morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2014-03-31
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Rich Mtn. fire tower side trail
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: clear sky

Spent most of the day in Hot Springs doing laundry, showering, socializing, and most importantly... eating and drinking! Most people were deciding to zero after the epic day we'd all had yesterday, but Shy Bear, Squirrel, Listen, and I were eager to hit the trail and not spend any more money in town. It took us longer than expected to get out of town, especially since the Tavern is conveniently located on the trail at the end of town. Had to say good bye to everyone!!We finished our day with some beers and a delicious "mystery pizza" which was all amazing, and stumbled are way towards the river and northward up the trail! Our plan was to go a few miles and stop, drop, and roll into our tents. This ended up being an 8.3 mile scramble up Rich Mtn., including a spooky encounter at a pond with a creature splashing around and a sketchy dude sitting in his Subaru. All in all a great "nero" day!
Date: 2014-04-01
From: Rich Mtn. fire tower side trail

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept in later than I had ever slept in my tent today... didn't hit the trail til after 8! I like covering miles in the early morning and camping in the evening, but last night's night hike set me off course. 48 hours ago I was being burried in snow, but today was quite the opposite... very summer-like! I don't do so well in heat or sun, so I was a little slow today making the transition. Took a nice long breakfast break at Spring Mtn. Shelter, and another nice long lunch break at Little Laurel Shelter.Today's evening hike included a beautiful sunset/night walk along White Rocks Cliffs and Blackstack Cliffs where we had great views to our left of some unknown town all lit up. I started to get tired and fell behind, but luckily we found a remote campsite just before the shelter which was perfect for the 4 of us. I enjoy night hiking as well as morning hiking, but I just gotta get used to it so I'm not yawning my way into camp!
Date: 2014-04-02
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

Hit the trail a little earlier than the last two days, and made the hike up Big Butt. The name is much more exciting than the mountain itself, and the sun/heat combo slowed me down slightly. Got to Flint Mtn. Shelter and had a nice lunch break with Squirrel, Listen, and Shy Bear as well as Noodle, Flash, and Cali Girl who are on the "princess tour". I headed out after my 3 fellow Banditos (bandana wearing badasses), and ran into Weirman and Knitter who shared a nice footsoaking session with me.The afternoon sun continued to bake me out, and I took a nice break at Devil Fork Gap before pushing up Frozen Knob. My plan was to lose most of the sun before the bulk of my accent, which was a success. It also meant I would be showing up to camp later than I wanted to once again, but I took the chances. This ended up being my first solo night-hike, and of course I heard several "creatures" in the woods all around me. I clacked my poles, banged my mini-djembe, and sang songs to alert them of my presence... no surprises!Showed up at camp after dark and set my tent up away from others, as I planned to talk to Jenny tonight and did not want to bother anyone. I ate dinner by the shelter where people were enjoying a nice camp fire, and retired to my tent after all had gone to bed. Had a nice chat with Jenny, even though we were interrupted several times by lost signal.
Date: 2014-04-03
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up at some uknown time (Jenny killed my phone last night!) to the wonderful sound of thunder and pouring rain! Great conditions for a planned 20+ mile day, right? Luckily I found a break in the rain for a second to pack up my tent and head out of Dodge. The rain proceeded soon after I hit the trail, but only lasted another hour before turning into yet another hot, humid, sunny day! The rain was certainly refreshing.I hadn't looked at my guide book to see what today offered for elevation or mileage, and was caught by surprise when I found out I was hiking to over 5,500 feet up Big Bald. I caught up with Squirrel and Listen, and we pushed to the summit together. Had a beautiful 360 view on the open summit, and the sun and the wind were completely refreshing. After a while we strolled down to Bald Mtn. Shelter to meet up with Shy Bear for lunch (2nd lunch?)I was tired once again, and also had a lot of gear scattered to dry, so the 3 of them left well before I. Looks like another solo evening hike for this guy! Luckily I'm getting used to it, and also further developing my trail legs so it's easier to push long miles. I prefer pushing in the morning and taking it easy for the 2nd half of the day, but sometimes you gotta roll with the punches.Mostly a downhill with some slight ups to No Business Knob Shelter, and since I knew tomorrow would be a short day with the reward of a town visit (plus a package of cookies from my sister), the long miles weren't as impactful as they might have been. First 20+ miler under my belt, and also well over 300 miles into the trip feels pretty good!
Date: 2014-04-04
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 6.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up at the crack of dawn with beer, bacon, and biscuits on the brain. Squirrel, Listen, Shybear and I cranked down 6.3 miles to the Nolichucky River in what seemed like minutes; more like a couple hours. I picked up a package of delicious PB and chocolate chip cookies fresh from my sister's oven, shared a few with the crew, and began what would end up being a marathon of hitchhiking adventures around Erwin, TN.After declining the $5 shuttle to town, and minutes later being passed by the half empty shuttle bus, Shybear and I began taking lessons from the ladies on how to hitchhike. About 10-15 minutes into our journey, a nice lady packed 4 stinky, hungry hikers with full packs into her mid-sized sedan, and dropped us off at a local diner. We were greeted with smiles, menus, and hot coffee... followed by a plethora of bacon, biscuits (with gravy, no beer... yet), waffles w/fruit, eggs, taters, etc. Great success!More town adventures ensued, and we were quickly turned away by two local hotels who claimed to be hiker-friendly, but did not feel required to prove it. We eventually settled into the wonderful Mountain Inn & Suites, who happily slept 4 of us in a double room (double room = 2 double beds = 4 people = hiker friendly; local competition take note) and offered us more biscuits, gravy, and eggs in the morning. And coffee, juice, milk. And fruit and yogurt. And cereal. Friendly.And then there was beer. We drank plenty. We documented 2 shotgun sessions on video. After about a 12 pack each, goodnight Erwin!
Date: 2014-04-05
From: Erwin, TN

