morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-04-12
From: US 19 East (Hostel)

To: Moreland Shelter 
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: moderate rain

Starting at: US 19 East Ending at: Moreland Shelter Miles: 18 Heather and I pounded out good miles today. We walked with Grass and Lekiless at a good pace...it felt good. We hadn't necessarily planned to do so many miles today, but we were making good time, even though we managed to stop for some nice breaks.We walked through some beautiful grassy meadows, formerly farmland. We lunched during a break in the light showers next to a beautiful flowing stream in a field of purple wildflowers.Around midday we decided our mission was to hightail it to the shelter before a) it rained or b) it filled up. It only sleeps 6, and we heard thunderstorms are in the forecast. We managed to get to the shelter before it rained, just as a herd of hikers and boy scouts were coming up behind us. We ate dinner and went to bed early, glad to have a nice dry place to sleep.The forecasted thunderstorms did materialize some time during the middle of the night, complete with booming thunder and flashes of lightning. Sasha was scared witless. She launched herself into our zipped-together sleeping bags, all the way down to our toes. Poor darlin.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-04-13
From: Moreland Shelter 

To: Dennis Cove Road (hostel)
Miles today: 5.8

Starting at: Moreland Shelter Ending at: Dennis Cove Road (hostel)Miles: 5.8Oh we are so lucky to have gotten those last few spots at the shelter last night. Not only did we get a nice dry night of sleep, but we had no wet tent to pack up this morning, so we got an early start, which is a good thing, because Kincora will probably fill up quick tonight.It rained on us all the way here. Hard. Heather found out her "waterproof" pants may hold up in a sprinkle, but not in an all-out downpour. We were completely soaked to the bone when we got here, but in only a matter of minutes we were showered, our laundry was on, and Sasha was toweled off and curled up napping. Ah, it's good to be home again.We made a run to the grocery store this afternoon to get supplies and food for the trail. But we *also* got goodies to cook up a little mexican feast. Heather had a good ol' time this evening sauteing vegetables and assembling them into veggie enchiladas. Onion, mushroom, whole garlic cloves, corn, bell pepper, and sour cream, topped with sauce, cheese and onions. Yum! We had our fill, then the rest of the house took a crack at 'em, and they were a big hit. It was just nice to putz around in a kitchen again. We had another nice night hanging out here with this great bunch of people. Tomorrow we'll be getting back on the road to Damascus.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-04-14
From: US 321 (southbound)

To: Dennis Cove Road (hostel)
Miles today: 8.9

Starting at: US 321 (southbound)Ending at: Dennis Cove Road (hostel)Miles: 8.9Slight change of plans today. When we woke up and looked out the window, everything was white, coverd with snow. They hadn't been expecting snow at this elevation, just rain, so we weren't sure what that meant for the higher elevations.So we did a short slackpack day from the hostel today. We hiked fast and finished before noon. It snowed two inches last night and is still snowing. It was 33* all day and either snowed or rained on us all morning. My bones are still cold after an hour in front of the wood stove. It was a nice short hike with a beautiful waterfall and a bouldering section.I still can't get over how wonderful the snow can be! Everything was white and the trees were heavy with snow...it was fun being the first people to plow through the snow on this section of trail. The crunching sound and periodically losing the trail completely to the snow makes it very exciting. Even the white bazes are sometimes hard to spot when the trees get coated with snow. The trail is so well maintained and marked though that almost no one takes the wrong path. We decided to slackpack so we could do our miles but still sleep here again tonight. Heather thinks Sasha is still too sore and should not spend much time in snow (can you say overprotective dog parents). I think Sasha is probably just about as sore as us, but the SHWMBO has spoken . Anyway, this way we can use the wood stove to dry our soaking wet and frozen clothes.Look at this...a few people just walked in that said they were going to head on up the trail...they look cold and wet too.Anyway, the Kincora hostel is very nice and the proprietors, Bob and Pat Peoples are really interesting and generous. They only ask for a 4 dollar donation per night and have really good accommodations. Bob is a wealth of information about the trail and has some great stories to tell.Later,ArwenCamera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-04-15
From: Kincora (Hwy 321)

