morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2008-03-25
From: curley maple gap shelter

To: cherry gap shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: clear sky

It snowed some more last night, but nothing significant. Quarter to a half inch most of the day, and a little more higher up.Started off pretty late, just didn't want to get out of the sleeping bag. It wasn't that cold, just 28, but I just didn't feel like getting up.Ate breakfast and left. A bit more climbing to get back into the mountains today. First some speedbumps for a few miles. Then it got warm enough to take off my long johns and cruise in my shorts and T-shirt. Still snow on the ground.Climbed up to Beauty Spot and had lunch. It had an overlook of sorts on Erwin now a few thousand feet below in the valley. It constantly amazes me what I am actually doing. I climbed up from that city with a pack. Pretty neat.Had lunch there and hiked on. Lately as I've mentioned before, as long as I know that I'm going to get to where I'm going with plenty of daylight left, I hike at a rather leisurely pace. This makes the day more enjoyable as I am putting less stress on my body, I take more breaks for views and rest, and I don't have to kill as much time at my campsite sorta waiting to go to bed. The only possible negative is if I get to a shelter late and there are people there, I'm SOL. I'll deal with that though, and its not too crowded out here yet.The big climb was Unaka Mountain. A little over a thousand feet up and down, and according to my map, it didn't have a view up top. It was steep at times, but switchbacked. As I was nearing the top, the trees thinned out and gave way to bushed. Looking good. It kept getting thinner and thinner, the bushes lower and lower. Then BAM...Spruce forest on the top. $@. No view. Oh well, at least it wasn't clear-cut to give an artificial view.The trail was tough to find with snow on the ground. Mike was ahead of me so I could follow his footprints in the snow most of the time, but the snow was melted in places. He was constantly stopping to look for the next blaze.Eventually made it down and over a small speedbump to the shelter. Had nearly a liter of noodles. Can still hear that damn train in Erwin now 16 miles back...I'm going to push it tomorrow. I'm going to try to stay at the shelter on top of Roan Mountain. Its a little over 15 miles, but Roan Mountain is a 2200 foot climb at the very end of the day. Should be fun. There are a couple places I can bail if I get too tired, but I'm going to try.
Date: 2008-03-26
From: cherry gap shelter

To: roan high knob shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: few clouds

Wonderful day today. Not so much for the views or any of that, but primarily for my confidence in my ability.Woke up early, AKA decided not to go back to sleep one of the many times I awoke. Got up since I was planning on a decent day today. Not so much because of the mileage, but because it was higher mileage and there was an insane climb at the very end. I wanted to get to that climb early to make sure I had plenty of time and didn't have to rush it.Got rolling early, and was doing great. Speedbumps for the first little bit, so no big deal, and they flew by. Not really much happened for the first part of the day.I rolled into a shelter for lunch, and had a little break. Ate a little more than I was supposed to, but it will work out fine; I think I will hit my resupply a day early.Hiked on and climbed a mountain that was really rocky toward the top. I don't mean lots of little stones, I mean the entire top was a huge rocky outcrop. Almost put my poles away and used my hands, but I got up it. There were some cliffs up top with some decent views, but I was headed much higher so I pushed on.Met a father ans son (5) and chatted a bit. When I was leaving, th kid said "goodbye Mr. Yeti." I hate cute kid stuff, but I couldn't help but smile.A nice rolling downhill to a 4000 foot gap. The height of this gap is significant because as I write this I'm around 6300 feet, and only 3 miles from that gap...yeah.The uphill started with a vengeance. Very steep, and it didn't really change much. All in all, it was a 2400 foot climb in about 2.4 miles...and I pretty much dominated it. I know it was a tough climb and very steep, most of it climbing tree root to tree root, and I put my hands down a few times, but I didn't really have a problem with it. Yeah I went slower than usual and took a few breaks, but I had plenty of daylight left so I wasn't rushing it. I noticed that I was barely breathing heavy hauling up 20 percent grades. How awesome is that.That climb gave me a lot of confidence in my current and future ability to complete this entire trail. I knew I could do it before, but that was an insane climb at the end of a 15 mile day. I was pretty impressed with myself.Got to the top and there were only a couple small views. Slightly disappointing, but I know there will be more high ones tomorrow. Really icy up top, quite a temperature difference up here from "down" where I was.I got to the shelter pretty much on the top of he mountain and it is pretty much an old cabin. Completely enclosed. Pretty cool. Made a big dinner and partially satisfied my hunger.As I was washing the pot, I knocked my bottle of Polar Pure off the table. Glass bottle, stone floor, go figure. I guess I'll have to go without water treatment for a couple days. Shouldn't be a big deal, just have to chose my sources more carefully.Not much else, should be some great trail tomorrow.
Date: 2008-03-28
From: apple house shelter

