morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2003-04-16
From: Groundhog Creek Shelter

To: Deer Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiking at 7:15 am. Walked and walked and walked to Deer Mountain Shelter - 23 miles. It's only 3 miles to Hot Springs from here and I'll be staying there tomorrow. It will be a good day to rest the feet, knees, and the rest of my body. The hike today was pleasant even if it was a little hot and sunny. The sun is brutal with no cover from leaves in the trees. My right knee is bothering me a little now - maybe because of the fall in the Smokies or maybe too many miles or maybe I'm going too fast on the downhills. A day of rest tomorrow will be good. The wildflowers are all out now - very pretty. Some sort of flowering trees are out, too - that might be the pleasant flowery smell that wafts up the trail. The trees definitely smell better than I do! 23 miles to Deer Mountain Shelter today.
Date: 2003-04-17
From: Deer Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 3.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Hiking at 7 am. Walked to Hot Springs, NC - 3.2 miles. I got a room at the local motel which has no phone in the room and a TV with cable which gets 3 channels. I resupplied at the local grocery store which had limited supplies and at the outfitters which also had limited supplies. I walked to the local library at noon and found out the hours were 1-6 pm on Thursday (today). It turned out that the outfitter had internet access with 20 min free for thru-hikers. That was enough time to send a few emails. I've spent the rest of the day eating and resting in front of the TV, watching Fox News, ESPN, and FX (the only 3 channels available.) Now the push to Damascus begins. Initially I had planned on stopping at Erwin, TN, but now I think I have sufficient supplies to make it to Damascus, VA. If things don't go as planned, I'll have to stop. It was partly cloudy this morning but now is drizzling/raining. I'm not sure what the weather is to be tomorrow - I'll be hiking no matter what. 3.2 miles to hotel in Hot Springs, NC.
Date: 2003-04-18
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Up at 6:30 am, left the hotel at 7:20 am. Walked in a misty, drizzly rain to Little Laurel Shelter -- 19.6 miles. The hike wasn't bad but my right knee was bothering me later. My heels both were paining for the last 5 miles or so. I'm not sure if the problem is just no padding in the heels of my sneakers or pancaked shoe inserts or something else. It was a good day of rest yesterday, definitely something worth doing again in the future. Now if my heels would just heal up, I'd be able to really cruise...
Date: 2003-04-19
From: Little Laurel Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 21.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Last night four locals at the shelter offered leftover hot dogs, corn bread, and beans. All thru-hikers present partook. Today I was hiking at 7:05 am and arrived at Hogback Ridge Shelter at 4:45 pm. The guy from France, Daniel, and I have been staying at the same shelters on and off since Springer. He started April 1, but it's not clear whether he started on the top of Springer or on the approach trail. I think he plans on finishing a little later than I do but at least now it is nice that I know someone at the shelters before I arrive. It was a long 21.3 miles today. My feet are sore. The biggest problem are my heels. After about 15 miles they start to bother me. Maybe I need shoe inserts or maybe just some more conditioning. Saw a grouse and a black and white goat (hiking southbound on the AT). I'm not sure where the goat belonged, but definitely not on the AT.
Date: 2003-04-20
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: No Business Shelter
Miles today: 20.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Hiking at 7:10 am. Arrived at No Business Shelter at 4:30 pm. At Sam's Gap there was a guy who had sectioned the AT over three years handing out donuts, coffee, OJ, sodas, and Hershey's Kisses. I got there early enough to get some food, etc. I hiked today doing lots of calf stretches to try and alleviate my heel problem. It seemed to help some but did not eliminate the problem. I am going to try and get some insoles added to my maildrop in Damascus - maybe that will help. The current insoles are paper thin in most places. The soles of my feet seem to hurt at the end of the day - maybe the shoes are getting broken down or maybe I just need better insoles. We will see. 20.7 miles to No Business Shelter today.
Date: 2003-04-21
From: No Business Shelter