To: Campsite past Iron Mt. Shelter
Miles today: 17.0

Starting at: Kincora (Hwy 321)Ending at: Campsite past Iron Mtn ShelterMiles: 17Beautiful day of hiking today: sunny and relatively warm. Hard to imagine it was blowing snow and rain all day yesterday.This morning we said goodbye to Nuffy, at least for a while. Bob Peoples is taking her to Damascus, where she'll try to get a job at the Sidetrack Cafe so she can stick around until Trail Days. So we'll be seeing Nuffy again soon. We'll miss her on the trail though.Today we hiked with a good group - Lekiless, Grass, Scuba and Tinder. Hiked along and above Watuga Lake - what views we had! We are officially on what they call the Tennessee Turnpike now, a former logging road turned trail, which makes for some kinder, gentler hiking. I still have no problem complaining about the PUDs though.Got to the shelter and found a troop of boyscouts had overrun the place. So we walked another mile and a half or so and set up our tents in a makeshift campsite *right* next to the trail. Had a lot of fun goofing around with this bunch over dinner. We're gonna try to make for a big day tomorrow. It's 24 miles to Damascus. We'll see if we make it all the way there. In any case, it's 7:30 and we're heading to bed, or trying to. Leki and Tinder have just discovered that they both starred in the same obscure musical in high school or college or something. Now they're singing in full harmony, silly songs none of us have heard. Arwen here now...This is what I ate today:2 Poptarts1 Bowl of miniwheats w/ 1 banana1 Krave breakfast bar1 Snikers1 Granola bar1 String cheese stick2 sticks of nutter bars1 package of cheese crackers1 cup of mixed nuts1/4 package of Teddy Grahams1 Fruit role up3 Servings Lipton Thai noodle dinner 1 Special K breakfast bar2 Hot chocolate packages...and I was not very hungry today actually.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-04-16
From: Campsite past Iron Mt. Shelter

To: Campsite just before Damascus, VA (2mi out)
Miles today: 22.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Starting at: Campsite past Iron Mtn ShelterEnding at: Campsite just before Damascus, VAMiles: 22Our longest mileage day with packs on, and another state finished (TN). Not bad. We're paying for it though. The last 4 miles or so were a tough haul into camp. Heather was reduced to monotone, single syllable utterances when we got here, and Arwen kept laughing uncontrollably, giddy on endorphines.But now we're in good shape for tomorrow. We'll have a short 2 mi walk in the morning and get there in plenty of time to hit the post office. Plus we saved money on hotel and food by camping out tonight. Go team.Gotta go. Time for hot cocoa before we drift off to sleep.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-04-17
From: Campsite just before Damascus, VA (2mi out)

To: Damascus (Love this town)
Miles today: 2.0
Weather: few clouds

Starting at: Campsite outside DamascusEnding at: Damascus, VAMiles: 2Heather says...Our short walk into town was over in a blink. We walked down the hill, through someone's backyard and into the town of Damascus. The AT actually runs down Main Street here, which is cool.Damascus is a neat town, definitely our favorite so far. Seven different hiking/biking trails intersect here, bringing in a diverse crowd of outdoor enthusiasts. There is hiking, biking, kayaking, rock climbing, spelunking, horseback riding, and fishing here. The town itself is beautiful. Main Street is lined with mom and pop shops and pretty little Victorian B&Bs. Spring is starting to happen here... trees are starting to bud and leaf out. Big, fat, lazy bees dawdle around. The grass is green and soft. One of the trails that comes through town, the Virginia Creeper Tail, runs through town, next to the community pool, over an old railroad trestle, next to a large beautiful stream. You can get practically anywhere in town on it.We were supposed to be getting back on the trail tomorrow, but I don't think that's gonna happen now. Usually when we hit a town, I take a big sigh of relief, while Arwen gradually grows more and more antsy and perturbed, itching to get back on the AT. I don't know what's come over him now though. He's acting all calm and relaxed. When someone at dinner invited us to a bonfire down by the big stream, I politely declined, saying we had to get back on the trail early tomorrow. Arwen inexplicably said, well maybe we should hang out one more day. "My knees could use the rest." What? Excuse me? Who are you and what have you done with my husband?Arwen says..This is a beautiful little town. The Side Track Cafe is...as my mother would say...a very special place. They serve very good breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but dinner is quite quite unique and interesting. They put all the tables together into one long one and fix one BIG meal for everyone (mostly hikers). It feels like one big family dinner. The kicker is that it is a donation dinner with no suggested price! Also, the people serving you are your hiker friends because many hikers work at the cafe while staying in town. Often, the meals are prepared and served completely by hikers. Nuffy is practically running the cafe right now and has been working there for a number of days. She has found her place for now. I have never seen such a friendly and relaxed business...where everyone feels like they are hanging out at home. Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-04-18
From: Damascus (Love this town)

