morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2017-03-21
From: Icewater Spring Shelter

To: Cosby Knob Shelter
Miles today: 19.8
Weather: overcast clouds

3/21/17 Cosby Knob Shelter, NCMiles hiked:229.6, Miles to go: 1960.2Last night's shelter was a little noisier than the previous. It was filled beyond capacity and with everyone moving around in their sleep and several snorers, it was not a very restful night. Luckily, tonight will be the last night I am required to sleep in the shelter, since I will be exiting the GSMNP tomorrow. Today was my longest day yet on the AT - 19.8 miles. This had to do with the locations of the shelters. It was either going to be a 12 mile day to the first shelter or a 19 mile day to the second. I reached the first shelter at 2:00 pm, which was too early to stop. So it became a 19 mile day. Luckily, trail conditions moderated considerably. There was only ice near the beginning of the hike. After that, rising temperatures caused all the ice to melt. So, I ended up hiking in Standing water most of the day. I have to say, the trail maintainers do an excellent job throughout the park. I spent the entire morning with my head in the clouds - literally! I couldn't see 30 feet ahead of me. Every now and then, a great expanse of white would present itself off to the side of the trail, hinting at yet another incredible vista I missed. Now don't get me wrong, the woods are beautiful. They are all lush, damp, mossy forests filled with evergreens. The woods have the feel of the Forest Primeval, where at every turn you expect to see some mythical creature, such as a fairy, wood sprite or Minotaur frolicking in a misty glade. Or possibly Sir Gewain jousting with the Green Knight. However, the brochure promised me dazzling views. I want my views. Somewhere along today's route, I passed the 220 mile mark. That means I have completed 10% of the hike. Well, that's a sobering thought, That means I have 90% left! I keep from getting overwhelmed by the immensity of the hike by breaking it into bite size chunks. Tomorrow - Standing Bear Farm and resupply. Friday - Hot Springs, NC and a zero day. In between - hike, set up camp, filter water, cook, journal, sleep. Lather, rinse, repeat. In the afternoon the sun finally broke out and provided the promised views. It was the needed boost to complete this long, long hike. I am now lying in the shelter with 10 other hikers listening to thunder and rain pattering on the tin roof. So much for views tomorrow.
Date: 2017-03-25
From: Elmer's Sunnybak Inn, Hot Springs, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

3/25/17 Hot Springs, NCMiles hiked: 273.4, Miles to go: 1916.4Zero day. A day to rest your legs and get your town chores done. I awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking. When the bell rang, we went to the dining room where Elmer and Matt had laid out quite the spread - eggs, biscuits, brown gravy, grits, homemade granola, and melon. Before we could eat, we had to answer these questions: our real name, our trail name, where we were from, what we did before the trail, what we planned to do after the trail, and who in history we would like to hike the trail with. Elmer is quite the interesting host, a former Methodist minister, organic chef, Inn master, curmudgeon, and man of the world. It was an interesting breakfast. After breakfast, I took care of chores. Figuring out how many days hike to Erwin, TN, how much food I'd need, sorting through the pack and sending items such as micro spikes home, and resupplying for the upcoming days. In the afternoon, Strider, Lumber Jill, Winter, Legs, Darwin, and I went to the hot springs for which the town is named and soaked in mineral water for an hour. It was amazing how much better my legs and feet felt after the soaking. It appears to be a pretty nice group that I have fallen in with for the time being. They are all young enough to be my kids; but, I appear to be accepted as part of the group. I appear to be on the younger side of the older hikers and hike faster than most of them (except for Rooster, of course), so I find myself surrounded by younger hikers. There's this other element of hikers that I'm beginning to see on the trail that I think of as The Traveling Circus. It's this group of hikers that don't appear to be focused on getting to Katahdin. They are more focused on being out here having a good time and getting high. They were at the Alpine Inn, a fleabag motel on Main Street, last night hanging out, being loud, and giving thru hikers a bad name until late into the night. Unfortunately, I have seen a couple young hikers that I've met getting caught up in that scene. I just have to remind myself that I am not their father and let them hike their own hike. The rest of the afternoon was spent in long term planning. It appears that I will probably come off the trail at Atkins, VA around Easter to do the move to Knoxville. Then, I will return to the trail in early May. After dinner, I hung out with the group for awhile at the Laughing Heart Hostel and then went back to my room to get ready to head out on the morning. I'm beginning to get antsy to get back on the trail. I think I do better with Nearo days rather than Zero days. Tomorrow, Strider and I plan to have breakfast at the diner and hit the trail by 8 AM or so. Rain is forecast for the late afternoon, so we'd like to be settled into our tents before the rain arrives. The rest day has been good for my body; but, now it's time to start heading north again. Those mountains aren't going to climb themselves!
Date: 2017-04-03
From: Mountain Harbour B&B, TN

