morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-03-21
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Apple House Shelter
Miles today: 21.1

Today was an interesting day. When I woke up the weather was pretty lousy. There was a 35 degree rain with a type of fog or mist in the air.   The first few miles of the trail weren¢t too bad. The rain had begun to melt the snow and there was pretty good traction. However, after ascending half of Roan, it began to get tricky. The snow began to return and it got a bit slippery, especially on the step parts. At the top of Roan, there was four inches or more of slush. Nobody¢s boots stayed dry. My feet were completely soaked.   At Carver¢s Gap my mother met us with hot chocolate and cheese fondue, in addition to a weather forecast which called for a low of 20 degrees in the valley at 1500¢. The next two shelters were above 5000¢, so at that point I made the decision to hike on to Apple House Shelter.   I found out that there is something worse than snow and ice to hike in: mud!!! The next thirteen miles were all mud. I slipped at least ten times. My pants, boots, and pack cover were completely covered in mud. At one point it was eight inches deep and so of course, my socks were covered in mud too   After the very treacherous downhill, I finally made it to Overmountain Shelter (aka The Red Barn). Seeing it concretized my desire to push on to the next shelter. The building was huge, easily able to sleep 45, but it had several holes in the sides and it was at a high elevation.   I pushed on ahead to Little Hump Mountain and Hump Mountain. That two mile stretch was completely exposed ridgeline. As I was going up, there was a 60 mph wind that was pushing me over and as I was cresting Hump Mountain, the rain began. It was really light, but since I was on top of a mountain, it was freezing and then pelting me in the face.      I got off the ridgeline as quickly as I could. Finally, out of the wind, I returned to the mud which made it difficult to continue. Finally, well after dark, arrived at the shelter where Moleman was fast asleep. He had arrived hours before although he had left Clyde Smith after me. Soon afterward, my mother came through the door bearing gifts of sushi and coconut custard pie. As we were eating, Louis and Elizabeth arrived, completely soaked. They were happy to see the pie and sushi. After talking, we all went to bed probably around 10pm.
Date: 2006-03-22
From: Apple House Shelter

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.2
Weather: clear sky

This morning when we woke up, everything was frozen. The temperature was about 15 degrees. My boots were frozen solid. Yes, I know, I know¢¦ I should have put them in my sleeping bag. I tried t and tried for ten minutes but could not get them on. Luckily, we were only half a mile from 19E. I put on my down booties and walked to the road.   My mother went to get the car which she had parked at a nearby hostel due to the potential for vandalism. She was going to shuttle us to the diner 1.7 miles down the road.However, the back doors were frozen shut so she had to shuttle the four of us one at a time.   The diner had really good food. I had a steak, two eggs, French fries, chicken fingers, and a garden salad. After eating, I was finally able to put on my boots.   As I headed on my way, I noticed all kinds of garbage on the trail ¢ beer cans, egg shells, mattresses, old cabinets, candy bar wrappers, and other debris. All of this was sitting there right next to the stream.   In a few miles I came to a side trail to Jones Falls. This was the best .1 mile detour that I have taken. The waterfall was pretty and huge with several cascading levels.   A little bit later I crossed out of North Carolina. This was the last time that I will be in NC on this journey on the AT. The next ten miles of trail were fairly uneventful, ups and downs, but no real mountains and not many views. It kind of went by quickly like a blur.   At the shelter I met up with the Tennessee Boys again. They had stayed two nights at the hostel on 19E to wait out the storm.
Date: 2006-03-23
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: US321
Miles today: 15.0

