morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-05-07
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: U.S. 19E
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: clear sky

One of the hard things about getting in to a shelter in the dark is that when I get up in the night I have no idea what the layout is. I don't want to disturb the sleepers with a bright light, but I didn't have one anyway, since my batteries decided they were almost dead. They worked barely enough to get me out of the shelter, but not enough to get back. As I fumbled around trying to find the ladder to get to the 2d level, one of the hikers on the 1st level had pity on me & turned her light on enough to get me there without tripping over rocks & other people's gear.At shelter I met: What's Next, Where to, Older Dog, Trail-Talker, Yackey, Wolf-Strength, Silly Moose,>On the Trail: Crazy Ivan, Cold Taters, Mayo, Logic, Chris Rock, Grizzly Adams, Lil Cub [on Trail Journals], Bungee, Gnome, Good-Times, Giggle-fitz, Pterodactyl, P.B.R., Night Owl, Green Bean, Mama Goose, Purple-Sprain, Li [Chin.], Huckleberry, Sunshine, Little-Foot, Purple Bear, Michelangelo, Google, Wild Horse, Hazelnut, No-Zip, False Start, Miss Dijon, Cruiser, Frisbee, Stubs, Strider, Jacob, Repeat, Shaggy, Nepal, Refill, Castaway, Stitches, no name, the Ino, Salsa, Merlin, Purple Heart, Eminem, Loud Mouth, I.P.A., Puppy-Love, Daya, VF, Cuban, Red Wing & 2 others, Mermaid, Tree-Hugger, Salsa, Brave Turtle, Brother Blood, Burrito, Cupcake, Yoshimi, Standing Bear, Grimace & 3 others. The Kid, Sign Post, I'm playing mess, Percy, the Oracle, (third person in a row to give me estimate of 1-1/2 miles to the highway, but I have been moving in between), Old-timer and Beef Jerky, Karma, Gravy Train, Giggles, Jaeger {79} Definitely warmer today, although the night was still a bit cold for me. I had to put my pants on when I got up in the night & wear them in the sleeping bag. The Trail was light uphill practically all day. Short day though. Did about 1-3/4 hours of trail work today, 1/2 yesterday, & 1/4 hour each of the previous two days. I'm wondering if this is a reroute or just how it comes out to 25 miles now instead of 23.I got to Rt. 19E around 5:00 & found Trail magic waiting (Now I'm 3 for 8). As I was walking down along the highway to Mtn Harbor Hostel, the wind suddenly blew my hat off & into a tree down the embankment. Tho it looked hopeless at first, the slope was such that I was able to reach it with my hiking pole from above. The hostel didn't have any bunks & I didn't want to pay $165 for the B&B section, so I'm tenting in light rain. At least it is warmer tonight. Besides having WiFi, they were able to print off the form I need to send in get a replacement driver's license; so it's probably a better place to be than some of the alternatives in the area. A bit close to the fire-pit, where some hikers were drinking & talking till 3 or 4 am.
Date: 2016-05-09
From: Overmountain Shelter