To: Mountain Harbour B&B, TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

4/3/17 Mountain Harbour Hostel, TNMiles hiked: 393.7, Miles to go: 1796.1This turned out to be a really good day for a zero day. We were pretty late rolling in last night after hiking 16.3 miles, so we really didn't have a Nearo yesterday. We awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking and headed downstairs for coffee and tea while David, the proprietor, finished preparing breakfast. Just before 8 AM, the boarders from the bunkhouse arrived. We were actually staying in a room in the main house, thanks to 1st Sgt's wife making reservations. Breakfast was quite the spread - biscuits, gravy, sausage, ham, eggs with perogies, hash browns, fruit, home made cinnamon rolls, apple pastry, and more! We all ate our fill while the Weather Channel played in the background, telling us to expect 1-2 inches of rain today. After breakfast, we made calls to our wives and children and cleaned and dried our gear. Pretty soon, as promised, the rain arrived. It poured, and poured, and poured. We got at least 2 inches of rain and the creek in front of the house rose high up its banks. During the maelstrom, 1st Sgt got a call from Ringer. She had crossed the Humps in high winds and rain and had arrived at US Rt 19 with his wallet. Yay!The rest of the afternoon was spent planning out the next portion of our hike and talking to Shannon, David's wife, and other hikers. I also enjoyed hanging out with Rose, Robert, and Mokie the dogs and Petunia the cat. For once I didn't get antsy to get back out hiking in a zero day. I guess pouring rain will do that. We had lunch and dinner at the food truck they run in front of the hostel. David's lunch and dinner offerings were as good as the breakfast. The sun broke out in late afternoon and the rain receded. We should be good to head out in the morning, although I suspect the trail may be pretty sloppy. I would highly recommend this place to anyone passing through - not just hikers. I'm already making plans to come back with Marguerite in the Fall when the leaves start changing.
Date: 2017-04-04
From: Mountain Harbour B&B, TN

To: Moreland Gap Shelter, TN
Miles today: 18.4

3/4/17 Moreland Gap Shelter, TNMiles hiked: 412.1, Miles to go: 1777.7I just spent the last hour writing a detailed blog of our day and inadvertently deleted the whole thing! Waah! It is now after 10 pm - 2 hours past Hiker Midnight. So, I will apologize in advance for this briefer than usual account. We left the Mountain Harbour B&B after another huge breakfast, walked the 0.3 miles along US Rt 19 to the trailhead and started climbing. Post-Zero Day hikes are always tough because your pack is heavy, you always start out with a climb, and you are always sluggish from too much town food. Today's hike was no exception. Actually, the hike did not really have any huge climbs and the weather was beautiful. So, it was a great hike. We didn't have any great views today; but, we did pass several really cool waterfalls. 1st Sgt and I were joined today by Bo. He is the hiker who gave me aspirin when I was sick after Hot Springs. He's about our age and hikes about our speed. We were passed by several of the younger hikers today, including Courtney, Hummingbird, Ramsey Bolton, Sitting Bull, Krampus, Captain, and several others I do not know. We are all camping together at the shelter tonight. We will all be at the Boots Up Hostel tomorrow. Due to aggressive bear activity, the next shelter has been closed and a six mile section does not allow camping. This section occurs right about where we would finish up tomorrow. Luckily, the hostel is perfectly positioned. In fact, 1st Sgt and I have speculated that in true Scooby Do mystery fashion, the owner of the hostel is probably dressing up in a bear suit and scaring the locals in an attempt to keep his hostel full. ("I would've gotten away with it too if it hadn't been for those meddling kids!"). They are also calling for thunderstorms tomorrow evening. It sounds like a good time to be indoors again. After a large climb tomorrow, the rest of the way into Damascus, VA looks pretty smooth. We hope to be through with TN and entering VA by the weekend.
Date: 2017-04-06
From: Boots Off Hostel, Hampton, TN