This morning I woke up early and hiked the six miles to Kincora hostel. When I arrived, I asked if there was any trail maintenance to do. Bob said that I could cut out blowdowns from Pond Flats to Dennis Cove Road. So I was dropped off at Hwy. 321 with a saw, some water, and a couple of snacks.    I was flying up the hill without a pack. The views of the lake were amazing. I was really surprised to see a pond on top of the mountain.       On the way, I only saw a few blowdowns, but each of them took about 20-30 minutes to clear. Sawing definitely uses a lot of different muscles than thru-hiking. I now appreciate every cut limb and cut blowdown; the work involved in clearing them is amazing. I would like to express my appreciation for all the volunteers that help to maintain the AT.   After I returned to Kincora, I went down to Hampton to Quarterbacks Restaurant. The food was incredible. Their daily special was inexpensive , the salads were large with many different vegetables, and the appetizers plentiful. The owner and wait staff were nice and polite. Beginning after the big race weekend this restaurant will deliver to Kincora for a minimum $25 order saving us the trip to town.   When I came back, it was pretty late ( 7pm) so I read part of the paper and went to bed.
Date: 2006-03-24
From: Kincora

To: Kincora
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light snow

Since it snowed pretty hard last night and it continued to snow through most of the day, I decided to spend a zero day at Kincora. It was really nice because throughout the day thru-hikers just kept showing up. By the evening, we had eleven thru-hikers ( myself, Moleman, Pilgrim, Mark, Louis, Elizabeth, Hit, Miss, Pebbles, Trevor, and Bone Pac). We all talked and told each other stories.   At about 7pm Bob came in and told us some interesting things about the AT in the area. It is really amazing the spots, sidetrails, and views that can exist in a small area. He told me about a nice 20¢ swimming hole off the trail, and a clearing in the center of a rhododendron patch where you can see straight up into the sky.   The company of so many hikers was great. This was one of the things that I was looking for when I decided to hike the AT.
Date: 2006-03-25
From: US321

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: snow

Today was my longest day yet, and it seemed even longer because of the conditions. When I was dropped off at 321 this morning, the journey down was interesting. There was only about 1-2 inches of snow on the ground, but there was a bad ice on the road. Driving down was a bit tricky at points, but my Mom dropped me and Bone Pac off safely. Bone Pac had hiked to 321 and then into Hampton and had called Bob for a ride to Kincora.    The first few miles was OK. There was only a little bit of snow on the ground. However, as we began to up, there was more and more snow on the ground. At around 4000¢ there was about 10 inches of snow. Trudging through all of this was difficult; it definitely takes a lot out of you. Luckily, Bone Pac and I kept switching who was leading. It is a bit easier to walk as the second person.    About eight miles up the trail, we began following deer tracks. The deer followed the AT for another 6+ miles. I wished that we could have caught up with this deer.   Twice during the day, we lost the AT. The first time, we continued for about .2 miles past where the AT had sharply turned left. Since there was so much snow, we didn¢t see the logs warning us that this wasn¢t the trail. He second time, we crossed TN91. There was a stile-like thing to the left and a white blaze on it. So, we assumed that you cross the stile and enter the field. After searching for a blaze for several minutes, I pulled out my map and saw that we should follow the little farm road for a while.    When we finally arrived at the shelter, I was so tired. All I wanted to do was take off my boots and sit down. However, I almost couldn¢t get the boos off my feet. They had nearly frozen while I was wearing them.   Tomorrow I am going to push on in to Damascus.
Date: 2006-03-26
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: overcast clouds

