morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-05-31
From: Petites Gap

To: Matt's Creek Shelter
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: broken clouds

Day 80: We all woke up around 9am and enjoyed a wonderful healthy breakfast. It took us a while to start getting packed up but we were back on trail by 3pm to only go 7+ miles to Matt's Creek Shelter. Our packs were really loaded up with almost seven days worth of food to get us to Waynesboro plus extra food for the weekend at Matt's Creek Shelter.We got there around 6pm and found Guru, Orion, K2, Davy Crockett, Aquaman and a bunch of others who were tenting near the creek. There was not any room in the tent area so we camped around the shelter. It was dark out and we had a fire going when Corey (Bluegrass friend from Lynchburg) called out from the trail. Fortunately, with only one little wrong turn, he made the 2.5 mile hike to the shelter. Several hours later, Patrick, Richard, Vinnie and Collin appeared from the trail along with their dogs. It was a great reunion of friends. I didn't have a picture for today but thought I would post a pic from the Four Pines Hostel. This hostel is before hiking to McAfee Knob. It is a three car garage that has all the amenities; stove, refrigerator, shower, games (corn hole, etc), music and plenty of couches. The owner will do laundry for you and shuttle you to the store and to that AYCE restaurant. There is no set price to stay or visit but rather a box on a table where you give a donation. We was just there to be shuttled to the restaurant.Salsa
Date: 2003-03-18
From: Low Gap Shelter

To: Hiawassee
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: overcast clouds

The rain is falling on my tent as I write this. I just want to wake up and get going to town, but it is long down to get there and then a hitch of 10 or 11 miles. I wonder who will pick up two dirty, muddy, smelly hikers in the rain.At least the company at the shelter last night was good. Everyone but one camper's dog was friendly and even the dog warmed up after a bit. I really enjoy talking with the young people. They are so positive and never complain.Gary said, when he came back into the tent, " There are really a lot of smart young people up there and they are also very nice! Most are recent college grads taking some time off between college and a job or grad school. It really renews my faith in humanity to do this hike because everyone we've met has been great. Watching the news gives one a pesimistic view of human nature, but hiking is a good antidote. 7AM we finally get going. Everything is very muddy and wet, the trail is slippery, and I thank the Social Studies Gang at MHS for my trekking poles as they save me time and again from a nasty fall. The infected bug bite is getting worse. I need to get to town badly. We finally make the road where F-Stop, Kevin, and Bear Bait are trying to get a hitch too. A truck stops and can only take two of us. The kids let the old people have the ride. Thanks!The driver, Tim takes us all the way to the Holiday Inn Express and won't even take money for gas. Thanks, Tim! Kevin, Bear Bait and F-Stop show up there shortly, the Blueberry Patch is pretty crowded and they opt for comfort. It really is comfortable too! Two queen beds, sofa, microwave, refridgerator, apples and 24 hour coffee. Ahhhhhh! I also get a doctor, Tracy Edwards to look at my bug bite. Yep, major infection! I get a prescription and now I am going to take a few days off.
Date: 2013-06-01
From: Matt's Creek Shelter

To: Matt's Creek Shelter
Miles today: 0.0

Day 81: Today is going to be another day of relaxing only at this shelter. When all the tents moved on, we moved our campsite from the shelter to the tent campsite upstream. Coach moved on to Waynesboro, VA as she was going to meet a friend from Florida, Sally who is planning to hike with Coach for the next six days. We are planning to meet up with Coach in Waynesboro next weekend.So today, more of Bluegrass's friend showed up; Tori, Hillary, Shannon and their dogs. It was so awesome to meet and visit with them. It was also one big dog party too. The weather was perfect for the weekend.
Date: 2003-03-23
From: Dick's Creek Gap