To: Deep Gap Campsite
Miles today: 18.4

It's 5:45 pm and I'm in my tent for the night. It has been raining on and off since I left the shelter this morning at 7 am. It will rain for a little while - sometimes an hour or two then stop and the sun will come out. Weird weather. It was 7 miles to the road to Erwin, TN, this morning. I got to the road crossing and got a soda from the machine at Uncle Johnies (raining kind of hard at the time). I called home to "the support crew" to get a pair of insoles sent to Damascus, VA. The stretching seems to help my heels somewhat, but I think new insoles will help much more. I'm going to try them nevertheless and see if I get any improvement. The French guy, Daniel, had to go into Erwin for supplies - maybe he'll catch up to me later. I messed up my supplies in Hot Springs and got 3 packages of Lipton Chicken and Rice or noodles. I don't think I like that flavor anymore. The Lipton Asian flavors are very tasty, though. Two dogs followed me 2+ miles out of Erwin. I don't think a dog is a problem I need at this time... (They are probably someone's pets, too.) I repaired my pack with a needle and dental floss. Some of the stitching was coming out on the shoulder straps. I need to call Mountainsmith to get some replacements. 18.4 miles today to Deep Gap Campsite.
Date: 2003-04-22
From: Deep Gap Campsite

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: light rain

I'm at 6285 ft of elevation at Roan High Knob Shelter writing by candlelight. Two Shoes had a candle in his pack and we're using it now. It's very cold now. In the cabin it's 38 degrees F. Outside it's colder and the wind is whipping. There is rhine ice forming on the trees and ice on the trail. A cold front rolled in overnight, bringing rain with it. I was able to get my tent packed just as the rain started. Throughout the day rain has been on and off, mostly a drizzle or mist. Daniel from France ended up camping near me last night. I didn't know he was there, but I met up with him 12 miles up the trail from Deep Gap. He got up at 4:30 am when he heard rain - he has no tent. It's going to be a cold night; hopefully the weather will break overnight and we'll awaken to sunshine. There are 4 people in the shelter tonight: myself, Daniel, Two Shoes, and Commander in Chief. It wouldn't be a bad night for a packed shelter...
Date: 2003-04-23
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Camping 
Miles today: 20.0
Weather: light rain

The day started OK except for having a very cold night which made it difficult to sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time. I got hiking sometime after 7 am. This was the first morning that I've actually cooked a hot breakfast. Usually I just have cold granola, milk, and honey, or, more recently, cold oatmeal and milk. This morning I had hot oatmeal and milk. The hike off the top of Roan Mountain was cold and windy. The trees were covered with rhine ice but the trail, while frozen, was still thankfully not a sheet of ice. Today was also the day to go over the Roan Highlands. They are beautiful, bald (tree-free but still grass-covered) mountains. It was windy but nice. There was a herd of Texas Longhorns. They looked a little out of place... At 15 miles or so I got to the Apple House Shelter and had an early dinner. I said goodbye to Daniel from France (he doesn't have a tent and I may not soon too - read on.) I left the shelter at 3:30 pm and hiked for 2.5 hours before I found a suitable place to camp. (I only started looking at 5:30 pm). As I was setting up my tent, I noticed that the big pole had a loose coupler on the carbon/aluminum poles. As it slid to the ground, I noticed I was missing the ferrule which holds the pole in the brass grommet on the tent. I checked all other 3 ferrules and one other was not glued in place, also on the big pole. So, I carved a new ferrule out of wood and glued it in place with pine pitch. I also glued the other ferrule and the loose coupler. I then gingerly set up my tent. Everything held fine so I sat down to make my evening snack, banana cream pudding. SNAP!! I looked around and found that the small pole on my tent had broken in half and maybe punched a hole through the fly. I made a hoop out of Rhodedendron and put my patched tent up. It's still holding... Thankfully it is not raining and the forecast is not calling for more rain until Friday. I then sat down to eat my pudding and figure out how I am going to get a replacement tent. I think I can do a 0.2 mile detour to Dennis Cove Road tomorrow to a hostel and use the phone to call Sierra Designs to see what they are going to do about my broken tent. Besides all this it has been a pretty uneventful day of about 20 miles of hiking to camp somewhere in a new location which is not listed in the data book. To bed now. It's just about 8 pm. Note: I called Sierra Designs on 4/24/2003 and they agreed to send me a new tent, overnight, for my arrival Sunday in Damascus.
Date: 2003-04-24
From: Camping 