This morning I woke up to more snow. There wasn¢t a significant accumulation, but the snow was blowing around, creating icicles on my hair. I realized that there have been seven straight days with snow sometime during each day.      All morning we were still trudging through snow. However, as the day progressed, the snowfall amounts decreased. Below about 3500¢ all of the snow on the trail had melted. At that point, Bone Pac and I were moving at a pace of about 3 mph. The lack of snow and the thought of getting to Damascus invigorated us.   A little bit before 3pm, we arrived at the sign telling us that we were now entering the Mt.Rogers NRA, a 118,000 acre section of the woods. From my book I knew that this was the Virginia/Tennessee state line. Today I entered my fourth state!!! But a thought came to mind: I will be hiking more miles in Virginia than I have hiked so far in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee combined.   I arrived in Damascus around four and checked out the different places to stay and eat. I found the Hiker Inn to be the best (=warm) and most reasonably priced place to stay. Susie who runs the place is a great person. When I arrived, she offered to take care of my toxic waste (aka do my laundry). Then she brought in a plate of stir-fried vegetables with chicken on rice for me to eat. She is simply amazing, and the accommodations were great. There were beds with nice, clean sheets, a heater, a hot shower inside right next to the bunkroom and a partial kitchen ( microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker). And to top that all off, she even had an Epsom salt foot bath/massager. You really can¢t beat the Hikers Inn.   After getting my gear arranged, I went across the street to the Dancing Bear. I had read in Wingfoot¢s book that if you see the flag out, come in for a free ice cream cone and thru-hiker talk. I saw a flag out, so I rang the bell. It turned out that the flag was a NASCAR flag because of the big race that weekend, but Bob and Diane still gave me ice cream anyway. I signed their book as the first ¢Milestone Cone¢ recipient of 2006. Then we all sat on the couch and told our different stories about thru-hiking and hurricanes. It seems they had moved to Damascus from Florida in part because they were tired of rebuilding after three hurricanes.    After sunset I returned to the hostel to see if anyone else was there, and then walked to Sicily¢s Pizzeriato split a piazza and two orders of garlic knots with my mom. What I found interesting was the the owner was not Italian, but Egyptian. We suggested that he add falafel to the menu.   After eating the INCREDIBLE pizza, I returned to the hostel to sleep.
Date: 2006-03-27
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Today, I slept until after ten. When I woke up, all I really did was eat breakfast and wander around town. At the outfitter I had them take a look at my water filter. It appears that it is almost completely clogged after only 40 or 50 gallons. After buying a new cartridge, I began to talk to Dave at the Mt. Rogers Outfitter. He is such an interesting and animated person.   A little after this my mother and I decided to go into Abingdon to eat at the Cracker Barrel for a late lunch. After freaking out the waiter with how much I ate, we returned to the parking lot to find that our back right tire was flat. Once we got the jack out, we proceeded to change the tire. However the lug nuts had been tightened so hard last time (pneumatically) that we were literally jumping on the tool to get the force necessary to loosen the nuts. Once the tire was finally off, we saw what the culprit was: a screw right in the middle of the tire. However this may have actually been a blessing in disguise. For some reason, the inside part of the tire was worn really thin, in some; in some places you could see the threads holding the tire together.   When we returned to the hostel, there was an extra backpack in the room. We tried to reason out whose it was and came to the conclusion that it must be Mark. Just seconds later Mark came walking through the door.
Date: 2006-03-28
From: Damascus

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.8

This morning I up at 7am, but somehow I managed to leave Damascus at 11:45. I guess I took my time getting my stuff together. Then I took a shower and took one last walk to MRO. After that, I checked out three breakfast places before deciding upon Dairy King. Then, over breakfast ( actually two of them), I planned the rest of my drops to Shenandoah.   Once on the trail, I was impressed with how well graded it was. The first hill was 1200¢, but I didn¢t feel like I was working to get up it. As I summited the first hill ( I believe that it was called Cuckoo Mountain), the really thick clouds began to move in. I thought that it was going to thunder, but all it did was rain. However, the rain was quite nice with the 70 degree weather. I didn¢t even put on my rain gear.   As I was passing the pond/campsite, I saw a deer run away with its cute little white raised. This reminded me of something I had forgotten to write in one of my previous journals. When I was on top of Hump Mountain (after Overmountain Shelter) I saw five deer run by through the field.   Tonight, I am staying a t Lost Mountain Shelter. I really like how well the Mt. Rogers ATC has built and maintained the shelters. They all seem to be really nice, and according to the guidebook, every single one has a privy. To that, I say: ¢You guys are great.¢
Date: 2006-03-29
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Old Orchard Shelter 
Miles today: 23.2