To: Bly Gap
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: broken clouds

A beautiful sunny day. We met the Smith¢s from the trail journals.com in the lobby of the Holiday Inn. They were coming in just as we were getting ready to leave. My poison ivy is much improved thanks to the cortisone shit. Hardly even itches now.        We didn¢t have to wait too long to get a hitch out to Dick¢s Creek Gap, a nice lady with her daughter picked us up and took us to the trail where we started hiking about noon. The day was not terribly hard, but wound around the mountains with some great views. We had the trail to ourselves all day. Didn¢t see a soul until we finally arrived at Bly Gap just before dark. We had to hurry to get the tents up before it was too dark to see. It¢s a bit on the chilly side so we didn¢t stay long. The sleeping bad is nice and warm.         I¢m proud of us. We crossed the GA/NC line and made 8.8 miles even after 4 days off the trail. The stars were so pretty tonight and several times I heard owls calling to each other as they flew through camp. Neat.
Date: 2013-06-06
From: Reeds Gap

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 19.3
Weather: clear sky

Day 86: Started to rain around 5am and you can tell it was going to be a continous downpour for the day. Quickly packed up the tent so we could be in the Devils Backbone restaurant for some breakfast by 10am. It is great that they provide breakfast for the hikers who have stayed for the night. Huge servings of bisquits, gravy, scrambled eggs and sausage were provided. We checked to see if they would shuttle us back six miles to the AT but since it was raining, they did not have a full crew there so off we went to try hitching in the rain. The very first truck that went by us stopped and we loaded ourselves in the back for a very wet ride. We were so lucky to get a ride. We walked all day and decided to try and make it to Waynesboro by 9pm so we could watch the first game of the NBA finals. The trails were pretty good starting off but by late afternoon, we were walking sometimes in water that was mid-calf level. We kept checking with each to make sure we weren't shivering...cold but not shivering. To make matters a little worse, while climbing Humpback Mountain, I began not to feel good and I think it may have been from the breakfast. I fell a little behind when I decided I better pull off the trail. After getting back on the trail and starting to head down the mountain, here comes Bluegrass without his pack checking to see if I was ok. I was much better and very much appreciated him checking on me so we continued on. Just before getting to the road, we thought we would try calling Orion (who is now at his sister's house in Waynesboro) to see if he wouldn't mind picking us up and taking us to the hotel. We were so glad to get a hold of him and him picking us up. Thank you Orion! Once in the hotel, we were so drenched and the room looked like a bomb went off with all our wet clothes, tents, and backpacks all hanging up trying to dry.Well, after getting some late dinner and watching the basketball game, all is well again. Also my feet that was burning up a few days ago is doing better. They seemed to itch for a couple of days and now there are some scabs on top where I itched. Hopefully that will not happen again...whatever that was. We both have a whole lot of different bites on us and I bet we will get a whole lot more.Salsa
Date: 2003-03-24
From: Bly Gap

To: Standing Indian Shelter 
Miles today: 7.7
Weather: clear sky

Today we hiked a pretty rough trail. It started with a long up- going up Sharp Top and Court House Bold. Trail was so beautiful though we hardly minded the climb. From the top of Court House Bold the view was fantastic- we could see so far in the distance, towns, roads, and mountains. (See picture). Some of the trail went through groves of Rhododendron trees with their big flat leaves. They made a nice shady path. (See picture) .We saw 5 or 6 hikers today and talked with them. Everyone is very friendly. One if them is Ostrich, he spent a year in South Africa. Another of the guys in the shelter, Brandon, is from Wooster. I wish I was better at remembering all the trail names. Saw in the registry for the shelter that Art and John went here and F-stop and Kevin. There are signs all over the place about bear problems. One warning said that bears in the area had taken packs and showed fear of humans. I did a good job of hanging the bear bag! We ate pretty good today, oatmeal for breakfast and a pop tart, cheese sticks, pita chips and gorp for lunch, and noodles, cheese sticks, pita chips for supper. We are getting used to backpacker meals.         Tomorrow we hope to make Center Gap Shelter- about another 8 mile day- which at our mile per hour pace is 8 hours of walking. Even though we tent, it is nice to be by a shelter for company and ease of cooking.
Date: 2013-06-07
From: Waynesboro, VA

