 of the 14 states that make up the Appalachian Trail - over 500 miles! More to come . . .
Date: 2011-05-07
From: Home

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 1.7
Weather: broken clouds

Carey Morgan and I drove to Virginia (Damascus) and caught a shuttle to Fox Creek,VA Route 603. We hiked south to Damascus for Trail Days.Short day today after the six hour drive up from Birmingham. Hiked 1.7 miles and camped at Old Orchard Shelter. There were several people camping there, including Sam (Jacks-R-Better Hammocks). Several of the kids were passing around a weed pipe, so Carey and I did not hang around them. Met up with Sam and recognized him from TD ladt year. He had a friend with him and they were just out for an overnight excursion. It poured down rain during the night. I never sleep well the first night on the trail - have to reacclimate to the noises in the woods. My new Light Heart Solo tent is fantastic!
Date: 2011-05-08
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

Woke up and began breaking down a wet camp. Took a break to eat breakfast at the shelter. Sam told me my weather forecasting was for the birds. I told him it didn't rain, it poured and therefore my prediction was not wrong. Today was a long 11 miles to into Grayson Highlands. We didn't see many ponies today which was kind of disappointing and the ones we saw were bedded down and did not have a lot to do with us. Oh well, maybe tomorrow. We spent the night on the second floor of Thomas Knob Shelter - the second highest point in Virginia.
Date: 2011-05-09
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Along the trail
Miles today: 11.0

Cold!!!! We decided to pack up quickly and eat breakfast once it warmed up a bit. It proved to be the best decision. We had barely gotten our packs off before the ponies surrounded us. They were hoping we would feed them and kept licking our hands, air, packs and poles. One of the coolest experiences I have ever had.We had planned a 12.2 mile day but decided to shorten the day. We found a nice campsite at the 11 mile mark.
Date: 2011-05-11
From: On the trail

To: Damascus, Va
Miles today: 7.0
Weather: overcast clouds

What a night! We had thunder, lightening and tons of rain. Thunder sounded like a bowling alley, it was so loud. No way to sleep. Lasted from 10:30 pm to 12:30 am and then started over at 4:30 am. During a break in the action, Carey and I got up and took a stroll around the campsite to stretch our legs. We were very glad to break camp. It did not rain at all on our way into Damascus. Saw a pilliated woodpecker on the way into town.
Date: 2011-06-11
From: Home

To: Hurricane Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: scattered clouds

I headed back to Virginia for another week on the trail. Went with Carey Morgan and his friend Mancil. We started our hike from VA 603 at 3:45 pm. And made it to the shelter at 5:40 pm. The shelter was full - 0 kids and 1 adult from Parkview High School, Lilburn, Ga - ROTC program - out for a section hike. Lots of Mtn. Laurel and wild azaleas in bloom. Sweet trail!
Date: 2011-06-12
From: Hurricane Mtn. Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: clear sky

I got up at 5:15 am. Never sleep good the first night out - last night was no exception. Heard every noise, including the kids at the shelter. I had everything basically packed up before Carey and Mancil got up. Today was a really good day - weather and terraine. Easy ups and downs. Weather got a bit warm a time or two, but then we would get a nice breeze. Got a little rain just as we got within a half mile of camp.Saw what looked like a Scarlet Tanager, a frog, a turtle and a beautiful waterfall. We ran into a few thru-bikers but mainly the other hikers are section hikers like us. Carey and I tented tonight - Mancil has elected to stay in the shelter. The tent sites are a bit muddy, but the alternative is to be eaten by Mosquitos - yuk! Have blisters on both big toes and my shoulders are very sore.
Date: 2011-06-13
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Had a great day today. The terraine was wonderful. Not many views - we were mainly under tree cover and on ridge lines. We left this morning at 7:30 and arrived at Partnership at 2:30. We immediately set up the tents to dry in the sun and walked the few hundred feet to Mt. rogers Headquarters & Visitor's Center for a Dr. Pepper. They have a phone on the wall so hikers could order pizza - placed our order. Not much phone signal available, but was able to get a text to Mom giving her the phone number of the pizza phone and she called me back. Partnership Shelter has a shower unit, so was able to get a shower and clean up. Felt great! Visitors with a wonderful lady who works at the Visitor's center - Louise Tilman. She has worked there for 18 years"
Date: 2011-06-14
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Settler's Museum, VA 615
Miles today: 9.0

