morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2010-10-22
From: Hurricane Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter Stealth
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

The Proclaimers don't have a clue what they were singing about. Today we began at our official halfway point between Harpers Ferry and Springer Mountain, and we ended with under 500 miles to go. We have walked 500 miles and we will walk 500 more. I just don't think The Proclaimers ever did or ever would do such a thing.
Date: 2010-10-24
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Dave's Place
Miles today: 13.0

We are in Damascus and loving it!A shout-out to Edsel: for your trail name, look at the entry for October 15.For Linda with the Deva pack: You can do it!For Mom and Dad and Jesse and fam and Gabe and Jessica and Colleen: THANK YOU for mail and maildrops! Thank you thank you thank you!
Date: 2010-10-26
From: Dave's Place

To: Abington Gap Shelter, TENNESSEE!
Miles today: 10.6

After 550+ miles in Virginia and a month and a half of hiking, we finally reached Tennessee! This is excellent news for everyone involved, as I have far more songs in my mental jukebox about Tennessee than I do about Virginia. I can at least rotate through songs now rather than drive the world insane by singing the same one over and over.We celebrated our new state tonight not by singing but by decorating the shelter with glow-in-the-dark space decals. Every shelter would be better with glow-in-the-dark spaceships.Tonight's exciting food adventure was roasted Rice Krispie Bars. My sister mailed approximately 45 pre-packaged treats to us and although we had a fire, we had no marshmallows, so we figured that Rice Krispie Bars were close enough. Verdict: success.
Date: 2010-10-27
From: Abington Gap Shelter, TENNESSEE!

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.1
Weather: light rain

Last night there was torrential rain and today's fog was fun until it wasn't. Then it rained and there was much doom.I have concluded that walking in the rain is fun. Enjoyable. A good time. Hiking in the rain, when everything important to your life is on your back and getting damp and there's no hot bath or warm clothes or cuddly blankets at the end of the day and your shoes won't dry out for days and you live in a cloud for a day . . . there's not really a redeeming quality there.Dear Tennessee: Please improve. Thanks. Love, Jo
Date: 2010-10-28
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: clear sky

Much improved, Tennessee. There, a little sunshine didn't hurt, now did it?Today we actually had views through the trees, we could actually SEE where we were going, and my shoes actually dried out a little bit! So although it is not the most remarkable of mileages, it was a good day.Here are some very important things I was thinking about toady:*I LOVE hiking in my vest. Yay for winter clothes being mailed to us exactly on time in Damascus. Thanks Mom and Dad. Yay.*Tennessee has no privies near the shelter. You just gotta dig a hole and squat. Fun times.*My ramen is DELICIOUS.*I am very grateful that today was the first day of this entire hike that I had to deal with the skin on my foot rubbing off. This was a constant problem for me last year; this year I've only dealt with it this once. That is not bad. I know this sounds gross. Well, it IS gross.
Date: 2010-10-29
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 6.4

There are days when you have to decide between another ho-hum day of hiking over an absolutely ridiculously unnecessary 2,000 foot mountain that the AT goes out of its way to go over . . . or eating at a pizza buffet.So if the average hiker burns 5,000 - 6,000 calories, I am pretty sure I burn at least 1,000 more per day, as I am not the fittest of hikers and uphills are really hard for me, even after so many miles. Karma is skeptical of these numbers, but I believe them. Every so often while hiking I feel like my body kind of stops working and needs a recharge in the form of ridiculous amounts of food. I went to bed last night dreaming of pizza and I woke up in the middle of the night dreaming of pizza and when I woke up this morning it was not difficult to convince Karma that the All You Can Eat Pizza Buffet in Hampton was the place to be today.We hitched in with a very nervous woman who clearly had no idea what the AT is and only stopped because "y'all have so much crap that I figure you can't rob me and run off quickly." We got to the buffet as it opened. It was kind of a disgusting display of consumption, but I think we both needed it and we were ready to continue hiking afterwards, so we must not have overdone it toooo much. The hike out of Hampton was lovely and we were treated to the first really spectacular waterfall of the journey. It was awesome. Then we hiked to one of the most famous hostels on the entire trail . . .
Date: 2010-10-30
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Laurel Fork Campsite
Miles today: 11.3