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Oh what, a zero day? What excuses can we find to take a zero day 65 miles after Hot Springs? Thunderstorms in the forecast, excessive beer consumption, free breakfast, waiting for friends to arrive in town, needing a trip to Walmart and a liquor in the next town, or just resting our bones... you pick.Listen and Squirrel chilled in the room while Shybear and I adventured towards Unicoi, which contains both a Walmart and a liquor store. Trail essentials, indeed. We had a successful hitchhike within a quarter mile, which we thought would be more difficult given our lack of backpacks and female counterparts. We were shuttled all the way to Walmart, and offered a ride back from the same gentleman but politely declined as we had other business to tend to. Shybear found a sweet camera, I found a sweet pair of headphones, and then we found ourselves at the liquor store.Most bang for your buck? Moonshine. Sold. Now onto the Mexican restaurant next door.... delicious tacos. Two hitchhikes later (we're getting good), we're back at the hotel where the girls continued their chilling session. Trix arrived and I bumped myself down to the floor, and we slept. Definitely trail time tomorrow!
Date: 2014-04-06
From: Erwin, TN

To: Unaka Mtn.
Miles today: 13.7

After more free breakfasts, then second breakfast (also free), we're back on the trail. Oh yeah, a final hitch to the trailhead (that's like six in two days, we're on fire!) and THEN we're back on the trail. There was quite a crew with us to start... Moose, Rabbit, Inspector Gadget, and maybe some others. My pack was super heavy today thanks to excessive grocery shopping in Erwin, so I took it easy and stopped for food frequently.We hoped to push at least 15 miles to Cherry Gap shelter, but the heat, humidity, time, and lingering hangovers all contributed to falling short of our goal. It was fine with us, since we found a beautiful spot in the evergreens on top of Unaka Mtn. to stealth camp. And stealth camp we did.
Date: 2014-04-07
From: Unaka Mtn.