This morning when I woke up, Bone Pac was almost completely packed up to go. Everyone seems to be a bit faster than me. I really like to take my time and kind of sit around, but everyone else likes to be up and out.   The most difficult terrain of the day was this morning. We climbed about 2500¢ in just a couple of miles. Once I got up past Buzzard Rock though, I added more to my climb than I had to. With the sun in my eyes I really couldn¢t see the blazes that well, and thought I saw a blaze where there wasn¢t one. Since the path wasn¢t well defined, I ended up hiking all the way up to the top of Whitetop Mountain. Then, I spent 30 minutes trying to find the trail.    However, after this point it was easy going. The trail was so beautiful. Near Thomas Knob Shelter I saw about nine or ten wild ponies. I was able to get close enough to get some pictures. The next section through Grayson Highlands was almost surreal: big open fields and these large rock outcroppings. The weather I had for this section could not have been better. It was sunny with a couple of big white clouds and a temperature of 65 degrees. It really was perfect. This was just one of those days where you absolutely love hiking.   Right before I arrived at the really nice Old Orchard Shelter, I met this group of four hikers who were going to stay at that shelter. One of them had kind of thru-hiked. He had hiked SOBO from Katahdin until he hit PA, then took about 120 zero days when he met up with his family. Then he hiked NOBO from Springer to northern Virginia. After a couple of months he hiked the last 600 miles with his son. This guy was actually in the movie Trek, having successfully completed the one-gallon challenge.      Tonight will probably be the last time I see Bone Pac on the trail because he is going 25 miles tomorrow, while I am only doing ten. It is remarkable that I spent a week with him considering that he started 11 days after I started from Springer.
Date: 2006-03-30
From: Old Orchard Shelter 

To: Dickey Gap
Miles today: 10.2

Today I had a short day into Troutdale. From the gap I tried thumbing my way in. However, the first five cars just passed on by. Then a car passed going the other way out of town, turned around and gave me a ride right up to the door of the Baptist Church. The driver¢s name was Charlie and he lives next to the church. It was actually really nice that he turned around and went an extra five miles just to bring me into town.   The hostel at Troutdale is great. It has nice, new linoleum floors, 28 electrical plugs in the men¢s hostel ( I don¢t know about the women¢s), electic baseboard heaters, and nice chairs for sitting and talking. The hostel building is only four years old and is very nice looking.      When I was there, Pastor Ken and his son were installing baseboards in the hostel. My mother and I helped them in the afternoon. It was cool that I could help make the hostel I was staying at better.   The pastor told me that in about ten days they will turn on the water for the showers (about April 10). At this time, bathing can be done at the bathroom sink: the hot water is on in there. They provide you with a towel. I forgot to mention that they also have a washer and dryer.   What makes Troutdale the best is the diner inside the Trading Post. I ate at it for lunch and dinner and I plan on breakfast.   For lunch I ate the $3 8 oz. ¢Jumbo-burger¢ and 6 oz. of chicken stix for $1.89. For dinner I ate a 16 oz. Porterhouse with a salad, fries, and a semi-bottomless iced tea ( maximum 4 glasses). The waitresses were really nice. After both lunch and dinner, I bought a pint of cookies ¢n cream ice cream. It was yummy!!!    In case you haven¢t got it : Everyone should go into Troutdale; it is one of the best towns near the trail!!!
Date: 2006-03-31
From: Dickey Gap

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: clear sky

This morning I ate breakfast at the diner, another Jumbo-burger and more chicken stix. After breakfast I headed back out on the trail. The section was so flat that took me less than five hours to get to Partnership Shelter. When I got there , there were no other hikers. My mom met me and we went into Marion. She had been planning on going back home after Damascus, but the flat took two days to repair. So she was still around and decided to meet me.   We went into town and ate at Tuscan Italian Restaurant. They served really good New York style pizza. They will deliver to Partnership Shelter with a minimum order of $35 with a $2 delivery charge.   When I returned there were still no other hikers. However, at about 8:30pm Moleman rolled in. Then at 9pm Mark rolled in. My mother took Mark to town to buy pizza at Tuscan.. He had hiked about 31 miles with Moleman. When he got to the shelter, he was thinking pizza, pizza, pizza.   The trail today was also very pretty because we were running the ridge and could see off to the left and the right. I would have to say, so far Virginia has been really good to me.
Date: 2006-04-01
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Knot Maul Branch Shelter
Miles today: 25.5
Weather: light rain