To: Greasy Creek Gap
Miles today: 15.5
Weather: overcast clouds

I thought I was the first out of the shelter this morning, but I later found that some people had left in the middle of the night to go on North. But it was just getting light when I got on the trail. My main project was to get over several balds including Roan High Knob (which is not as bald as the others). Usually, a bald is a big, open-topped mountain where you can see a lot. Unfortunately, today was a bit hazy for good pictures, & the highest place had evergreens that obscured the view. When I got over Jane Bald toward the gap where there is a parking lot, I saw a school bus and then a bunch of 6th- or 7th-graders coming up the hill. They been instructed to give trail magic to any thru-hikers they met. Since I was the only Southbound one at that point and they were going North, I got a bunch of chocolate and other things; so that was nice.The Trail up Roan High Knob is mostly an old, rocky road. I cut a few branches that had fallen across the road, but, over-all, the Trail seemed easier going up than it had coming down 3 years ago. I stopped for lunch at the highest shelter on the whole Appalachian Trail and then went on to Clyde Smith shelter. There I met a couple of people of interest. One was a 72-year-old man who asked me my age. When I told him, he seemed really deflated because to this point, he had been the oldest hiker he had met.The other person was a young lady who first said she was from Dayton, Ohio, and then specified Yellow Springs. When I told her that my step-son taught school there, we figured out that Jeff had been her middle school science teacherI wanted to go at least a few more miles, so I ended up at Greasy Creek Gap. Just before that, I cut a rather complicated group of fallen trees ¢ 34 hour. Then I went down a very rocky road six tenths of a mile to Greasy Creek Hostel to spend the night.Had trouble keeping track of names of hikers I met today because my phone would let me type a note about it and then at some point it would delete it without warning, apparently because it's running out of storage space.Here are some of the people I did get names on: Shutterbug, Comet, Cinderella, Grandma, several section-hikers with a "friendly" wet dog, Video, Back-Seat-Driver, Morell, Hellbender, Ryan, Tova, Nowhere-Man, Cheshire, Nightingale, NP, Farmer Luke, Whoopee, Pebbles, Chiapot, Starbucks, Goner, Summer-Breeze, Sunshine, Wind Walker, Sliver, Reindeer, Tex, Easy, Tortuga & Autobahn (Ger), Sweep, Ladybug, Hey-Jude, Crusher, Even Keel, Seadog, Sundog,Blue Indian, Quips, Diatom, Bebop, McLevin, Rush, No Name, Tenacious, Charcoal, Peril, Prairie, Dragon, Firecracker (Austria), Strawberries, Lucky Man(Fin), Junior-Mint, Granny Smith, Fern, Soul-Flower, Night-Man, Extra-Tough, Weebles, Lady McGyver & Bear-Chaser, Scooter, Future-Dad, Raging Sunflower (Molly Brown), The Crow (72), Purple-Mist & Opti-mist, Darkness. [67]
Date: 2016-05-10
From: Greasy Creek Gsp

To: Beauty Spot
Miles today: 13.8
Weather: few clouds

Today was disappointing in several ways. For one I got started way later than I hoped. In a totally dark room, it's hard to wake up on time if I don't set my alarm, but I don't want to disturb other people.I got on the trail about 9:45. That was after walking back up the six tenths of a mile rocky road to get back to the trail.I've also been feeling that I'm going awfully slow sometimes lately, especially this morning. I was wondering if it relates to how much food I eat for breakfast and also how much water I drink ¢ got to keep looking at that.Also had trouble with my phone yesterday. It totally lost the note that I was working on on my day's activities, and then today that happened again. I think I figured out that I totally used up all the memory on the phone, but it didn't really give me any specific warnings of that. I'm trying to get that figured out.I met someone this morning who used to live in Rhinelander ¢ it's about the closest-of-home hiker I've seen other than that couple from Wausau I saw the other night.The highest climb of the day is Unaka Mtn. about 5200 feet high, which is known for having red spruce trees on top. First, though, you climb up through a whole bunch of rhododendrons, hemlocks, and birches [I haven't seen birches for a while either], and also some trees that I'm identifying as a southern tree called The Lemonwood tree. Did a little trail work on the way up. In late afternoon, a thunderstorm was threatening. When it seemed to dissipate, I camped at this place called Beauty Spot. The rain didn't last long ¢ no thunder.This was a really nice day for walking in the woods, a warm, sunny day, but at least now we have some shade.
Date: 2016-05-11
From: Beauty Spot

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 16.9
Weather: overcast clouds

For a few weeks, I've been considering whether I want to go to "Trail Days" in Damascus. I never have, & this may be my last chance. It would involve getting a ride back to Damascus, but many people do that. My thinking has been, "If I don't like crowds, loud music, & excessive drinking, what's in it for me?" Well, there ARE a lot of interesting programs & displays from gear manufacturers, plus an opportunity to meet meet hikers I've met before or never would meet otherwise. Besides, my wife won't be coming to pick me up till after 12 June, since she's playing the organ back home that day. So I have time (I have some tension between wanting to get done in what I consider a speedy time & not wanting to get stuck just sitting around). I guess I'll go ¢ so it's time to figure out how to get there. The morning was all downhill. I stopped at Curly Maple Gap to cook lunch. One woman hiker came by while I was there. Then it was farther down into the valley, where I found a substantial blowdown to cut. After that, it was just a short distance to the bridge across the river. Uncle Johnny's hostel was quite crowded ¢ a bit overwhelming for me, used to hiking by myself most of the time. I spoke with a few of the hikers, then with Johnny about a shuttle to Trail Days. The one for today was full, but I could sign up for the one tomorrow. I called some other shuttle drivers & they wanted a hundred dollars. $22 sounded a lot better to me, so I signed up. I just needed to be back by 11:00 tomorrow.Not wanting to just sit around, I headed up the hill to No Business Knob Shelter.I tried hanging a bear bag & failed, just like I had at this location 3 years ago. There were 4 other hikers there, & they engaged in a game I'd never heard of at the picnic table while I tried to get to sleep so I could get up early in the morning. I had about 5 miles to go to the next highway at Spivey Gap.
Date: 2016-05-12
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Spivey Gap, then to Trail Days
Miles today: 4.9
Weather: few clouds