To: Waynesboro, VA
Miles today: 0.0

Day 87: Today we are taking a zero. It rained all night and it is raining all day today. I guess they are calling it a tropical storm (Andrea) and there are tornado warnings to the east of us. We did laundry and cleaned gear. We have made multiple visits to some neighboring stores including Walmart. We typically just walk around as it is pretty boring in the hotel room. Tomorrow, Mark and Sharon will be delivering the canoe and kayak to start our aqua-blaze down the Shenondoah River for 168 miles. Also, Coach and Human (we hiked with Human, Salad Days and Risk It up till Franklin, NC) visited us today and will be staying with us tonight.Salsa
Date: 2003-03-25
From: Standing Indian Shelter 

To: Carter Gap
Miles today: 8.6
Weather: clear sky

We had a pretty easy day today. The weather was just gorgeous, blue skies, sunshine and warm enough, but not too warm. The only irritation of the day are the nasty little bugs that fly around your face and hair whenever you stop. We climbed Standing Indian Mountain, wasn¢t too bad and the rest of the day was walking the trail along ridges and through groves of Rhododendron trees. We are tenting in the midst of some just outside of Carter Gap Shelter. We really made good time today and arrived here with plenty of time to chat with other hikers and eat a good supper. Justin was at the shelter last night too. One interesting hiker is a guy named ¢Dread¢ because he has the longest dreadlocks I¢ve ever seen. They come below the middle of his back. He works for R.E.I. Justin said someone described the AT as the longest, thinnest community in the world. That seems to be a good way to describe it. Chat around the shelter is often about who you¢ve met on the trail and what has been happening to them. People leave messages for those they have passed up. In today¢s register, Art and John AKA Honky Dory and ? left us a message wishing us good luck. Relentless(Gary) is doing better at making time. I was actually the one slowing us up today.
Date: 2003-03-26
From: Carter Gap

To: Rock Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: light rain

We were great today! Off to an early start at 7:55 AM, we made it quickly to Betty Creek Gap. We met a work crew from the local hiking club looking for downed trees on the AT. As we went by, one of them asked Relentless why he was wearing his pack low on his hips. It seems our local outfitter did a poor job of fitting and adjusting his pack. After the trail crew was done with him he was feeling much better but they encouraged him to have the outfitters at NOC check out the size of his hip belt. It may be too big for him. They adjusted my pack a little too and it felt better.         Next we climbed Albert Mountain. The first part of the climb wasn¢t bad, but from the forest service road to the fire tower was a real challenge. Toward the top we had to use our hands to climb the rocks. It was probably the steepest climb we have had to far, but well worth it when we saw the fantastic view from the top. (see picture.) Gary talked me into climbing the fire tower, Wow! Valleys and mountains stretching so far in the distance it seemed like there was no end to them. Little houses, roads, fields, and multi-colored forests.        After a long day we came to Rock Gap Shelter about 5:30. Justin, Bill, Derek, and Shane (the brothers,) and Lucky were there. They were surprised and happy to see us. We had hiked a 12.1 mile day, well over our 1 mile an hour average. Yahoo! We even took a 20 minutes break for lunch with Justin at Big Spring Shelter. We tented in a level area down hill from the shelter where four guys were already camping. They were from Temple College, TN, a psych professor, Bill Elliot, and three students. We spent the evening in pleasant conversation with them and with the group at the shelter. Both had nice fires going. Only about 3 miles to the road to Franklin, NC!
Date: 2003-03-27
From: Rock Gap Shelter

