morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-09
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: light rain

The day started out in the best way. A family that lives .2 miles from Kincora Hostel was offering free meals for thru hikers today. So we all headed down to their home for breakfast before starting our hikes. I must say that the best dressed hiker was Carpenter (aka Little Debbie). You see, Little Debbie found a gingham red & white check dress in the hiker box, his hair was arranged in pigtails, and he was carrying his food in a wicker basket.Breakfast consisted of orange juice, coffee, huge biscuits, homemade bread, jams & jellies, bacon, potatos, and pancakes.After breakfast things became a bit bizarre. Bob Peoples was transporting hikers that stayed at Kincora to Watuga Lake. There were quite a few of us. Bob's pickup truck has a crew cab, so 6 hikers sat in the front with him. Elevn of us fit in the bed of the truck that was covered with a cab top, along with our backpacks and poles. It was a bizarre scene as legs were on top of hikers heads, lower legs and feet of some lost feeling as they were compressed by others. I was the last one in, so I was smashed against the tail gate, but at least I was by the window that we were able to open a bit for circulation. We looked like circus clowns climbing out of the back of that truck when we got to the lake.The shores of Watuga Lake were flooded due to all the recent rains. The BBQ's and picnic tables that should have been on the shore of the lake were actually in the lake.The first bridge over an outflow of the lake was completely submerged, so I had to change from hiking boots to my crocs. The water was halfway up my calves, but the cool water felt good. The weather this morning was sunny, warm, and slightly humid. There were some significant inclines to hike up today.Second bizarre event of the day: the very grouch grouse. There was a grouse on the trail that did not want us to pass. The grouse would spread her wings and try to charge us. I had to use my hiking poles to keep her away from me and I was hiking backwards up the trail . She must have harrassed me for about 80 ft on the trail. I wonder if she was protecting a nest?Of course, a day could not go by without some rain, and that started at about 2pm and lasted for about 1 hour or so. Got to the shelter at about 4pm, met some new hiking friends: Mouse (a girl from England), and Mr. Pink and his dog Isis. I wanted to set up my tent today, but there was absolutely no fairly level area, so I'm back in a shelter for the night. Thank goodness Isis the dog is with us tonight. Hopefully she will keep the mice away.
Date: 2009-05-11
From: Mountain City, TN