To: Greasy Creek Hostel
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: moderate rain

Woke up to overcast skies atop Unaka, which was a bummer as we were hoping for sunrise views! There were rainstorms in the forecast all day, so our plans were to see what happened in the sky and act accordingly. Listen and Squirrel's friend had made note for us to check out the hostel nearby, so this persuaded us enough to check-in as well as check it out.We arrive at the hostel after the bizarre 0.6 mile walk off the trail, which brought us through a network of ATV trails, abandoned shacks, and various trash piles. I think I know why it's called the greasy creek. Anyways, we arrive and are instantly greeted by Connie, the lady who runs and lives at the hostel. She bombards us with roughly 20 house rules in 60 seconds (impressive, but confusing), and proceeds to explain that she may have room but doesn't know if she has room, but can make room if we'd like, but have to shower first if we want to stay or sit on her furniture, and that her neighbor will be riding his ATV around the bunkhouse at 5, 6, 7, and 8AM to wake us up because he hates hikers, but we should always wash our hands before making any decisions, and that she normally cooks for hikers but there's too many so she's going to make a store run but she doesn't take the order so find out who is and give them your money.This all happened, and the only logical choice was to drink moonshine and figure out what's REALLY happening. Yes, that's better. So there's plenty of wonderful hikers who we had never met, and who claimed to have been there for about 3 days. Their original plan was to stay for one day, but enjoyed the hostel so much that they decided to wait out the potential rain. For 3 days? There was a definite Twilight Zone theme about the hostel, but once beers were being handed to me I felt better. We decided to stay, and spent the night eating food, drinking beer, and watching random 80s and 90s movies on a VCR. I plan on leaving first thing in the morning, but only if leaving is an option........
Date: 2014-04-08
From: Greasy Creek Hostel

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: overcast clouds

So the neighbor most definitely rides his ATV by the bunkhouse and revs the engine repeatedly at 5AM, and every hour on the hour thereafter. Luckily I LOVE to wake up at 5AM, so I had a good chuckle about the whole experience and begin packing up. Shybear was next to follow, and before we left Rabbit joined the escape party. Listen and Squirrel were just waking up as we left, but they had also drank more so they were excused. Apparently Listen had also won a bunch of snacks during a game of poker last night.Today's hike included a huge hike up Roan High Knob, which is the last time we will be over 6,000 feet until Mt. Washington. Hopefully it's also the last time we see snow and ice, because what a cold hike! I've always preferred cold weather to hot weather, but seeing as how it was the 2nd week of April in TN (or NC... where am I?!?!) I felt ready for spring.But it was not very springlike as we piled into the shelter atop Roan, and it was most definitely time for hot tea and food! This eventually warmed me up enough to want to press on, and I knew I was heading to lower elevation which generally means higher temperatures. As we neared Carver's gap, the clouds finally broke and the sun said hello! We followed a couple and their dog to Overmountain Shelter, which is a beautiful barn converted to a hiker shelter. There was a beautiful sunset and view of the valley below as we ate dinner, and I crawled into my tent for slumber before dark.
Date: 2014-04-09
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 18.8
Weather: scattered clouds

This morning was a bit chilly, and unfortunately last night's sunset did not segue into a sunrise. It did, however, bring us a chilly combination of sleet, snow, and wind. Oh, and apparently I lost my pack cover between Greasy Creek and here... lovely!Apparently the Big and Little Humps are the most beautiful views in the southern section of the AT. I unfortunately saw nothing more than clouds and snow, just about the entire way down. Luckily the temperature rose and the precipitation vanished the further I dropped in elevation. After 9 miles of cold and damp hiking, I headed east towards Roan Mtn, TN to dry off at the Mountain Harbour hostel and possibly make it to town for lunch.I met Sharp Knife, Hiccup, and Stoney at the hostel and we watched Happy Gilmore while my gear dried and my phone charged. The sun shown brightly, which inspired them to hit the trail after a zero day, and further inspired me to head to town for lunch. I left my gear at the hostel and headed down the road, only to be chased by a local dog for a half mile and finally picked up a mile later.The gentleman brought me to his son's restaurant, Highlander BBQ, where I enjoyed one of the greatest lunches I can remember. My cheeseburger came equipped with chili, pulled pork, coleslaw, fried ham, pickles, tomato, jalapenos, mayo, and mustard. Then there was a half-dozen buffalo wings, onion rings, endless Mtn. Dew, and homemade peach cobbler with ice cream. Squirrel and Listen showed up halfway through my food journey, and Rabbit and Shy Bear came afterwards and both enjoyed the same burger.We all quickly resupplied at the store and were brought back to the trail, and somehow I managed to hike an extra 10 miles with all that food in my belly.
Date: 2014-04-10
From: Campsite