To: Winding Stair Gap
Miles today: 3.0
Weather: few clouds

We got up fairly early and headed for town, but stopped to take the blue blaze trail to see the Wasilik Poplar, the second largest poplar tree in the U.S., it measures 26 feet in circumference. It was a beautiful walk to the tree. We enjoyed the waterfall and a cute little red squirrel that scampered around some old logs. The squirrels here are much smaller and their coat is a darker red than the ones at home.         There was a bit of a climb, but Dread overtook us and gave our packs another adjustment. We¢re learning a lot about packs. When we got to Winding Stair Gap, we got a hitch within 5 min., two guys in a black Toyota pick up the truck gave us a lift in the back of it. The sun was shining, the breeze was warm and we were leaning back in the truck as the ten miles to Franklin flew past. It seemed so strange to watch the scenery disappear so quickly. In 10 min. we went by what would have taken us 8-10 hours to walk. This was my first ride in the back of a pick- up truck and I loved it.        We got to town about 11:30 and spent the day cleaning up, going to the library for e-mail, picking up our mail drop at the Post Office and eating-yum! We had two 24Oz. beers while we were doing laundry and then ate at Lucios Italian Restaurant, lots of good food and the service was great. The waiter kept brining us more coffee and water-real coffee-good coffee-as much as we wanted.        On our way to the laundry from the Post Office we ran into the group from the shelter the previous night. We all stopped to use the restroom at the same gas station. That¢s really ironic since none of us have cars. We were tired after dinner and it was a long walk back to the hotel with our clean laundry and two mail boxes we picked up from the post office so we decided to hitch. A police car spotted us and the officer gave us a lift back to the hotel. He was really nice and we appreciated the lift.
Date: 2013-06-10
From: Campsite with house trailer

To: Farming Campsite
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 90: We woke up to solid rain and basically didn't leave our tent until 10am. It was a great night on the river as we had lightning and thunder. Coach and Bluegrass came into our two person plus tent and we ended up planying "connect the dots" and card games. Finally we decided that we just needed to get going and on to our next campsite. We saw that the river rose at least 2 1/2 feet over night. Later Mark called to tell us that the day before the river volume was at 200 cubic feet per second and it rose to 1100 cubic feet per second. We heard that all the canoe/kayak rentals were not allowing renters on river for the next couple of days due until river slows down. As I mentioned yesterday, we are now officially on the Shenondoah River. Twix is now in the kayak and I am in the canoe today. We noticed that there were fewer rocks but now we have a lot more high waves. So with the higher waves and basically the rocks are pretty much underwater, we steer the canoe to go over the biggest waves. It was awesome. For the most part, the river was moving quickly however when we were just drifting, both kayaks would hang on the sides of the canoe. We called the kayakers "leeches." Sometime in the early afternoon, we happen to go around this bend and we saw clearly the skies to the west. There was a really huge storm cloud that looked pretty scarry especially being on the water. So we all started to quickly paddle down river to try and find a place to take cover. We couldn't find anything so we found a patch of field that had all these very tall weeds like nettles, etc. Anyway, we got the boats on shore and bushwacked a place to quickly set up the tent. We pitched our two person plus tent and we all climbed in there for about 60-90 minutes until the storm blew past us. Again there was a lot more rain and of course the river rose a little more. We decided that we did not want to stay there so by 6pm, we decided to pack up and go downstream to find another campsite. It was starting to get dark when we found a perfect spot with lots of woods and an established fire pit. After we set up the tents and ate, we saw a large hill where we all climbed and watched the sunset over these huge farms. We saw some more eagles today along with more wildlife. Tomorrow suppose to be nice so we hope to get some miles in. Salsa
Date: 2003-03-29
From: USFS-69

To: Tellico Gap
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: light rain

We came into camp just before dark today. The weather was drizzling all day and foggy. Sometimes we were above the clouds looking down on the haze filled valleys below and sometimes we were walking in the clouds. Right now we are both in Gary¢s tent in a parking ore at Tellico Gap. We stopped at Cold Spring Shelter and saw Damp Dan, Frito, and Serendipity there, but there wasn¢t a very good place to camp so, we decided to hike on. It¢s getting colder and the rain is coming, I can tell by the wind. The hike was good today. We felt more fit and I hardly even noticed my pack for the first four miles. I really enjoyed seeing the little yellow flowers and the purplish blue violets along the trail. I also saw a robin today, the first I¢ve seen since we started. There was also the sound of a grouse trying to attract a mate. They make a thumping noise. I didn¢t know what is was, but the guys at the shelter told us.                 We had some help setting up the tent. A father who was taking his son and a friend up to Dick¢s Creek helped us pick a place and set up. Today I spend a lot of time thinking about good times I had camping and playing in the woods as a child. I especially thought about my parents and grandparents who taught me to love the outdoors. I am very grateful to them. My dad would have loved this, the camping, meeting people, trail angels. Sometimes I can almost feel him hiking with me.        About 2 AM Relentless needed to use the bathroom and we found that the tent was covered with snow. Actually one of the guys camped up on the hill had come down and said his tent blew down and it was snowing, but we were both asleep at the time, but heard him and thought we were dreaming. No Dream, it¢s snowing! The tent is warm though and comfy.
Date: 2013-06-12
From: Large mowed campsite with privvy