Up & on the Trail before daylight.My main project of the morning was to go 5 miles over the next mountain to Spivey gap to hitch a ride back to Erwin, in time to catch the shuttle to Damascus. I had thought U.S.19W would be about as busy a highway as U.S.19E earlier this week. Not so. It was almost a half hour before I saw a vehicle going my way, & it didn't stop. Very poor phone reception at the trailhead, so I walked up the hill a bit & tried calling for a shuttle. Eventually, I got a ride from the owner of Hikers Paradise Hostel (only about the third car I saw), who was willing to get me to Uncle Johnny's on time.Ten hikers got a ride in the van to Damascus, stopping once for late breakfast. We got left off at Mt. Rogers outfitters, which is a long way from "tent city", especially if you don't really know your way around [I've been to Damascus numerous times, but never to that end of town].I was barely out of the van before I started meeting people I'd met before, the first being "Bear Foot", whom I'd met several times on my 2013 hike. One I was particularly looking for was a woman I'd met a bit before the Mt Rogers Ranger station ¢ I never did find her. Another, whom I had not met was "Mountain Man". I've been about a week behind him, but getting closer. He's the only SOBO hiker most NOBOs had met, & I'd heard he was slowing down for Trail Days & so as not to get done too soon.After setting up my tent in the field called "tent city", I spent a little time at the library before they closed, but a lot of the afternoon walking back & forth between tent city & downtown, checking out the vendors' booths that were set up in the park. Lots of good stuff, but I don't really need anything at this point. It's not exactly like a day on the trail, but you can get a good bit of exercise here anyway.The fire department had a free supper for hikers, & while waiting in line I met Mountain Man, in his late 60s, I think, with a much longer beard than I. Also at the dinner I met Kowabunga, with whom I had hiked some in the early weeks of my 2013 hike. He didn't finish that year but has since. Loads of other hikers to meet, but I've lost track of the names. So far, I'm having fun.After finding out that the scheduled evening slide show wasn't happening, I returned to my tent. A church group called One Way Ministries had a place across from Tent city where they provided various services to hikers including a gathering for those who didn't care to go out drinking in the bars. I spent a little time there before going to bed.
Date: 2016-05-13
From: Damascus

To: Damascus Trail Days
Miles today: 0.0

I started off with the pancake breakfast at One Way Ministries, then dropped off my laundry at the laundry trailer & took a shower there. Then it was into town to the fire dep't ¢ the breakfast wasn't free, but I decided to make a donation anyway. At various times during the day I spent time on the library computer & also wandered the exhibits, entering as many gear drawings as possible. There were presentations going on at various places all day. I made it to the ones on Chestnut trees along the Trail, Gene Espy's 1951 thru-hike [next after Earl Shaffer's in 1948], & an update on problems at Mt. Katahdin. In between, I took in the ALDHA luncheon & went back to pick up my laundry & get a free haircut. A hostel somewhere North on the Trail [which I had skipped] had a free hamburger supper in Tent City, & Granite Gear had a chili feed ¢ I made it to both. Still a hungry hiker!High point of the afternoon was going to the various drawings by the gear dealers. I can state confidently that I never win raffles, but it was fun to watch everybody getting excited about some pretty insignificant "gifts". It was a little tricky to move back & forth from one drawing to another, but I did make it to the Hyperlite exhibit & stuck it out till the last item: their ultralight 4400 Windrider Backpack. GUESS WHAT?I WON! Now what do I do with an extra backpack in the middle of a hike? I had several people asking if I wanted to sell it, but no one made a specific offer. That's OK ¢ I was curious, & what better way to try out a pack than some time on the AT? I decided to keep it for now, maybe sell it on Craig's List if I didn't like it, & send my Z-Pack on ahead. After some evening snacks at the One Way center, I headed for bed. There'd been some rain during the day, so the Tent City field was a bit soggy, tho my tent was dry enough.
Date: 2016-05-14
From: Damascus