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: clear sky

Today was a beautiful day from sunrise on, something we haven't seen since before Erwin! There were very nice views along the ridge heading up White Rocks Mtn, and we could see Roan Mtn as well as the two Balds which we had come over a day ago.I somehow managed to leave my tent at Moreland Gap Shelter where I stopped for lunch, and didn't realize it until I was at Kincora Hostel 7 miles, 1300 feet, and 3 hours later. Luckily my friend Rabbit noticed and picked it up for me, so all I had to do was run 0.3 miles to the road crossing to meet him.Kincora is a beautiful hostel run by Bob Peoples and his helper friend Lumpy. For a $5 donation we got a bunk (as well as first come first serve options for a treehouse which Squirrel and Listen took, or the bedroom where Stakes and Cliffwalker slept), laundry, shower, a ride into town for resupply, full use of the kitchen, and an option to slackpack the next 9 mile section of trail.
Date: 2014-04-11
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 8.6

I had a very nice rest in the bunkhouse at Kincora last night, and was very content with chillin at the hostel for the day since I had yet to shower or laundry, plus my shins were bothering me. I compromised with the option to slackpack 9 miles from Watauga lake back to the hostel, which Squirrel and Listen joined me on. It was a little strange heading south on the trail, especially running into everyone we had stayed at the hostel with, but I enjoyed taking it easy on this section and liked spending extra time at Laurel Fork Falls.We made it back to the hostel after enjoying a couple beers at the Black Bear hostel (oh yeah, Kincora is a dry hostel thanks to some disrespectful hikers of the past) and headed back into Hampton with Bob. This time I was ready to do some cooking, so we picked up necessary components for cheeseburgers.We waited patiently while the new guests cooked frozen pizza, then I moved in for garlic and onion stuffed burger mayhem. It was nice to be cooking in a real kitchen again, as much as I enjoy my JetBoil. I had also upgraded my sleeping situation to the treehouse as Squirrel and Listen claimed the bedroom. More good sleep at Kincora!
Date: 2014-04-12
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: clear sky

After our slackpacked nero, ample delicious food, and two nights of good sleep, we were ready to rock the trail today! Bob brought us to the lake and sent us off with a half gallon of hand sanitizer for the Watauga Lake Shelter (he does a great job maintaining this section of trail and shelters), and once we reached the shelter we decided to chill and have a snack. We then meet our new friend Kristo who offers us a pair of Torpedo IPA tallboys, which was a great morning treat!We make our way around the dam and up to Vanderventer shelter for lunch. It was a beautiful day but also hot and sunny, so this plus the morning beers was slowing us down towards the afternoon. Luckily we hit our second wind and pushed forward into the night. We had dinner just before the cow pasture at sunset, which set us up for a beautiful moonlight stroll through the mile or so of open fields. After the fields, our afternoon coffee had worn off and we (specifically I) began to get tired. We approached our goal of Double Springs Shelter around 10:30pm, and tiptoed past the shelter to find tent sites away from campers.Surprisingly there was a lit fire, and a section hiker tending the fire. He offered us water and vodka (YES!), and we joined him for both of these things after setting up tents. Quite an epic day!
Date: 2014-04-13
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: clear sky

After the 23+ miles I hiked yesterday (a personal record), I woke up completely ready to be in town. Luckily this town was only 19 miles away, nothing compared to yesterday! The first half of my hike was a breeze, but aches and pains began setting in after lunch at Abingdon Gap Shelter... at which point I was DEFINITELY ready for town!I putted my way into Damascus around 4:30pm, and forgetting all about the free taco feast being hosted by Mariposa and her mother, I headed straight to the Blue Blaze for beer and food. I enjoyed a steak sub and a couple (or so) beers from their nice tap selection, and made my way to the church for tacos. It was a fun reunion with a bunch of friends I hadn't seen since Hot Springs or so. Mariposa's mom thanked me for breaking trail the day we climbed over Bluff Mtn. in the snow just before Hot Springs, but clearly the taco feast was enough of a thanks!We ended the evening with some beers at Grasshopper's cabin which he rented for a few days, and then retired to the Woodchuck hostel where I fell asleep quickly in my tent.
Date: 2014-04-14
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Today was a nice zero day. It started with free coffee, cereal, and fruit from Woodchuck, and then I headed to Mt. Rogers Outfitter to reassess my footwear situation. I've hiked in full hiking boots my entire life, but after 400 miles on the trail I started to realize that the extra weight and restriction was slowing me down and hurting me, so time to investigate trail runners. I was fitted into a nice pair of Oboz which were very comfortable and lightweight. I happily sent my 5lbs of boots home along with extra clothing I no longer needed, then headed to the library for journal updates. More drinking and relaxing finished up my first zero in Damascus.
Date: 2014-04-15
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