To: Cow and Geese Pasture
Miles today: 21.0

Day 92: We left around 9:45am. It was really hard leaving place but we had to keep moving. Alex is doing very well with the kayak so she is back on it today. We portaged two dams today and since the river is high, we were able to go over a low dam today. The river is really high and is moving fast with lots of high waves. We all continue to try and hit the biggest waves...it is so fun. It is lunch time and we happen to see a very large gazebo on the side of the river. It had a little sign on it that it was for ORC guests only. We thought that it was in the middle of a big field, that they weren't going to use it so we docked and walked up the steps to the gazebo. We were there for about 30 minutes when Bluegrass spotted a tractor coming up over the hill in the field. We all got up calmly and within 30 seconds we packed up and were out on the boats narrowly escaping the tractor. So we were back on the river going for the big waves. There was a long stretch of these awesome, huge waves. After the first wave, it dumped enough water to fill half the canoe. Then within the next wave, it dumped enough water up to my seat. Oh by the wave, Bella is in the middle of the canoe with us and decides to jump off the canoe after this second wave. I kept wondering how Bluegrass was going to steer the canoe and bail out all this water out. Then he tells me that we will probably fill up this canoe and that we need to keep paddling. After a couple of waves, the canoe was completely under water and we kept on paddling and going through all these waves. It was amazing how this canoe continued to move underwater and it must have looked pretty funny to see two people in the water paddling with no canoe visible. This was so much fun and I had no idea that you could do this to a canoe. Anyway, we didn't flip the canoe and the gear was all spared. Thank goodness for all the dry sacks for keeping all our gear dry.So we were able to steer the canoe over to land to tip most of the water out of it and then bailed the rest. Bella shortly showed up on land and was eager to jump back into the canoe. The kayaks were really fun to watch going over the waves. Coach flipped in the middle of the waves. I think the count of flipping is now; Coach 2 and Salsa 2. It was getting pretty late in the day and we needed to find a campsite. We just couldn't find one and ended up in a cow pasture with geese hanging out there too. It was not the best place to go but we made it work. Definitely using our tents tonight as it suppose to rain again tonight. We are planning to leave early tomorrow.Tomorrow we have a few more dams to bypass tomorrow. We also need more drinking water as we are not able to find any reliable water source that we feel comfortable filtering. Because of all the rain, the Shenondoah is really muddy and I heard that usually you are able to see bottom. The one thing I do miss being on the trail is drinking water from the spring. Salsa
Date: 2003-03-30
From: Tellico Gap

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC)
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: broken clouds

   We woke up to a white wonderland and about 2 inches of snow on our tent. It was cold packing up so we didn¢t bother about breakfast and got started hiking about 8AM. Everything was beautiful. We took some pictures of the snow covered trees and mountains. I hope they come out.         We hiked all day with no food and no real break until we came to ¢NOC¢ about 3PM. We saw Damp Dan and Serendipity on the trail. When we got to NOC, we had a steak dinner-yum, yum! We have a reservation in the Nantahala Village for a room with T.V., shower, can¢t wait, but right now we are doing laundry at NOC.        We are hoping to get a hitch for the 2.9 or so miles up to the lodge. We might have a ride with a young man who works at the outfitter store.         Glad to be out of the snow-it is still snowing outside tonight. We are happy to be able to call the kids and tell them we are O.K.