To: Kincorra Hostel
Miles today: 18.0

Up at dawn. Started hiking by 7:00 am. I was on a mission to get to Kincora Hotel early to call Sierra Designs about the tent. After a roller coaster ride of ups and downs I made it to Moreland Gap Shelter where I stopped for a snack and lunch. Skittles, Seeds, and Juniper + dog arrived and convinced me that it would be better to stay at the Kincorra Hostel then go on for the 2 miles to Laurel Fork Shelter. I then hiked down (and up) to the Hostel. For a $4 donation, I got a bunk with mattress, shower with towel, kitchen and utensil use, and laundry machine use - free soap. I took a shower and did my laundry and a bunch of towels, as my laundry didn't take up much of the machine. It was a very homey place with about 20 thru-hikers there when I arrived with most staying the night. I missed the first town run (I was probably in the shower) but made the second town run. I ordered at large $5 pizza at Little Caesars and went a little nuts buying food. As I later found out, I bought way too much. I ate most of the pizza sitting on the sidewalk of Winn-Dixie Supermarket while waiting for everyone else to finish shopping. The hostel owners then brought us all back to the hostel where I finished the pizza and almost 2 yogurts. The second yogurt was too much and I had to rest for an hour before packing up my food. At that point I realized my pack was going to be 47 pounds! A 9 mile slack pack was planned for the next day - because of my food-buying mistakes I planned on attending. 18 miles to Kincorra Hostel.
Date: 2003-04-25
From: Kincorra Hostel

To: Vandeveeter Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: light rain

I was up at the usual time, 6 am, today. I ate my remaining two yogurts for breakfast and set up my pack for "light packing" (called that because I still planned on carrying the pack but without food). I loaded my pack with all my equipment (except my broken tent) and some snacks. Because of the rain forecast for the day I didn't feel right not having a stove, etc. It took me 3 hours to walk the 9 miles. The hostel owner dropped off up the trail and we hiked south over Pond Mountain. It drizzled on and off most of the time but was otherwise a pleasant, easy walk. Then I ate some lunch, packed my pack, and was ready to go at 1:30 pm. We didn't leave until about 3 pm. I then hiked the 8.6 miles to the Vandeveeter Shelter and arrived at 6:30 pm. I neglected to get water at a wimpy looking spring 2 miles South of the shelter so had to walk the 0.3 miles down to the shelter water source (which was actually a really nice water source, just a long way down.) I set my watch alarm for 4 am the next morning for my attempt at the 33 miles to Damascus. 17.5 miles to Vandeveeter Shelter.
Date: 2003-04-26
From: Vandeveeter Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 32.9
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up at 3:45 and lay there waiting for my alarm to go off. It did not (as I found out later in the day, the beeper is broken) so I woke up at 4:30 am, checked my watch, and got up. I quietly moved my stuff outside the shelter, ate, packed, and hiked out in the dark with my photon single LED flashlight at 5:30 am. It was light enough to stop using the light by 6:30 am. I hiked and hiked and hiked. Just after TN 91 I passed three slack packers (even with my 45 lb pack). At VA 421 there was a guy in a black Honda SUV who asked if I needed any water or first aid and took my picture - weird. A soda would have been nice. I guess he didn't know much about what hikers need... I passed the dinky shelter just over McQueen Knob - which is not listed in the AT databook - and arrived at Abington Gap Shelter in a rain shower at 2:15 pm. (The whole day had been cool with a little breeze and overcast - perfect hiking weather.) I decided to push out the last 10 miles to Damascus. The first 7 were ok, but the last three were really trying. Every little up seemed like a mountain, even if it was only an elevation gain of 10 feet. I made it to Damascus at 6:30 pm. My feet hurt and I was really tired, but I had done my "age" day where I hiked my age in miles (32 years - 32.9 miles). I got a bunk at "The Place", had a hamburger, fries, and a Coke at the Dairy King, sat around for a while, and went to bed. 32.9 miles today to Damascus.
Date: 2003-04-27
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Got up at 6 am. I then took a walk around town to see what the hours for the stores were. Most (if open at all on Sunday) opened at 11 am or noon. The laundromat opened early, so I went with a section-hiker to do my laundry and the hostel towels. I then went down to the Dollar Store and got some candy and supplies to clean what turned out to be fake blood from the hostel's walls. The hostel caretaker said that the fire department had used the house as a haunted house and had never come back to clean the walls and repaint because the fake blood does not come off the white paint completely. I then went to the outfitters and picked up my new replacement tent. The tent color is now yellow and brown and has aluminum poles. I guess the ACC poles are not working very well. I walked up to the Dairy King and got a hamburger and fries for lunch and came back to the hostel to read. At about 2 pm, I started to get signs of what people are referring to as the "hiker plague". I threw up at around 3 pm and again at 7 pm when I got up to use the bathroom. After that I just stayed in bed and sipped water so as not to get dehydrated. I felt better in the morning but not 100%... 0 miles today.
Date: 2003-04-28
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