To: Iron Mountain shelter, TN
Miles today: 15.9

4/6/17 Iron Mountain Shelter, TNMiles hiked: 442.9, Miles to go: 1746.9Winter is back! We headed out from Boots Off in a light rain this morning, so we all put on our rain jackets. The rain quit. We got warm and took off our jackets. The rain started again. Bummer. The rain then settled into a cold drizzle that went on all morning. We spent the first couple hours of our hike along the shores of Watauga Lake. It was fairly flat and quick hiking. We finally crossed over the dam and started to climb. And climb. In fact, the rest of the day was pretty much spent climbing. We also spent most of the day hiking along the ridge above Watauga Lake. It is a big lake. As we climbed, the wind started picking up and continued to blow fiercely the rest of the day, with gusts up to 30-40 mph. And the temperature started to drop. We stopped for a quick lunch at a shelter; however, we quickly got chilled. So, we added a couple of layers of clothes and started hiking again to get warm. Then, the rain turned to ice pellets and sleet before finally turning to snow. The wind was blowing so hard that the pellets hitting our faces really stung. Our conversation would drag as we put our heads down and hiked into the wind. Then, 1st Sgt would ask a random question of me or Bo to get the conversation going again. We continued in this fashion all afternoon as the ground slowly turned white. Somewhere along the line, we decided that we didn't want to have to set up tents in the snow. So, we planned to sleep in the shelter. The only problem was that we expected all the younger hikers to pass us at any minute and take all the shelter spots. Our only hope was that they procrastinated long enough this morning due to the rain that we beat them to the shelter. At one point, Courtney passed us hiking south. She had made arrangements to spend another night at the hostel and slack pack today. As we neared the shelter, our hopes of getting shelter spots increased. We stopped to get water, expecting Hummingbird and all the other young guys to come around the corner any minute. We decided that if they showed up we would hike three abreast and not let them pass. And trip them with our hiking poles if need be. We arrived at the shelter around 4:00 pm, before the young guys. Yay. There were already three hikers here; but, the shelter sleeps six. So, there was room for all of us. We quickly changed out of our damp clothes and jumped into our sleeping bags to warm up. Sitting Bull, Krampus, Ramsey Bolton, and Hummingbird eventually arrived; but, decided to hike on farther. Once we warmed up, we eventually climbed out of our bags and fixed dinner. Over dinner, we got to know Capernicus, Glass Legs, and Gentle Ben. All three young guys appear to be pretty cool. We are all now settled in our bags and ready to sleep. Unfortunately, I have to pee. Bummer.
Date: 2017-04-20
From: Morgantown, WV

To: Morgantown, WV
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

4/20/17 Morgantown, WVMiles hiked: 544.4, Miles to go: 1645.4Packing is in full swing here in WV. We have to be ready to load the truck when my son arrives Tuesday. It's amazing how much stuff you accumulate over time! Marguerite and I are working diligently to get rid of things we just don't need. We have taken two big loads to the Ranch Store, which is a local store similar to Goodwill. We have also given away a lot of furniture and just thrown out a lot of junk. We took a break yesterday and ran up to REI in Pittsburgh. I had to return my air mattress. It consisted of eight long chambers of equal size that held air when inflated. The wall between two of the chambers had separated, leaving six equally sized chambers and one big chamber. Unfortunately, the big chamber was right in the middle, so when I slept on it at night I would roll either left or right, making sleep difficult. It turns out that, since it had been purchased more than a year ago, it was longer covered under warranty. So, I had to buy a new one. I also bought 1st Sgt a Luci inflatable solar light because he had been coveting mine. It's a surprise for when I return to the trail, so don't tell him. Finally, I got my new shoes yesterday! Yay! Since I had such good luck with the Altra Lone Peak 3.0 trail runners, I stuck with the same thing. I did decide to go with the low rise shoes rather than the mid-rise though. I have been keeping in touch with 1st Sgt and look forward to rejoining him on the trail. I just have the small matter of completing the sale of two houses, packing up the house, loading a Uhaul truck, driving to TN, unloading the truck, and putting the house back together before I head back. Easy peasy mac and cheesey!
Date: 2017-04-29
From: Knoxville, TN