To: Damascus Trail Days
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Another day with lots of back-&-forth walking, tho I did occasionally connect with the shuttle bus around town & out to the mall for a little shopping. Looking back at the exhibits, I found that some things I had considered buying on Thursday were gone already, & soon after Noon many of the booths were closing up. I guess it's stuff I didn't really need. I talked a bit with the Granite Gear VP about problems with the Crown 60 I'd used for 112 thru-hikes, & he said he'd send me a new one. We'll see.There was a BBQ ribs lunch at the veterans memorial. While standing in line, I met up with Bob Peoples, who had brought the phone charger I had left at Kincora. So far, 2 for 3 on items lost on the Trail [no word on the wallet yet]! Then there was an award ceremony where the town was honoring Gene Espy [2d thru-hiker], & I got my picture taken with him [I'm sentimental about stuff like that]. I was beginning to get tired of the crowds, & the evening program didn't interest me, so after the last of the gear give-aways [didn't get anything], I started packing up. Uncle Johnny doesn't run shuttles back to Erwin from Trail Days because he says there are always plenty of free rides available. I had put my name on the ride board but got no response; so it was time to hitchhike [about 65 miles]. Altho it's not near the Trail, Tent City is right next to the road heading South into Tennessee. So I started walking in that direction. It wasn't long before I got picked up by a couple of trail maintainers from the area, who were heading home from Damascus. It was fun talking with them, but they could only take me about ? of the way, to Shady Valley. Not so many cars traveling that way, but I got a ride with a couple of other guys who had been at Trail Days. They were going to Elizabethton, which I knew to be on my way, & were kind enough to drop me off at the far end of town, where Old Erwin Road turned off. They figured anyone on that road would surely be heading for Erwin. A little difficult because it was a complicated 5-way intersection, where the road I wanted was the least-traveled one ¢ hard to let drivers know which way I wanted to go. Eventually, just as it was getting too dark to hitch, a woman in a pickup with a teen-age son stopped. She was willing to take me to Erwin but didn't have enough gas. So I bought her enough to do that & still get to work on Monday; she took me to the Walmart on the edge of Erwin, since I wanted to buy a couple of things I hadn't been able to get in Damascus [plus a sandwich for supper].I had forgotten how far from the hostels the Erwin Walmart is. I decided I didn't want to go to Uncle Johnny's, so I called Cantarrosa Farms. They sounded pretty full, but after some negotiation & agreeing to pay extra for the shuttle, they came & picked me up. Nice place, tho more expensive than the alternative.
Date: 2016-05-15
From: Spivey Gap

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 9.7
Weather: clear sky

The hostel is in a pretty place along the river. A couple staying at the hostel gave me a ride downtown to look for a church. After pondering whether it would be 1st Presbyterian or 1st Christian Church, I chose the latter. Good service & friendly people. Bill & Judy, a couple from the congregation, took me out to the AT at Spivey Gap, just 14 mile beyond their house. Felt good to be back hiking again!I skipped High Rocks this time [been there, done that]. I did notice that the wind really whistles through Whistling Gap. Someone told me there had been frost up on the bald last night. It certainly does seem cooler!Then it was up & over Little Bald Mountain, which seems like a double misnomer. It's almost the same height as Big Bald, & it's not bald ¢ it has trees on top. The only thing little about it is the amount of space at the top, which is a lot less because it's a pointy-top Mountain compared to the dome shape of Big Bald.Stopped in to fix supper at Bald Mountain shelter: first one I've seen with bear cables (pulley set-ups to help with hanging food). I guess we're out of Tennessee-Eastman territory. Each Trail club seems to have its own philosophy about whether to provide privies & what to do about bears. Two Sunday afternoons in a row walking over balds. This one even has switch-backs (the "slalom" type seen in the South).Hikers met: Spunk & Bojangles, Lone-wanderer,( passed from behind by section hiker Brandon), then Katie and Steven, Sprinter & 13-Sunrays, Ocho, Stew, Chuck, Friar Tuck, Prince Charming, Lazy Eagle, Candyman (Ger), Captain Planet, GA-ME-time, gold and Silver(S. Afr). When I got to Low Gap, around dusk, there were 5-6 tents pitched. I didn't get to find out who they were. Sun was setting & it was getting cold ; so I got busy setting up my camp a little beyond them.
Date: 2016-05-16
From: Low Gap