I woke up at 6 am this morning and felt better. I didn't have anything to eat, though - the thought of food kind of made me not feel well. The post office opened at 8:30 am so I made my way down and got my package from home with maps, clean socks, a small amount of goodies, insoles, a return box, and replenishment for my bug repellant and sunscreen. The leaves are not out yet, so on any sunny days you must either be covered or have sunscreen to prevent burning. I called home to let my mother know that the box arrived on time and went back and took a nap for a couple of hours. I then went through my box, had some popcorn and cookies from the box, and prepared a return box and wrote postcards. I mailed all this stuff after another walk to the post office and got fuel for my stove. I rested, read my book, and after a few hours looked through my food and plans to see if I needed anything - I didn't. It was stupid to buy so much in Hampton, TN... I spent the rest of the day reading the book - finished it - it was barely worth the $1 I paid for it. Feeling a little daring, I bought two cans of fruit at the grocery store and ate them for dinner. Off to bed... 0 miles today - sick day.
Date: 2003-04-29
From: Damascus

To: Whitetop Mountain
Miles today: 21.5

The birds were singing at 5:30 am so I got up, ate some oatmeal for breakfast, packed, and left the hostel at 6:30 am. I feel much better today - maybe not 100%, but at least 80% - which is good enough. I saw two deer in the woods just north of Damascus. They snorted at me and I voice bleated back. One was 100-150 yards away; the other was less than 40 yards away. Both deer looked to be does. I hiked to the Saunders Shelter, stopped to sign the register, and moved on. I made it to the Lost Mountain Shelter at about 1:30 pm. I was definitely weaker than usual. The climb up Whitetop Mountain seemed to drag on forever. I went through almost a liter of water from the base to the spring. The morning gave a little rain in the form of thundershowers but it cleared up and got hot and humid. With no leaves on the trees it was brutal hiking in the sun at the end of the day. I am now camped about 0.4 miles beyond the spring on Whitetop Mountain. This is the most comfortable spot so far, probably because it hasn't been used very much. Today was a long day - I'm not sure what I'll do for miles tomorrow. It depends on how I feel. The insoles do seem to better cushion the bottoms of my feet but don't seem to have much effect on the heel problem. They do make the sneakers less supportive. I need to hike with the new insoles for another day or more before I decide whether they are better or worse. 21.5 miles today.
Date: 2003-04-30
From: Whitetop Mountain

To: Hurricane Mountain
Miles today: 21.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Up at first light - hiking at 7:10 am. Walked through Thomas Knob Shelter and stopped for water. Walked on. Took tons of pictures of ponies, scenery, and one of the Fullman Squeeze. I didn't have any ponies come really close and I didn't try to get really close. On the way up to Thomas Knob Shelter there was a herd of cows blocking the trail. I went around. I don't know a whole lot about cows, but I guess it is better to be safe than to get kicked and cause the end of the hike. The section of the trail from Thomas Knob Shelter through the Graceland Highlands is my favorite section of the trail. I've been through it twice before and it is still spectacular. The weather was sunny and not too hot so the day through this section was good. On the way across Stone Mountain, storm clouds started rolling in and it started thundering in the distance. Stone Mountain is a grassy bald like the Graceland Highlands so I really moved across the top, not wanting to get caught up top in a lightning storm. I made it to "the Scales". As near as I could tell, this is just a corral for camping. It was noted on many signs but the signs never defined what it really was. It started raining and hailing and thundering on the way up Pine Mountain. It was still raining when I got to Old Orchard Shelter. The shelter was full, but I hadn't planned on staying anyway so I cooked dinner and hiked on to where I am now. I am camped somewhere near Hurricane Mountain, about 3-4 miles after the shelter. I'm hoping to make the Partnership Shelter tomorrow, so I needed the extra miles to make tomorrow reasonable. The rain stopped on the way here but thunder still rumbles in the distance and sometimes overhead. I think I have the insoles figured out. If I tie an overhand knot where the laces cross at specific places, the shoes seem to fit better and aren't as "wobbly". They also don't pain my feet as much. I'll try a few more days with the insoles but I think they are going to work better than those that came with the shoes. It's raining again - YUCK! 21.2 miles today to camp near Hurricane Mountain.
Date: 2003-05-01
From: Hurricane Mountain