It was hard to leave Kincora. Its owner, Bob Peoples, is an absolute trail legend. He and his wife Pat opened the hostel years and years ago, and it is only .2 from the trail. Bob works on trails and organizes groups and thruhikers to do maintenance. Even since his wife passed away, he still welcomes hikers to his home. Hikers get sucked into Kincora and end up having all kinds of adventures. Alas, our adventure was only to include a resupply in nearby Elizabethton and some fantastic cooking a la Karma. We took a lazy morning because the other guys at the hostel were up all night and therefore, we were too. But we also had a lazy morning because Bob's cat Loki was sleeping on me. And we had a lazy morning because for the first time, we woke up to incredible frost all over everything . . . and we were warm and cozy inside. Because we made it only 11 miles we were at a beautiful campsite and we roasted marshmallows and there was much general happiness with life.
Date: 2010-10-31
From: Laurel Fork Campsite

To: Doll Flats, NORTH CAROLINA!
Miles today: 15.8

On this Halloween day it was perfectly sunny and lovely outside. The trail passed by a cemetery where I ate lunch and relaxed. Interesting timing.I got lost today. It's easier to get lost this time of year due to the intense leaf cover. It's also easier, I think, to get lost as a southbounder because the trail is rather set up for northbound hikers. I think this has improved massively in the past few years, though. I love how well-blazed the trail has been. Cheers, trail maintainers! Anyway, for getting lost today there was really no excuse. I just went the wrong way when I didn't see the double (turn) blazes. It was a fun additional mile on an already long day. Ah well.I also got to re-route myself around a young rattler. The young ones are the scariest because they are harder to see and they are not yet smart enough to know that striking a victim is really painful for both parties involved. Luckily I saw him (her?) just in time to leap up the slope and not squish him.The goal of the day was to get us halfway up the vicious Hump Mountain. Besides having a lovely name, Hump Mountain is a long, long climb. I really, really stink at climbing. You'd think after, what, 1800 miles of AT I would not stink at climbing, right? Wrong. I will forever suck at climbing. Whenever possible I love to split up big climbs by sleeping for 10 hours or so, and Hump Mountain had a campsite over halfway up. Hurrah!When we hit Doll Flats we saw the beautiful mountains we'll climb tomorrow, a perfect field, and some distant cows. We also saw a sign stating that we're in North Carolina. North Carolina! The next new state we hit will be Georgia. Surreal.
Date: 2010-11-01
From: Doll Flats, NORTH CAROLINA!

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: overcast clouds

This was the best start to a month ever. The rest of the climb up Hump Mountain was rocky but in a fun, nonthreatening way, and when the trees finally gave way to the bald I could see forever! The southern balds are really heartbreakingly beautiful. Hiking in the tall grass I could look down to Doll Flats where we camped last night, and once I finally summited Hump Mountain, I could see the entire rest of the day stretch out in front of me: studying my elevation profile map I could see Little Hump, Jane Bald, and Roan Mountain, all waiting to be explored.Also, someone lost a pair of pants on top of the mountain. How do you do that? How do you not notice that your pants are missing? It's the big questions in life that plague me.We ate lunch at Overmountain Shelter, a beautiful barn that has been converted to sleeping/lunching quarters for AT hikers. It has a great view and it was tempting to stay, but we had an even more exciting rest of the day planned.We climbed and climbed and reached Jane Bald and could see the entire world on either side. It reminded me of Saddleback Mountain in Maine, but it could just have been the similarly perfect weather and high spirits we were experiencing.Our final ascent was Roan Mountain. We'd already gained most of the elevation, so the trail up the mountain was enjoyable. The smell of pines and the water tricking down the trail made it feel like Maine. We met a nice trail maintainer, and were thrilled with the condition of Roan High Knob Shelter. At over 6,000 feet, it's the highest shelter on the entire AT, and thankfully it is enclosed. Having a door on a shelter makes a huge difference, especially on a very cold night at very high elevations.Karma did some math regarding our elevation change today (and this is saying something, as neither of us excel at math) and we ended up climbing well over 3,000 feet. It felt like more than that, but what a great day.
Date: 2010-11-02
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Greasy Creek Friendly
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: clear sky