Today I decided that I am going to quit the trail.Just kidding. Ha, Ha, April Fools ( I had to do something on April Fools Day).   This morning I woke up, finished my leftover pizza. Yes, a thru-hiker actually had leftovers. Soon after I headed out onto the trail. The first 11 miles was more of the same: gentle hills and beautiful views (once the sun came out at 9:30).   At about noon, I arrived in US11/VA683. Right on the trail was a really nice restaurant not listed in the thru-hiker Companion or Wingfoot¢s book. It was called The barn Restaurant and it only opened in the last couple of weeks. It is open M-S 6am-9pm and Sunday 6am-3pm. The food is great!!! They serve sandwiches, steaks, chicken, fish, all kinds of vegetables. In addition they have a salad bar with several homemade salads plus greens, cucumbers, radishes, and any other salad topping you could want.      Somehow I ended up dawdling at the restaurant too long and left knowing that I would arrive at the shelter after dark. However, it was still daylight as I saw a beautiful section of the trail. A good part of the AT went through farmers¢ fields. When the trail wasn¢t in the fields it was on top of the ridge with wonderful views off to the sides.   In one of the sections the trail, I saw something that I had never seen before. There was fence both to the left and to the right of the trail, basically putting the AT in a thin little corridor.   About a half a mile after crossing the Holston River, I saw the sun set aver a farmer¢s field. It was magnificent. For most of the way to the shelter after sunset, I didn¢t use my light. There was enough reflected light after sunset that I could basically see the trail and the white blazes. I was blazing along the trail when suddenly I found myself face to face with a horse. I wasn¢t sure who was scared more. I yelled ¢Holy s**t¢ and the horse reared up. About two seconds later, that horse and two others ran down the trail. For about half a mile I basically chased them up the trail. Finally, when I got to the shelter, they stopped running and I took a picture of them.       In the shelter, I met Batman who told me that the horses had been wandering up and down the trail for hours. The horses must have gone through a hole in the fence and onto the AT. I hope that their owner finds them because there isn¢t any grass for them to eat on the trail.   I was really excited to finally meet batman because I had been enjoying the fact of the day in shelter logs for a month and a half. Unfortunately, I got in front of Robin¢s Nest because she was still at US 11 with Sugar High.   However, I should see Batman and Robin¢s Nest again since I am planning a zero day in Pearisburg and they are just planning on passing through.
Date: 2006-04-02
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter

To: Jenkins Shelter
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

Today I saw the best view that I have seen on the AT so far. From Chestnut Knob Shelter you can look out onto Burke¢s Garden (aka God¢s Fingerprint). The view was really incredible. The valley, the barns, and the houses all looked fake. My mind could not believe that something that perfect and beautiful could actually exist.   It was here at Chestnut Knob Shelter that PaBert sneaked up on me (not on prpose, but he still startled me). I didn¢t expect to see him because in every register he had had been two days ahead of me. However, with a shorter mileage day and a zero day, he ended up behind me. Crutch had told me that things like this would happen.   To be fair, I should mention that the three or so miles leading up to Chestnut Knob was also very beautiful, with views of the surrounding valleys and hills. However, the view of Burke¢s Garden trumped all of that.   The next six or seven miles after Chestnut Knob were full of PUDs, but I didn¢t mind so much because there were more great views off to the left.   When I arrived at the shelter, there was one other hiker there. I think that his name was Bronco Bill. He had been section hiking, SOBO from north of Pearisburg. He plans to finish at Roan Mountain.   It was nice to be with other hikers since logistically I didn¢t think I would see any others.