Went to bed with a whip-o-will calling and two guys talking loudly. Thank goodness for ear plugs! Slept good - exhausted. Got up about 6 am and walked to the Visitor's center. It was 56 degrees. Headed back and crawled back into the tent. We finally left at 8:30 am. It was a long hard day. Long uphills and steep and rocky downhills. Made it to Chatsfield Shelter - what a dump. No camping spots. Decided to push on towards Atkins - another 4.5 miles. At the end of 2 miles we came upon VA 615 - The Settlers Museum. It consisted on an old 1 room schoolhouse, farm and museum - free to hikers. Asked if we could camp - yes! They were so nice. Gave us cold bottles of water, a snack and a tour of the museum. Told us they opened at 9 tomorrow morning and invited us to tour the farm house and grounds. We set up our tents by their pavilion, spread out some clothes and stuff to dry, walked back to the farm area and looked around. Can't wait to go through the house tomorrow!
Date: 2011-06-15
From: Settler's Museum, VA 615

To: VA 683, the Red Barn Restaurant then home
Miles today: 2.5

It was very cold last night. Heavy dew, temps in the mid-40s. I woke up about. 1 am and catnapped until dawn. Crawled out of the tent with my sleeping bag and sat at the picnic tables watching the sun come up. We wanted to go inside the farm house so spread everything out to dry, ate breakfast and waited for the museum to open. They gave us a tape player and the keys to the house and off we went. We were joined by Leap Frog and a hiker named Alex, who were both doing thru-hikes. It was well worth waiting for. The farm house was great.After 2 very cold nights, not much sleep and some dim looking weather patterns, Carey and I decided to end our hike at the car instead of pushing on. We hiked another 2.5 miles to The Red Barn and got a burger and fries. Mancil thought about staying out, but decided to quit with us and head for home. Glad we stopped. It poured all the way home!
Date: 2011-09-17
From: VA 683, I-81

To: Crawfish Valley
Miles today: 6.3

It's just Carey and me again this time. We left my house about 6:30 am, stopped at McDonald's for breakfast and then hit the road. We drove to Bland and Skip picked us up at the courthouse and shuttled us back to the Red Barn.We started our hike with 9 tail gunners -a group traveling from NY to LA. They were from England, Switzerland, Germany and Australia. The first part of the trail was a beautiful pasture. Lots of wildflowers, cows and cow patties. Then came the mountains. Steady climbs continued for the rest of the day. We yo-yo'd with the group for a while. Chad from Queensland, Australia ran out of gas and we stopped to check on him and visited for a while. We gave him some water and then headed on. He stayed back and waited for the group to return. We finally made it to Crawfish Valley just as the sun was setting. Had to set everything up by headlamp. Would have stopped earlier but nowhere available - ridge line with lots of wind. Ate and got our bear bags hung and finally crawled in our tents around 9 pm.
Date: 2011-09-18
From: Crawfish Valley

To: Lynn Camp Creek
Miles today: 8.5

Yesterday was cloudy and cool - mid-50s all day. We woke up about 7:30 am. It's light outside but kind of cloudy again. Forecast looks like warmer temps today. Hope so.We are heading to Lynn Camp Creek today. Made it into camp by 5:15 this afternoon. Not bad considering we didn't break camp until 10 am. Today never really warmed up - still in the mid-50s and windy. I think the highlight of the day was meeting southbound thru-hikers. Had 4 stop by as we were breaking camp and met 2 more at the end of the day. All guys - very nice. Most of them started in early June in Maine. They were quick to tell us they were tired - I bet!Heard a pilliated woodpecker and saw him break thru the trees and startled a grouse which scared me to death.Stopped for lunch at the north branch of the Holston River at the edge of a farmer's field. Felt good to take off the pack and rest for a while!Speaking of the pack, got a new REI Flash 65 - it's great! No sore shoulders and no knots - thank goodness. Just about comfortable loading it up.