I did not plan on zeroing again, but the weather forecast called for rain/snow/decreasing temperatures, very similar to my experience on Bluff Mtn. I'd rather not repeat this (ever) so zeroing was the best option. I moved from Woodchuck to The Place, and met up with Money Maker who joined me for lunch at Dairy King. Today was boring and dreary, but it did rain and snow and get cold, so it was a good day to be in town. Thanks to Grasshopper for the meatloaf, potatoes, veggies, and salad!
Date: 2014-04-16
From: Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mtn Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: clear sky

Beautiful weather to be back on the trail finally! After breakfast at Mojo's Cafe and grabbing an overloaded Subway sandwich for the trail, me and my 53 lb pack headed for the hills with Listen, Squirrel, and Shy Bear! This was a beautiful section of trail that crossed the Creeper trail bicycle path and a river several times. We enjoyed lunch and beers at one of the trail intersections, and proceeded to Lost Mtn Shelter to camp for the night.There was a big crowd at the shelter but we opted to tent behind the shelter, possibly feeling over-socialized from 3 days in town. All great people, though!
Date: 2014-04-17
From: Lost Mtn Shelter

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 23.2
Weather: few clouds

We woke up early and hit the trail with excitement for Grayson Highlands which we would see today! It's also the last time we will see 5,000' until the White Mountains of New Hampshire.I started my hike solo and bounced back and forth between groups who had camped at the shelter or just beyond us. There was a nice crowd when we reached the first view of the day at Buzzard Rock, and we all sat around and admired the great view all around us. It was starting to feel a lot like home to me with open summits and grassy fields, much like ME and NH.After dipping down to Elk Garden parking lot, snacking, and taking advantage of the trash cans and restroom, we began the ascent towards Mt. Rogers and into the highlands! I was tempted to summit Mt. Rogers since the AT bypassed it, but I was more eager to have lunch at Tomas Knob Shelter and proceed into the state park and look for ponies.This entire section was open fields and boulder-y, which is easily my favorite terrain to hike in. There were many day hikers and families in this area, which makes sense given the ease of access and the rewarding views. Immediately upon entering the park, I'm greeted by a half dozen ponies right along the trail. One walks up and I befriend him instantly. I pet him, let him chew my trekking poles, and take a couple pictures.Squirrel, Listen, and Violet show up and we swap cameras, phones, and spots to all get pictures with my new buddy. After he realizes I won't be feeding him, he hip-checks me and carries on with his day. We take some more pictures and move onward through the beautiful field.Finally reaching Old Orchard Shelter late in the evening after 23 miles, I'm too tired to enjoy the fire-side jams being performed by Moxie and head straight for bed. He's a great singer/guitar player and I look forward to playing with him when I have the energy!
Date: 2014-04-18
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Marion, VA
Miles today: 24.8
Weather: light rain

For some reason I don't remember much about today, other than waking up early and pushing HUGE miles to get to Marion. The original plan was to hit Partnership Shelter for pizza, but somehow we hadn't properly resupplied in Damascus and already needed a store. We all (Squirrel, Listen, and Shy Bear) decide to throw down on a room and slay some McDonalds in town, so we race 25 miles to do so.This was my first fast food extravaganza since Hardee's in Franklin, and I can't remember McDs ever tasting this good. I was also impressed with the new-age ambiance they've achieved with their interior decor.Also, somehow the same group who killed three 12 packs in Erwin, TN failed to consume simply one in Marion, VA. Sleepy time!