To: Damascus (Really Love this town)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Starting at: DamascusEnding at: DamascusMiles: 0Heather says...We had a blast last night at the bonfire. A local guy, Kelly, lets thruhikers camp out on his 3 acre lawn for free. He's right on that big stream that meanders through town, and the Virginia Creeper trail runs by his front door. Uncle Ben put on a huge stack of logs and got a big 'ol fire raging. There were about a dozen hikers there, as well as some of Kelly's friends from the area. At one point a couple of guys walked up and I thought, "O lordy, here come the locals." They were a couple of young guys wearing brown work overalls, striped western shirts with the sleeves rolled up, and John Deere baseball caps. Then one of them opened an old fashioned black lunch pail and pulled out a harmonica from the half dozen in there. Then the other guy pulled out a guitar from a case that had a sticker on it reading "EAT MORE POSSUM". A third guy popped up with a small acoustic base, and a fourth chimed in in harmony. They're called Viginia Ground, and they were *awesome*. I didn't know any of their songs, but they still somehow seemed familiar, like they were a part of the hills and streams around us. They kept us up till 3 am - the latest we've been up in 48 days.Now we're having a good breakfast at the Sidetrack Cafe, not sure what the day will hold for us. I can tell ya one thing though, we're in no hurry to get back on the trail. Arwen says...I lost my glasses in the snow a couple of weeks ago. My reaction was..."well now I don't have to send them home or carry their heavy glasses case." I'm not going to get another pair until I get finished with this, they are just too difficult to deal with.Laid around in the sun by a rocky trout stream today dreaming about ice cream and donuts...uuumm good. I have never been this relaxed before in my adult life...somthing about this place. Spent a bit of time doing journal entries on the computer at the Side Track Cafe. Got lots of pictures uploaded. Good day.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-04-20
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Whitetop Mountain (tent)
Miles today: 11.9

Starting at: Saunders Shelter Ending at: Whitetop Mountain (tent)Miles: 11.9Well we did it. Finally. We managed to leave Damascus. We took off late yesterday, around 4 pm, and managed to make it 9 miles to Saunders Shelter. We have been looking at our schedule today...and we are a bit frustrated. Don't get me wrong, we are doing great and we are proud of ourselves so far. We have worked hard, learned a tremendous amount about hiking, have built up a lot of confidence, ...and had a bunch of fun. But, we are now about four days behind schedule and would like to take an additional three days off for trail days next month. We must finish in late August so we need to concentrate on hiking more miles now. Also it would be great to even be ahead of schelule so we have a buffer in case anything goes wrong. Since our goal is to hike every mile of the trail by late August, we have now agreed a new strategy in order to accomplish this goal. First, we will get up at 6:30 every morning and start hiking no later than 7:30. We will try to do ten miles before lunch (if the terrain allows). and then take a long nap during the heat of the day. Finally we will start moving again at four o'clock in order to do between 5 and 8 additional miles before diner and bed. We have to be disciplined and consistent for the next few weeks in order to get back on schedule. This will be difficult but we are ready to do some serious hiking now.It looks like we have been hiking around 9 miles a day on average when you take into acount all of our zero days. In order to finish on time we need to bump that average up to around 12 or more. So, we will not take any nero or zero days for a while and watch our average jump up. Send us an email if you see us slacking!   ArwenCamera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-04-21
From: Whitetop Mountain (tent)

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 17.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Starting at: Whitetop MountainEnding at: Old Orchard ShelterMiles: 17.9Good day. Awoke to a beautiful sunrise over the mountains. Heather headed out a little ahead, so she could make sure not to lag behind. We got a lot of miles behind us early in the day, which gave us a chance to take a nice long nap at lunchtime.Saw "wild" ponies today! Well, they're not exaxtly wild, because they're not native. But they do live atop the beautiful rolling balds of the Grayson Highlands. (Balds are hills with only grass instead of trees on them.) The ponies perform an essential function out here: their grazing helps keep the balds bald. Otherwise they'd revert to having trees on them.Springtime is when the wild ponies, like most everything else, give birth to their young. We saw two little foals today, nestled alongside their mothers. One was so tiny, it seemed it could barely walk. It was so beautiful out there. Gold and green hills, blue mountains off in the distance, the sun shining, and these wild ponies dotting the landscape.Tonight we enjoyed a feast: backcountry lasagne, capped off with Baileys-laced hot cocoa (thank you Josefa!) We'll be falling asleep to the birds calling goodnight to each other from the trees. Tomorrow, hopefully another 15 mile day, and the world's quickest town stop.Good mileage today!Cheers,Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-04-22
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: scattered clouds

Starting at: Old Orchard ShelterEnding at: Trimpi ShelterMiles: 14.1Mission accomplished today. We hiked 10 miles before lunch, got a quick hitch into town, ate a big town meal, hit the post office, resupplied, and topped off with hot fudge sundaes before putting another 4 miles behind us. This was our first attempt at an in-and-out town mission, something that many of our comerades out here are well practiced at. Go team! Tomorrow should be fun. We'll have lunch at Partnership Shelter, where you can have pizza delivered. Yeah baby! Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-04-23
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: clear sky