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: light rain

In the morning I awoke to find JP making a full breakfast of bacon and eggs, toast, OJ and coffee. I could not thank her enough. As we ate breakfast and looked out the windows overlooking the valley I could not help but notice that we could not see the valley. We were completely socked in by clouds and it was raining. What else is new? JP dropped Jim Dandy and I at Tenn Rt 91 to continue our hike north, and she took Yellowstone and Mr. Pink into Damascus. Jim Dandy and I hiked in a huge, drippy cloud for the enitre day. No views again today.The sun emerged when we got to Abingdon Gap Shelter. WHat a wonderful sight! I set up my tent, had dinner, chatted a bit and was in my tent by 7:30.
Date: 2009-05-12
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up to a glorious, clear, cool morning. For some reason I did not sleep well last night. My tent site was on a slight incline and I kept slipping to the bottom of my tent; then I would have to shimmy back up to the top.I took my time breaking camp and was then on my way to Damascus. The weather was great and it was a good hike. There were some ups, but then a prolonged descent into town. The last few miles were tedious and long as I was really tired and my left foot was hurting.The first thing I did when I got into town was to go to Mt Rogers Outfitters and thank Jeff for fixing my backpack last week. His showing me how to further adjust the straps had really increased my comfort level, especially when it was fully loaded to 35 lbs. I gave him a great big, smelly hiker hug and then went off to find a room for the night. Each B&B I passed had "no vacancy" signs out front. As I headed back to the outfitters, one of the owners of the Apple Tree B&B saw my dinemma and said "I think I can help you". There was a lady in one of the rooms who would like to have a roommate to share the cost of the room so I said "I'm in". Debbie introduced me to Margaret (Black Eyed Susan) who was just returning to the trail after nursing some injuries. We were like 2 peas in a pod. So I had a room for the night! The room had a double bed and with the way I toss and turn I told Margaret that I was sleeping on the soft rug covered floor on my sleeping pad, in my sleeping bag, no discussion about my decision. If she was OK with that I would share the room. That's how Black-Eyed Susan and Jersey Girl became roommates. A free BBQ for hikers was held right next door at Augusta's Appalachian Inn and I saw Laughing Owl and One Step as they came back to Damascus for Trail Days.After dinner I came back to the B&B and sat in one of the rocking chairs on the front porch to plan my days for Wed & Thurs. I met 2 women who were in town doing some day hikes with their 2 basset hounds. They live in NJ! Then off to bed I went. My left foot was achy and a bit swollen, but not too bad for hiking 8 days in a row.
Date: 2009-05-13
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I have been in Damascus since late Tuesday afternoon. Took a zero day on Thursday to rest the foot and the body, and then did a 14 mile slack pack south back to Damascus on Thursday. When I get back on the trail on Sunday I will start at that location and continue north."Trail Days" started on Friday, so I was in town to meet up with all my trail friends that are either ahead of me on the trail, or behind me. Most of them are either ahead, or in Damascus at this point in time. Ron arrived yesterday afternoon and will be staying until he takes me back to the trail on Sunday morning. Lots of stuff happening at Trail Days, including the hiker parade this afternoon.Irene will update my journal and photos when I send the latest entries. Hopefully I will be able to get some good photos from trail days. I'm having a great time!!!!
Date: 2009-05-13
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up to a full country breakfast made by Debbie. Scrambled eggs, homemade biscuits with gravy, freshly made apple compote, OJ, homemade pear butter and mug after mug of delicious coffee.I decided to take a zero day today because when I woke up my foot was still swollen. Going to give it a day rest (relatively speaking). After breakfast I went to the laudromat, the outfitters, checked out "The Place" (a hiker hostel), then had lunch with Jim Dandy, Pink Lady Slipper, and Windbreaker. Then I made a reservation to take a shuttle to VA 859, Grassy Ridge Rd, and hike back into Damascus tomorrow, the distance is 14 miles. After trail days I will have Ron drop me off at this point and I will continue to hike north. I then set up my tent on the lawn at "The Place", that way when I get back into town tomorrow afternoon I am assured of a place to sleep. I would expect that town will be quite crowded by tomorrow evening as Trail Days begins on Friday.
Date: 2009-05-14
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Breakfast at the Appple Tree B&B was excellent again this morning. I then got shuttled to Grassy Ridge Rd and began a 14 mile south-bound slack pack back to Damascus. The day was clear and warm. I met quite a few hikers throughout the day. When I got back to town I went to the B&B and got the rest of my gear and went over to "The Place" hostel. I had set up my tent on their lawn yesterday so I was assured of tent space, as more and more hikers were streaming into town for Trail Days. Jim Dandy and Cowboy were camped out next to me. All three of us had free passes for the home cooked dinner at the Baptist Church, so we rested a bit before dinner.Dinner at the Baptist Church was excellent! All sorts of home cooked disher were offered, along with desserts and coffee. I cannot believe how much food I ate. I think my hiker appetite is beginning to kick in. I was in my tent, redy to sleep by 9pm.
Date: 2009-05-15
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today was spent roaming around town visiting all the vendor booths, partaking of free food and refreshments throughout the area and visiting with my hiking friends.Trapper Lee (my trail angel from the snowstorm) was in town for Trail Days, doing a book signing. It was great to see her again.Later in the afternoon, after a short nap, I visitied the Medical Tent which was a free service offered by the Baptist Church. The services they offered included blood pressure screening, blood work, foot care, BMI measurements, and the services of physicians which included a cariologist, orthopedic doc, general practice MD and another MD who was a liver & kidney transplant surgeon! I had one of the docs look at my toenail and he agreed - it's falling off.Ron is on his way down today to visit. I expected him to arrive in the evening, but he arrived in the early afternoon! I was sitting on the porch of the Apple Tree B&B, visiting with the owners Debbie & Les Smith, and Ron came walking up the front path. Great surprise to see him so early! We both sat and visited a little longer.On our way back to the car, who should we see - Shameless Blue Blazer! So we piled into the car and went to Fatty's for lunch. It's been great that Ron is here this weekend, he is meeting all my friends.After lunch I took down my tent, packed everything and Ron & I went to the hotel where I took a shower. We then went out to get a few things I needed. Then back to the hotel and a great nights sleep. Sheets, a quilt, and a pillow are wonderful things!
Date: 2009-05-16
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Slept in this morning, then went into Abingdon to mail my next supply box to the Relax Inn, in Rural Retreat. Abingdon is an old historic town. Would love to come back here and spend a few days at some point in the future. On the way out I asked Ron to stop at a coffee shop, Zazzy Z's, which was in a big house. Well, when I walked in the front door the first thing I was was a YARN SHOP! Please - it was like heaven. A coffee shop, yarn shop and small bookstore with Internet cafe. Heaven on earth!Then on to Damascus, did my laundry and Ron met more of my friends as we sat outside the laundromat. By then it was time to assemble for the Hiker Parade. What a hoot! Many hikers were dressed in outrageous outfits.Gene Espy, the second person to hike the AT, was the Grand Marshal of the parade. Ron tells me that there was a bagpipper at the start of the parade, local beauty queens on convertibles, the requisite fire engines/rescue trucks and then hundreds and hundreds of hikers! We all walked down the main street of town to the admiration of throngs of onlookers. OK, so it wasn't admiration, it was more like walking throught a gauntlet of water balloons, super-soakers and waterguns. Water was being hurled back and forth between hikers and onlookers. Thank goodness it was a hot sunny day.After the parade Ron and I walked through the area where the vendors were located, had a funnel cake and lemonade, and then went back to the hotel. For dinner we werent to the Peppermill Restaurant in Abingdon. The food and service were excellent. Then back to the hotel where I repacked my backpack - ready to resume the hike tomorrow.
Date: 2009-05-17
From: VA 859