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

4/29/17 Knoxville, TNMiles hiked: 544.4, Miles to go: 1645.4After several days of hard work and with the help of my son Sam and his friend Dylan in WV, and my step-son Chris in TN, Marguerite and I are finally in Knoxville. The house is still a mess; but, things are beginning to come together. With three dogs and two cats, the drive from WV to TN was a long one. The dogs actually did pretty well; but, the cats weren't too happy. Marguerite had two dogs and one cat (in a carrier) in her car and I had one dog and one cat (also in a carrier) in the Uhaul truck with me. We stopped often to let dogs out and we had to stop twice and deal with cats peeing In their carriers. The heavy rain in WV and VA, the  heavy truck traffic on I-81 in VA and TN, and the heavy fog in TN just added to the enjoyment. We actually stopped for gas in Atkins, VA, and had dinner at The Barn. That is the very same restaurant where 1st Sgt and I had lunch the day I came off the trail. It was a bit strange to be back around the AT as a non-hiker. I talked to a thru hiker named Jersey Mike while I pumped gas. I told him I was also thru hiking, but had come off-trail to move from WV to TN. He was nice; but, I'm not sure he actually believed me, even after I did the traditional thru hiker fist bump rather than shake his hand. I also saw four thru hikers walking from the restaurant back to the Relax Inn. It was funny, I could tell at a glance that they were thru hikers and I'm sure they were all nice people; but, they weren't MY thru hikers. No 1st Sgt, Blood Mountain, Hummingbird, Lumber Jill, or Uncle Heather in the bunch. It just reinforced my decision to jump back on the AT with the people I've been hiking with. There are times this past couple of weeks that have left me exhausted and sore. And saying goodbye to our WV friends definitely wasn't fun. But, we are pretty excited to be here in TN. Everyone we've met on our new street has been very friendly and welcoming. Not to mention, based on everything I've heard from 1st Sgt and others, with all the rain they've gotten, it was definitely a good couple of weeks to be off the trail. I've kept in contact with 1st Sgt and hope to join him again in about a week. I suspect he'll be close to Shenandoah National Park by then. Right now, with packing and unpacking, doing two house closings, setting up new utilities, insurance, licenses, registrations, internet service, etc, etc, etc, the AT feels a million miles away. It almost feels like it was all a dream. I'm really hoping I haven't totally lost my hiker legs by the time I get back out there. I also know that this week in Knoxville will really fly by and I won't be ready to go back when it's time. There will be a million things left undone and, after three weeks together, it will be very hard to leave Marguerite again. But I'll worry about that next week. Right now I have a ton of boxes to unpack!
Date: 2017-05-01
From: Knoxville, TN

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

5/01/17 Knoxville, TNMiles hiked: 544.4, Miles to go: 1645.4The house in Knoxville is beginning to look like a home. Most of the boxes in the house have been unpacked. We are planning to do some remodeling, so a large number of items will remain in boxes in our garage or in a storage unit until that work is completed. With the majority of the unpacking completed, we were able to get out and take care of much of the business associated with moving. We opened new bank accounts, got TN driver's licenses, and TN vehicle registrations. TN is one of several states along the AT that offers an AT vanity plate. I couldn't resist. I had to have one for my Jeep. That new license plate made me way happier than something like that reasonably should have. What can I say - I guess I'm just a big kid. I've waited for years for WV to adopt one, so I finally gave up and moved to a state that offered an AT vanity plate. As the house comes together, that small, distant voice of Mt Katahdin gets fractionally louder in my head. 1st Sgt is 250 miles further up the trail than when I left and is beginning to crank out bigger and bigger daily miles. The chunk of trail that I will have to come back and complete in the Fall continues to get larger. Of course, he's right on schedule with where I predicted he'd be; but, I'm still beginning to feel a little more left behind with every adventure he relates in his blog. Barring any unforeseen issues with the house, I will probably return to the trail this coming weekend. It looks like Waynesboro, VA will be the most likely rendezvous spot to meet back up with 1st Sgt. The only problem is figuring out how to get there. It's about a five and a half hour drive from Knoxville to Waynesboro, which is too long of a round trip for Marguerite to drive in one day. She could break the trip up into two days; however, the problem is that her son Chris will be out of town this coming weekend and we don't know anyone else well enough yet to ask them to watch our menagerie overnight. A one way car rental is pretty exorbitant, so I'm thinking of leaving the driving to Greyhound. I can get a bus ticket from Knoxville to Charlottesville, VA for $62. The bus leaves Knoxville at 12:30 AM and arrives in Charlottesville at 8:35 AM. Then, I could grab a shuttle, cab, or Uber for the 28 mile trip to Waynesboro. Just getting back to the trail should be an adventure itself! Once details are finalized with 1st Sgt, I'll update again.
Date: 2017-05-05
From: Knoxville, TN