To: moreland gap shelter
Miles today: 18.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Well, today was a long day, but I'm predicting a short entry.I was only able to sleep for a couple hours last night due to a few things: late night artillery practice or something nearby...a little loud, dog literally didn't stop barking till midnight, and then an ambitious mouse tried for a few hours to chew through the metal roof of the shelter.I knew I was going to try for a long day today, so I just got up instead of lying there anymore. Managed to leave the shelter around 7:15, before the sun even rose.Had an extended climb up a mountain and got a couple small views at the head of a couple valleys, but that was about it for views for the day.Descended that mountain and took a side trail to Jones Falls. Pretty impressive for a creek, a couple hundred feet. Almost wanted to take a shower but it wasn't that warm yet, and it looked as if nature may provide one anyways.The trail then went along the Elk River for a while and crossed some streams. Climbed up a little and took lunch. Last lunch before resupply, so its always a good one. I finished an 18oz jar of peanut butter in 4 days. Chatted with a guy at the shelter for a bit too long, then took off at 1. From here to where I was going to stay, it is pretty much all rolling hills (100 up, 100 down). Some easy walking. Crossed lots of creeks, and had lots of greenery.The only problem with this was other than timing myself, I had no idea where I was. This was a bit frustrating for me as I usually know where I am on the map and guidebook moderately precisely. Not a big deal, but that's just me.Finally made it to the shelter, about 9 hours of hiking for the day not including lunch, but including my minor breaks. Not bad, but I'm a little tired...Today slaughtered my old mileage high by 3.3 miles... 6.1 to Kincora Hostel tomorrow.
Date: 2008-03-29
From: moreland gap shelter

To: kincora hostel
Miles today: 6.1

It rained a bit last night, but the shelter kept me dry. Its nice not to have to pack up a wet tent in the rain in the morning.Today was going to be a nero, so I took my time packing and getting ready to go. It still went fairly quickly though. Now that I've been doing this for a while, every piece of gear has a spot it goes in my pack. There are small variations depending on the weather, but I definitely have a system.It sort of sprinkled most of the time, but no big deal. A couple small climbs and then a descent to the hostel.About half way through the hike, the rain let but the clouds hung around. Some were really low, and some were very small. There was also a few different levels the clouds were at. This led to some ghostly views of the surrounding mountains. Small wispy clouds would cling to the valleys, and snake their way through the gaps. There was a solid layer of clouds right above the mountains. All of these clouds sort of framed the mountains like some sort of Japanese painting. Eerily awesome. No pics though because it was wet.I got to the hostel and it was pretty sweet. Pretty much a house with all the appliances and such, and the hikers have free reign. Bob Peoples wasn't around. His wife is in the hospital with some serious problems.I chilled for a while. Mike {trailname pachyderm} was there as well as most of the Here Here Gang and a couple others. Chatted for a while and chilled, then took a long hot shower, my first for...lets just say a lot of miles. Also washed my clothes and they came out smelling fresh...the good kind of fresh.Bob showed up and offered to take me and Mike to Elizabethan for resupply and food and whatever. Really cool guy. He dropped us off in town and was going to pick us up a few hours later.Went to Fatz and got a plate of homemade chicken strips, a baked potato, rolls, and a beer. Ahh...semi-fullness. Went to Wal-Mart and resupplied and got some more iodine. Then chilled and made some calls before Bob picked us up.Made it back to the hostel and made dinner - a full bag of ravioli and meat sauce. Delicious. I ate all but 4 ravioli. Yay for being full.Everyone at the hostel got into a game of Trivial Pursuit after that and Mike and I won.Good day. The only downside was my pack straps weren't waiting for me. I'm betting the pack company didn't send them, just promised too. Gonna have to wait till Monday to call them and...deal with them. My straps are getting painful, so some bitching may be in order...
Date: 2008-03-30
From: kincora hostel