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Ron woke me up at 6am and the first think I did was to part the shades and look outside. And what to my wondering eyes should I see? RAIN! Yep, I'm headed back to the trail, and it is raining. Surprised? I'm not. The rain had lightened up considerably by the time we got to the trailhead. Leaving Ron is never easy, but I had to get back on the trail. I got to Lost Mtn Shelter at 9am, and the rain had stopped. I was still hiking in a drippy cloud, but at least it wasn't raining.I stopped for lunch at a parking area on VA601. Just as I was finishing a mom, dad, and their son pulled in the parking lot and came over to talk with me. The son, a pre-teen named Remington, said that he and his dad are going to hike the trail after he graduates from high school. They asked a few questions and said they would come to see me when I got to Partnership Shelter.After lunch I continued my hike by crossing the street, unlocking a big metal gate, and proceeding throught the hugest cow pasture I have ever seen. It was an uphill hike for quite a distance. The cows pretty much ignored me. The biggest challenge was to avoid stepping in "cow pies". By the way, cow pies are very, very big!The skies began to clear as I reached Buzzard Rock, Whitetop Mt. I finally started having a view. The mountains in the distance were beautiful. As I started to climb the last 3/4 mile the wild ponies came down the path to greet me. They tried licking my hands and pack straps to eat the salt from my sweat, but I asked them not to, and they listened to me! It was getting colder and windier as I got closer to the shelter. When I got there, there were other people there who welcomed me up to the loft since it was really windy on the bottom level. The area around the shelter was strewn with rocks and boulders and made it impossible to set up my tent.I did wind up setting up my tent on the upper loft mainly due to the # of mice running around my feet wend I was eating supper by the picnic table.
Date: 2009-05-18
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: few clouds