To: Rector Laurel Road
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Woke up at 5:20, but didn't actually get going till 7:00. First tent I passed, someone said, "You're off to an early start." It didn't feel that way to me. Met on the Trail today: Master-Chief, Gold-Star, 2 with no names, Spiderman, Bear Bait, silence, Panama, Adiga, Polar Bear, Claire & Margarita, Tim, Spam & Sniper (Green Bay), Chef, Rambler, Masa, Mtn Glow, Pace, Shawn, James, Truckin', 2-Pack, Pocahontas, Walker, 3 with no names, Cruiser,  Radagast, Blood-man, Smoke-Jr, Repo, Curious George, Switchback, Clif-bar, Farmor & Great-Gramps, Sketch, Pooch, Jem, Snow White, Deets.   At the hostel: Alpiner (Swi), 3-Time, Giggles (Eng), Bugsy, Navigator, Packman, Pepper, & someone else. Easier ups & downs today, with the big one coming in late afternoon. But I didn't actually get that far. By 4:00, I was almost to the Hiker Paradise Hostel. I don't like to stop so early. I had hoped to get to Jerry Cabin Shelter, but that's another 10 miles. I had hoped to stay there because I think I had stayed there both of my previous times thru; but it will have to be a lunch stop tomorrow. So I stayed at "Hiker Paradise". I probably should have pushed on 3 more miles to Flint Mtn Shelter, but I have plenty of time to finish my hike. This hostel is a new place [not even in the guidebooks], about 34 mile off the trail, with bunks stacked 3 high. It was almost full, so I had a bit of climbing to do during the night. Water pressure wasn't very good. They have lots of food-stuff for sale & must make most of their money off the sales. Now I have two full days to get to Hot Springs -- not sure how much time I want to spend there.
Date: 2016-05-17
From: Rector Laurel Road

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: light rain

The rooster started crowing at 5:45, which is just about the time I'm used to having the birds start their singing; so I guess that makes sense. Granola just seems to take a long time to eat, whether at a shelter or tent or hostel. Anyway, I didn't get started hiking till 7:00. After about an hour I met Accident-Prone, first person out of the Flint Mountain shelter. When I got to the shelter the rest were still there, not wanting to venture out into the rain: Snorasaurus, Lando, Jessica, Cody, Monte Cristo [Mex]; Stormy was still in her sleeping bag. After I got down a bit from the shelter, I met Proper & Rev.   Light, off-&-on rain continued thru the morning.Got into Jerry cabin around a quarter to 2 and didn't get out till 3:00, probably because I made macaroni and cheese, which was good and I could feel my energy rising. Also, I talked with a lot with hikers in the shelter or vicinity.I am going very slowly up hills. It seems I got close to 2 miles an hour coming down to Jerry cabin, but going up before that I was probably going less than one mile in hour. Foggy afternoon with no rain but no views either.Up on the highest part of the rocks, I did have some sunshine and some good views, primarily to the East, not so much to the West; but at least that means the trail is going South again after winding around West & North & East all morning.It looks like the rhododendrons are just starting to bloom down here. I'd seen them blooming in northern Tennessee almost 2 weeks ago & I thought maybe I'd missed them down here. There are a lot of little bugs buzzing around brooks. They look like small flies, nothing that seems to bite, but kind of annoying since I haven't had bugs so far this Spring. Other hikers met today: Mosey, Kilometer, Ashville (Ger), Quiet, Capital, Professor, Last-Call, Sunshine, Gandalf-the-Green, Birdie, 2-Step, Wooley-Bugger, Lost, Wrong-way, Skittles, Thumbalena (Madison), 4 sec-hikers from Okla, Medicine Man, Yak (Ont), Texas, Broke-Back (Valparaiso), Spoon-Foot, 2-Plates, Monkey-Legs, Leslie, Got-Away, FloMo, Rabbit, Bear-Finder, Puppy-Mill (6th female in a row -- doing 27-mile day), Hansel, Feivel, Outlaw, Kegleg.At Little Laurel Shelter: Woodstock, Polar Bear, Hatchet, Pretzel. While we ate supper at the shelter, the last four had a conversation about literature ranging from Mark Twain to Hermann Hesse -- very different from the usual shelter conversations. I haven't had any trail work to do since Spivey Gap, where I left the Tennessee Eastman Club territory.