Starting at: Trimpi ShelterEnding at: Partnership ShelterMiles: 10.6Well today did not proceed entirely as planned. We had intended to just lunch at Partnership Shelter, take a nap and then head out to the next shelter. But just as we were waking up from our nap, who arrived but Mountain Man of the Sidetrack Cafe. He was bringing some hikers - a whole pack of our buddies (Leki, Grass, Uncle Ben, and Beavis) - back to the trail. Arwen was complaining about his boots, and Mountain Man offered to give us a ride into Damascus to the outfitter and back, 45 minutes each way. Wow, what a guy!What a great offer, but we were hesitant to accept. Last time we were in Damscus, we barely made it out. Would it really be possible for us to force ourselves back to the trail tonight? Well it was tough, but we did it. It was great to see Nuffy again (still doing a bang-up job in the kitchen at the Sidetrack). Although the hostel beckoned, (luckily) we left our trekking poles back at the shelter, so we *had* to go back. Everyone was surprised we actually showed up, and then they were thrilled we did, because we brought a case of assorted beers with us.So to wrap up: good day. New shoes for Arwen, hiking skirts for *both* of us (yes, Arwen too. It's a hiking thing; you wouldn't understand), excellent company, and pizza and beer all around. Doesn't get much better.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-04-24
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Crawfish Valley (tent)
Miles today: 17.8

Starting at: Partnership ShelterEnding at: Crawfish Valley (tent)Miles: 17.8Another big mile day. The cracy thing is, not only did we manage to do over 10 miles by lunch and another 6 miles after, we also breezed in and out of town again. Had another big meal (wow town food 3 days in a row, we're getting spoiled), hit Dairy Queen for dessert, resupplied, and passed out in a gazeebo for a couple of hours.Camped in a nice little spot next to a pretty stream. Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-04-25
From: Crawfish Valley (tent)

To: Pond before Chestnut Knob Shelter (tent)
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: light rain

Starting at: Crawfish ValleyEnding at: Pond before Chestnut Knob Shelter (tent)Miles: 14.9Don't know what our problem was today. Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was the humidity. Every step was a struggle today. The profile maps lied to us. They said it would be gentle terrain, but instead it felt like endless uphill.Tonight we're camped at a beautiful pond on the top of a mountain with another hiker we just met, Alabama. No, he's not from Alabama; he's from Ohio. He's called "Alabama" because he started the trail in Alabama, not Georgia. He's a nice guy.We really shouldn't be tenting out tonight. There seems to be a nasty thunderstorm brewing, and there's a wonderfully weatherproof shelter 2 miles up the hill. Up is the problem. Heather just doesn't have it in her tonight.So instead we'll be testing out in our tarp tonight. Notice I didn't say "tent." That would be because we sent the tent part of our tent home. Now all we have is the rainfly and groundcloth. Think a plastic sheet under you and one stretched over you. There's no tent in our tent. Could be interesting. Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-04-26
From: Pond before Chestnut Knob Shelter (tent)

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: moderate rain

Starting at: Pond before Chestnut Knob ShelterEnding at: Jenkins ShelterMiles: 11.8Hmmm, interesting night last night indeed. It poured on us. It rained, it stormed, the wind howled. And it just didn't let up. All night and half the day. We literally didn't get out of our tent till noon. But the tarp held up pretty well. The rain fly could stand to be sprayed with a little weatherproofing (it only leaked a little on one seam). And a little wet blew in the sides. We just made sure not to let our sleeping bags get too close to the tent - oops I meant tarp - edge.Even though we stayed relatively dry through the night, when we packed up in the rain most of our stuff got at least damp. Our choices this evening were either to do a shortish day, hike 20+ miles into town (harumph), or tent 6 miles from town (not viable in a soaked tarp). So a short day it is.PS. Have to give a shout out to my little sis, who's turning 26 today on the 26th. Love you darlin. Have a happy one.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net
Date: 2004-04-27
From: Jenkins Shelter

To: Bland, VA (hotel)
Miles today: 11.7
Weather: broken clouds

Starting at: Jenkins ShelterEnding at: Bland, VA (hotel)Miles: 11.7Wow, a hotel. Almost forgot what that was like. Today was a recharge for us. To do just a few miles, get some town food, dry out our gear, and get a hot shower. Human again!So another reason town is awesome is because you often run into your buddies here. We hiked in today with Country, Ramblin Man, and Satori. Then after we checked into the motel and were chillin' in our room, we got a loud BANG BANG BANG on the door. It turned out to be none other than Xena, Bloody Cactus, Wolf Cookie, and Dances with Wolf Cookie!! And then later, as we were leaving for dinner, Leki and Patrick walked in from a 20 mile day. It was a total fluke we ran into them, and it was so great to get a chance to catch up and see how everyone's doing. One thing is for sure: hiking this trail is tough. Seeing the people you started with is a tremendous lift. Dinner at DQ, a box of fruit loops for a midnight snack, and a little HBO topped out our night. We'll be ready to hit the trail hard tomorrow.Camera 1 & Camera 2Heather & Arwenvaughan@pocketmail.comhttp://www.hobbithole.net