Today was an absolutely beautiful day. Clear, cool, sunny and breezy. I hiked through the Grayson Highlands today and it was very pretty. This area is renown for the wild ponies. I only saw 1 mare and foal. I ended the day at Old Orchard Shelter and set up my tent in a wonderful grassy area. The grass was very thick so it made for a wonderful soft base under my tent. I was pleased to see that Cowboy was at this location, the last time I saw him was in Damascus. It was an early evening as I was in bed by 8pm.
Date: 2009-05-19
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

Another beautiful day. Clear blue skies, cool temps and a nice breeze. I hiked by myself again all day and enjoyed the views. Trimpi shelter was very nice and had an indoor fireplace. Two couples were there and started a fire. It was nice to eat dinner by the fireplace.Again it was an early night for me. I am pretty much exhausted by the end of the day.
Date: 2009-05-20
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

After I had gone to bed, I heard some people come into the tenting area at Trimpi Shelter. In the morning I found another tent had been set up and there was someone in a sleeping bag, lying on top of Tyvek. Their gear was arranged neatly on the Tyvek around their sleeping get. Once we were all up I found that the person on the Tyvek was Lucky Joe and in the tent was Moe. Moe is a young woman with an infectious laugh, and quite a zest for life.Today was another long mileage day, but I got to Partnership Shelter by 3:30. The last mile or so of the hike was through massive stands of rhododendron. I can only imagine how beautiful it is when they are in bloom.Parnership Shelter is quite unique as far as shelters go. It is a 2 level shelter, built in 1998, and has a sink with running water and a shower! It felt so good getting a shower, and then ordering pizza, which gets delivered to the shelter!As I was heading to the end of the visitor center parking area to wait for my pizza, I found Remington and his parents walking up the driveway to come see me. It was good to see them again. Remington had lots of questions and we spent some time visiting. I never thought to get a picture with them The pizza was great. I ordered a small cheese pizza and ate all but one slice. That is a lot for me. I was so tired that I was in my sleeping bag by 7pm and fast asleep almost immediately. All the activity in and around the shelter did not bother me at all!
Date: 2009-05-21
From: Partnership Shelter

To: The Relax Inn, Rural Retreat
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was another beautiful day of hiking. I stopped at Chatfield Shelter for lunch and had the company of a section hiker. Further down the trail I was surprised to come across the Settlers Museaum of Southwest Virginia. A docent gave me a tour of the small museum and told me the history of the settlement of this part of Virginia. Near the museum was the Lindamood School, built in 1894. I was able to go into the one room schoolhouse. It was set up as it would have been in the late 1800's and early 1900's. There was a wood burning stove in the middle of the room, with the student desks on either side. This museum was a nice surprise and a wonderful interlude during my day. I left there at about 3pm and continued on to Rural Retreat.I was now hiking through open fields, interspersed with woods. The day had turned quite warm and I was working up quite a sweat. I was so happy to see Rt 11 in the distance and then the sign for the Relax Inn.After getting a room I took a shower, did laundry and called Ron. Then I went to get some dinner at The Barn Restaurant. As I was nearing the side of the restaurant who should I see at the window - Moe. I was happy to see her again. When I got inside I found Moe, Lucky Joe & Sideshow. We had a great time conversing over dinner. Turns out that Lucky Joe is videotaping hikers for a documentary so he did an interview of me after dinner. Went back to the Relax Inn, sorted out my maildrop and re-packed my pack. Then off to bed.
Date: 2009-05-22
From: The Relax Inn, Rural Retreat