To: Knoxville
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

5/0517 Knoxville, TNMiles hiked: 544.4, Miles to go: 1645.4I talked to 1st Sgt on the phone Wednesday and we finalized plans to meet back up. We plan to meet Monday morning at the visitor center at Rockfish Gap. 1st Sgt expects to arrive in Waynesboro, VA, on Sunday and take a Nearo to resupply. On Monday morning, he will catch a shuttle up to Rockfish Gap. Meanwhile, I will board a Greyhound bus Monday morning at 12:10 AM in Knoxville. That alone ought to be interesting - Greyhound bus stations always seem to be in the sketchiest part of town. Marguerite is planning to take Gertie, our most protective dog, with her when she drops me off. I also think she plans to slow down just enough for me to roll out of the car as she speeds off, locking the doors enroute. My backpack ought to be sufficient to break my fall. I will then ride through the Virginia countryside all night, sleeping with one eye open, arriving in Charlottesville at 8:25 AM refreshed and ready to hike. A nice trail angel named Jeff offered to give me a ride from Charlottesville to Rockfish Gap; however, that was when I planned to arrive on Sunday, so I'm not sure if the new arrival time will work for him (Jeff - please email me directly at rmillerwv@gmail.com. I tried to reply to your post and TrailJournals said the email failed to go). If that doesn't work out, I will grab an Uber or a cab.  With all the work we've done putting the house together, I still haven't looked at my pack to determine what I plan to switch out for Summer hiking. Of course, right now, it's pretty much like early Spring in the Southeast, with lows in the 30s and 40s at night. It has also rained. And rained. And rained. I can't say I'm sorry that I've missed out on the recent weather that 1st Sgt and all the other thru hikers have been dealing with lately.Although I'm excited to get back on the trail, I hate to think about leaving Marguerite again. The house is in pretty good shape; however, we are planning to do some renovations this Summer that she will be stuck dealing with. Luckily, we have a good architect (her son Chris) overseeing the project. Once again, I am very lucky to be married to such a patient and resilient woman. 1st Sgt has put in over 300 miles since I left the trail. It's time to get back out there before he sticks me with too many more miles to make up in the Fall!
Date: 2017-05-07
From: Knoxville, TN

To: Rockfish Gap, VA
Miles today: 0.0

5/07/17 Knoxville, TNMiles hiked: 544.4, Miles to go: 1645.4At the bus station in Knoxville. We got the house in good shape before I left. I went through my pack and removed my winter gear and replaced it with my summer gear today. Marguerite helped me with some equipment repair. The drive to the bus station was uneventful. As expected, the bus station was pretty sketchy; however, Marguerite did stop the car. I didn't have to jump out while she sped off. I don't quite blend in with the other passengers in hiking gear and carrying a backpack. I decided to wait until I get back on trail to put on my kilt. I figured it would reduce my chances of getting beat up. I'm hopeful my to actually get some sleep on the bus. I expect tomorrow to be a tough enough hike as it is, having been off trail for 3 1/2 weeks. Sleep deprivation will only add to the pain. Leaving Marguerite and the new house was pretty tough. At least this time I'm not leaving her with her hand in a cast and needing to sell the house. It will also be strange to be back on the trail. With all the work on packing the old house and setting up the new house, I haven't had time to think much about the trail; however, I'm looking forward to seeing 1st Sgt again and Shenandoah National Park will be pretty cool. I'll let everyone know how the first day back goes. Update - just found out the bus is three hours behind schedule. A fairly inauspicious start...