To: watagua lake shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept great last night on a nice mattress. Beats the hard ground any day of the week.I got up and found some buckwheat pancake mix in the hiker box. I made 4 pan-size pancakes with brown sugar and "apple pie seasoning" mixed into the batter. Ate them with jelly. Delicious and filling.Packed up and left the hostel.The first stretch of trail was along the Laurel Fork River. The river looked pretty old, and had made a gorge for itself in some places. Some rugged terrain and cliffs in this area. Pretty sweet.The trail descended to right next to the river and came to Laurel Fork Falls. Beautiful cascading waterfall. The trail then meandered along the river. There were a lot of trees partially chewed by beavers. Only a couple were felled, and then randomly. Didn't see a dam, and there didn't seem to be any method to it.After the river, the trail went up Pond Mountain to Pond Flats, a flat area most the way up the mountain. Steep climb but not difficult. Forced down some lunch up top, was still full from breakfast. That's a first.Nice descent of Pond Mountain. Nicely graded over a few miles. Came to Watagua Lake. This lake is part of the TVA and was created by a dam. Came to a picnic area and took a siesta on a picnic table. The wind was whipping across the lake and I could hear the waves a few feet where I was...as well as the highway just as close. Still peaceful.Took some pictures and hiked on. Got to the shelter and chilled for a bit with Chris and Rocketman {a dog that has been following him}. He hiked on and I made some food. First day out and the hiker hunger is setting in.Should be in Damascus Thursdayish.Phone keeps freezing...I guess that's what I get for having a Microsoft product. If I call Verizon, they would just tell me to reset it and lose all my software with no way to reload it without a PC. Good job Microsoft.I've gotten quite a few comments in my guestbook. I'll reply to them When I get to Damascus. Thanks.
Date: 2008-03-31
From: watagua lake shelter

To: iron mountain shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Overcast and looking like rain this morning. Donned the rain gear and set out. The trail meandered along the lake for a while and came to Watauga Dam. The dam was a rock dam, the first one of these I've seen in real life. Also the smallest dam I've ever seen, but apparently it works.After the dam the trail climbed up iron mountain. This is a long ridge that I was on most of the day, and will be on for a few more miles tomorrow.Once I got up to the ridge, it was some beautiful walking - both in ease and sights. There were only a few small ups and downs, rolling hills really.The ridge paralleled Watauga Lake for its entire length, so from nearly every point on the trail I could look down to the lake and the valley. Really cool, though sounds of civilization also drifted up to me.Stopped for lunch at a shelter and managed to get ahold of my pack company. Apparently the straps were supposed to arrive today 20 miles back...great. She said she would try to forward them to Damascus. Apparently they sat in shipping a week before they got around to sending them. I'm thrilled.Onward to more of the same, awesome ridgewalk.Nearly went the whole day without seeing a person, they all showed up at the shelter. Chatted with Pick and Bad Humus a bit, interesting people.That's about it.
Date: 2008-04-01
From: iron mountain shelter

To: abington gap shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: light rain

It rained a little last night and it was supposed to storm during the day today so I headed out in full raingear. It didn't rain at all and the clouds eventually broke up so I gladly took it off. It holds in my sweat so I avoid wearing it whenever possible.I was first out of the shelter, the others were stirring when I left.I had a few more miles on Iron Mountain today. I passed a monument to Nick Grindstaff. He was a semi-famous hermit, and his grave was where his cabin used to be. Other than his name and the dates he lived, it also said: "lived alone, suffered alone, died alone." That's pretty odd, and depressing. How would you like to have that on your gravestone?Anyways, headed on. Not much of note today. The trail's terrain was something like this:____________________________I was really rolling today. With a couple short breaks, I made it 7.6 miles to my lunch spot in less than 3 hours. That is including the biggest climb of the day - 500 feet over about 3 miles. The entire day I was going my maximum cruising pace.A few views to either side of the ridge, but it was populated on both sides, so not that interesting.At the end of Iron Mountain the trail crossed another mountain onto Holsted Mountain. This one parallels Iron Mountain and is about the same. Another ridgewalk straight into Damascus.I got to the shelter really early, even though I went 16 miles. I easily could have made it into Damascus today, but that would be pointless because I would just get there and crash rather than spending time in the town.I was only hiking for 6 hours with breaks, but not including lunch. Pretty sweet. To bad there isn't trail like this more often.I saw my first "sign" of bear on the trail today. Take a guess. Still few animals active, should be picking up soon.At the shelter with the same gang from last night: Bad Humus, Fester, Stovie and Toddy Bear. Great group of guys, very entertaining.I'll hit Damascus tomorrow and take a zero there just because.
Date: 2008-04-02
From: abington gap shelter

To: damascus, va
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: few clouds