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: clear sky

I had trouble falling asleep last night, and did not actually get to sleep until after midnight. I think that was because I had at least 3 large glasses of ice tea. It seems that everyone slept in, as we were all congregating outside at the same time. So off to The Barn Restaraunt we all went.After breakfast we went back to the motel and slowly but surely everyone eventually got back on the trail. It was quite a warm day, with an occassional breeze.I lost count of the number of stiles I had to climb over today. All I know is that there were a lot of them. A stile is a type of A shapped ladder that allows one to climb over a fence. Most of the fences are constructed of barbed wire, so you definately don't want to touch the fence. I was getting tired and these stiles were not fun.As it got later in the day I was looking for a place to camp, but now I was in an area that signs noted that you should not get off the trail because the surrounding area was privately owned. So now I was ready to set up camp, and I was not allowed to!I got myself turned around at one point and got off trail and walked through a farmers field until I got to the end of the field and could not find a white blaze. So I pulled out my map and walked up and down the country lane until I found a balze, and continued on my way. I finally got to the shelter after a very long steep climb. I quickly set up my tent, got water and made my dinner. I was so tired I could not eat all my food. Thank goodness there are always hungry hikers around who are more than willing to help finish my meal.
Date: 2009-05-23
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: broken clouds

All I can say about today was that it was a very, very hard day for me. There were two tough climbs today. The first was a 500 ft elevation gain in 1 mile, that was not too bad. 3 miles later was the killer climb, 1000 ft elevation gain in a hair less than 1 mile, then a continuous, somewhat easier climb for 3 miles. The day was hot and a bit humid, and I was tired, as this was my 7th day in a row. That steep ascent was so hard for me that I felt like crying. The only thing that stopped me was that I did not want to lose any sodium or fluid from my body! Johnathon and Donald, who were hiking together, and I, passed each other a few times and finally sat down for some lunch right before we broke out of the woods and entered the meadow that covered the top of the mountian. They moved on before I finished my lunch. The ascent through the meadow was beautiful, as I had panoramic views of the mountians and valleys. About 1.8 miles before reaching the summit, and next shelter, I met 2 couples where came up a side trail on their 4 wheelers. Very nice people. When I told them that I was probably not going to be able to stay at the shelter on the top of the mountain, because I weas running low on water (no water was available at this shelter), they gave me enough water so that would not be a problem. They recounted how they have helped many hikers over the years, who have had problems while hiking on this mountain.I was happy to finally reach the Chestnut Knob Shelter. It is a stone building, with a door!, that formerly was the firewarden's cabin. The one-room shelter was quite spacious, with bunks and a picnic table in the center. But the best part about this shelter was the panoramic, 360 degree views from the top. One of the views was into a valley called Burkes Garden. This area was Vanderbuilts first choice for construction of their Biltmore Estate. This crater shaped depression is nicknamed "God's Thumbprint:. The sunset this evening was lovely. I felt like I was sitting on top of the world.
Date: 2009-05-24
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter

To: Laurel Creek
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Today was a beautiful day and I finally experienced what Irene & Armie called PUDs. That stands for Pointless Ups and Downs. I hiked these PUDs for 5 miles as I traversed a ridgeling. Constant ups and downs for 5 miles, with no views, because the trail was located just below the actual ridgeline! Then throw in lots of rocks to navigate over and around, and it made for an interesting day. A gradual, and then a very steep descent ended at Jenkins Shelter, where I found Honey Do and Blackbird taking a break. A dad and his adult daughter who were doing a 3 day hike arrived at the same time as I did, and there were 6 men from Florida doing a section hike.Well, long story short, Honey Do and Blackbird convinced me to continue on for 5 more miles (after I took a break), and then meet up with the rest of the crew at a campsite next to a creek. Sounded sweet, but took a bit of convincing, before I decided to continue on. The next 5 miles was relatively easy and I got to the creekside camping area fairly quickly. A cheer went up when I told the group that this was the day I did my most mileage - 15 miles!Shortly thereafter, the dad and daughter arrived. Another cheer resounded through the woods. We had a great night around a bonfire. Someone had positioned a bench car seat near the fire ring and it was like sitting in your living room in front of the fireplace. It was a late night for me, as we went to our tents at 9pm.