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 21.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Up at first light - hiking by 7 am. The weather cleared up overnight but clouds seemed to be looming to the west. It turns out I had camped the night before just over the top of Hurricane Mountain. Since there are no signs, it was hard to tell the night before. I walked on by the Raccoon Branch Shelter and must have walked by the Trimpi Shelter because I never saw it. The AT databook says it is right on the Trail. My water was getting kind of low when I passed a run-off stream and two overnighters. I asked if they had seen the shelter and they said, "No", but they had just passed VA670 which is 2.5 miles past the Trimpi Shelter. Just before reaching VA Rt.601 (which is just a dirt road), the rain started again. Thunder had been rumbling and I picked up the pace but I didn't beat the storm to the Partnership Shelter. I got soaked again but this time I didn't wear my rain gear, so at least that stayed dry. There were a number of people at the shelter - Two Paws, Two Fiddy, Yogi, Gonzo (who arrived later), Wally, Gator, and others whose names I don't remember. They all had ordered pizza and got it just after I arrived. I went and ordered a pizza and Italian sub. They arrived later and I ate the sub and 2 slices of pizza. I gave away the rest. Pizza doesn't make me real hungry any more... Later a guy walking his dog offered to take some people to the gas station which had ice cream. When they got back, I had an ice cream cone and helped finish a half gallon of ice cream. The weather calls for more of the same tomorrow and Saturday. Yuck! 21.0 miles to the Partnership Shelter today.
Date: 2003-05-02
From: Partnership Shelter

To: North of VA610
Miles today: 22.4

I got up with the birds (singing) this morning and was hiking by 6:40 am. I reached the truck stop convenience store and Dairy Queen at a little after 11 am. I called home again. I had called home to check in at the Partnership Shelter but the phone only worked well one way - I could hear fine, but the other end could not. People were understandably worried because of the broken up message that was left. The phone at the truck stop worked much better... I got some Milky Way bars at the truck stop and a soda (I needed an additional water bottle) and some candy to eat. I then got a foot-long hotdog and sundae at Dairy Queen. I went outside to eat so as not to offend the other customers. (I smell bad!) While I was eating the hotdog, the wind blew the paper tray cover and rolled the sundae onto the ground. It landed top first, of course. I picked up what I could of the sundae back into the cup and finished my hotdog and remains of the sundae. So much for being nice to non-hikers in town... I then continued hiking past the Davis Path Shelter. The weather in the morning had been foggy but now was hot and sunny and brutal with no leaves on the trees. The water situation seems much worse now (that's why I got an extra bottle) so I thought I'd fill up at the next water source. Unfortunately, nothing seems to be marked and I went right by the water source (a stream) after walking up on a deer at less than 10 yards. When she started stomping, I voice bleated and she took off. Oh well. I continued up the trail, wondering what I was going to do about water for the night (dry camp tonight) and heard water. I also could see what looked like and old section of the trail - actually, a really nice section which went through a tunnel of rhododendrons. I don't understand why they took such a nice section and relocated it to a hot, no-tree-cover section. I went down and got water, 2L and 1 20 oz. soda bottle, and walked on. It turned out the trail crossed a little stream further up. When I got to where I thought I was going to camp, there was a sign saying (paraphrasing), "The trail travels through private property - don't leave the trail. You must have written permission to camp, etc." So hiked until I saw a National Forest Boundary Sign and am camped there. 22.4 miles to a camp north of VA Rt. 610.