Well, the trail guide said the trail was easy today, and I would agree with that assessment. 10 miles in 3 hours with breaks. Even easier than yesterday.Rained a little last night then cooled down. 36 when I got up, but still took off in shorts and a T-shirt. Hiked a little with Toddy Bear before he got ahead. Rolling downhill with no views for the most part. One climb of about 100 feet.I arrived at the TN/VA state line and took my picture with the sign. I have now completely crossed the height of TN and NC on foot. Pretty awesome.Virginia is by far the longest state, so I will be here for a while, but it is a little flatter than what I'm getting out of. I'm planning on starting to shoot for 15+ miles every day as it is easily in reach for my current condition. Feeling great and still lovin' it. Simple life: get up and walk and eat and wish you were both carrying more and less food at the same time - think about it.I rolled into Damascus, VA 3 hours after I left the shelter. I'm staying at Dave's Place, a hostel slightly nicer than The Place, and much quieter and more secure. I'll zero here because I haven't taken one since Hot Springs about 200 miles back, though I don't really feel like I need one.More people are starting to catch up with me, including the Here Here gang once more by car. I do enjoy socializing, but I also enjoy cruising by myself and having the trail to myself. That's just me.I had a "family size" Sicilian pizza for dinner, could have finished it but left four pieces for tomorrow. Also bought some snacks at the Dollar General. I love that store.Jerry was still here when I got into town. We talked for a while and he shared a couple beers. Nothing like it after getting into town after days on the trail. He is headed home now, he was just doing from Springer to Damascus.I took a look at the ULA packs at the outfitter today. I really like them and I may pick one up when I get rid of my winter gear. Those two changes would drop me 10 pounds, which is incredible for a backpacker. I'll have to think about it.My new straps for my pack came in today and I put them on. They will definitely work better than the old ones, how much better I will have to see.Another great day on the Appalachian Trail.
Date: 2008-04-03
From: damascus, va

To: damascus, va
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I took a zero day today not because I needed it, but because I thought I probably should and Damascus is apparently the best trail town.Woke up really early and couldn't get back to sleep, so I started on my town chores and did some planning. I am doing great just planning till my next resupply and pretty much ignoring the trail beyond until I get there.I did my planning and caught up on my journal and email. I'm planning on pushing it more this leg of the trip and seeing how it goes. One day at a time. I'm planning on going 70 miles to resupply, but I can bail early if I need to.After that I started getting bored and going stir crazy. Even with the internet on my phone, I just wanted to get back out there.I tried out a new pack at the outfitter, a ULA pack. It won't work with my winter stuff, but it would in the summer. It is about 5 pounds lighter than my current pack, but I will see how mine does with the new straps.One thing I forgot to mention about those was they were made in the Philippines. My previous ones were made in Canada. I was disappointed in that, that was one of the reasons I got the pack, for the quality. Whatever, everyone is doing it.Ate lots of food today, but that goes without saying while I'm in town.Went to the bar and had a pitcher with the Here Here Gang. Good time. Apparently I just missed Pachyderm who owed me a beer.Got back to the hostel and remembered the ice cream store opened today. They were closed by the time I got there, disappointingly.There was a TV at the bar, that was the first time I've seen a TV since Georgia. Didn't even watch it, didn't really want/need to. Odd for me.Not much else, just want to hit the trail, don't really like zeros too much.
Date: 2008-04-04
From: damascus, va

To: lost mountain shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

So, the updated forecast for today was 99% chance of thunderstorms producing an inch of rain. Hmm...great day to leave town. I honestly don't really care. Even if it does rain it doesn't bother me too much. Also, the weatherman has been completely off so many times out here that I take all forecasts with a grain of salt.Left Damascus on the Virginia Creeper Trail. I could have followed it almost to where I am spending the night for a very easy day, but I want to do the whole trail. I'm not a purist, but that would seem like cheating to me.The regular trail wasn't too bad though. There were some climbs and plenty of switchbacks, but the trail was nicely graded. You never know how the trail is going to be when you get to a section maintained by another group.The Virginia Creeper Trail went along a river, and that was about the only views for the day.Did some ups and downs, dreary day so there isn't much to mention.I took lunch at well over half way. I got to a shelter and ate there. I sensed some rain was coming, and it did start sprinkling 15 minutes later. I'm getting better. I trust my feelings more than the weatherman at this point. I'm doing much better than he is.Kept going over some streams and through the rhododendrons. Can't wait till those things start to bloom. That will be awesome.Met back up with the creeper trail to cross a bridge. The trail is rails to trails and crossed an old railroad tressle. Pretty high and pretty neat.After that one more small climb to the shelter.Fester, Bad Humus, Stovie, and Toddy Bear showed up, and Pa Bert was already there. Interesting conversation as always. Almost makes me feel like I'm back at DX.As I write this there was supposed to be an inch of rain on the ground. We've had a couple sprinkles. Can't really complain about that. At least I didn't let the forecast make me stay another day like some people.