I woke up today bone-tired.Yesterday was strenuous, but I think the problem had to do with sleep. As a thruhiker, my health hangs in a precarious balance. It's like walking a tightrope: one tiny misstep and I'm falling to my doooom. A missed meal, a loss of sleep, or anything similar can be that misstep.Last night these guys came in after dark. We've seen them before. They hike big miles and plan to finish by Thanksgiving, so we're thinking we'll never see them again. They were the ones up all night at Kincora, which seemed more reasonable as hostels have a little more leeway with concepts like quiet hours. But hiker midnight is 8, maybe 9 PM. We need the sleep. I really, really need the sleep. I am getting 10 - 11 hours of sleep per night, which is more than I ever got in high school or college, but my body needs it to help me heal each night. Anyway, these guys packed in beer and played their radio, and Karma had to ask them to be quiet, which seemed really sad. Thruhikers shouldn't have to tell other thruhikers to keep it down. They had a lack of respect and a self-centeredness that really bothered me. Part of the reason I hiked south was to avoid this party atmosphere. Sigh.So hiking down Roan this morning, I was not in a great mood. I'd lost hours and hours of sleep to these guys and I was not happy about it. Then when Karma was hiking way ahead of me I had a really bad fall. The leaves cover slippery tree roots where I have no traction, and I've had a couple of close calls. I went down, yelled, and hit the ground hard. As I stood up and was brushing the dirt and leaves off of me and sniffling, two of the guys raced by me. Didn't ask how I was. Didn't notice that I was crying and cleaning up after a fall. Hardly saw me. They were literally running down the trail. Expletives.I needed to not go 16 miles today as planned, so we stopped in at Greasy Creek Friendly Hostel, which was an experience! CC calls herself a "recovering dental hygienist" and Karma called her a "grown-up Pippi Longstocking" and both descriptions are accurate. We slept in her house, ate a delicious meal, and watched Galaxy Quest.
Date: 2010-11-03
From: Greasy Creek Friendly

To: Curley Maple Shelter
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: scattered clouds

Never give up; never surrender!Today's adventures included getting adopted by a stray dog for 2 miles, having a total breakdown at lunch, and night-hiking to miraculously make 20 miles even though we hadn't planned to go so far. I rolled into camp about 5 minutes before it started to sprinkle and woke up in the middle of the night to torrential rain. What a great day to push 4 miles farther to sleep in a shelter instead of a tent! Life is good, even with occasional breakdowns.
Date: 2010-11-04
From: Curley Maple Shelter

To: Uncle Johnny's
Miles today: 4.0
Weather: light rain

Mileage estimate What a beautiful, only slightly wet 4 miles into Uncle Johnny's Hostel! It was the perfect day to only have to walk for a couple of hours. Karma and I rented a little cabin with bunkbeds and ate at a pizza buffet. We also had a really stressful day of watching Notting Hill and Out of Africa. Karma said that Notting Hill was a little too chick-flicky, and I say that Out of Africa really had no redeeming quality except for this:Dude in movie: Better get to bed. It's an early day tomorrow.Chick in movie: What happens tomorrow?Dude in movie: I have no idea.There. Now none of you have to suffer through Out of Africa. I gave you the best part.
Date: 2010-11-06
From: Uncle Johnny's

To: No Business Knob Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: light rain

Mileage estimateToday was a wonderful, happy, delightful, nostalgic day! My trail family from last year, Smokin' Loon and Mountain Yogi, came to hike with us for a couple of days. We woke up to incredible snowflakes coming down on us. They were as big as my fingernails and made the world into a winter wonderland. We left Uncle Johnny's and the festival of fellow southbounders we'd just met (Picker & Grinner, Boo & Scout, Charm & Lucky, and Birdie). The four of us shuttled out to Sam's Gap up a winding road and started hiking north. Such rebels! It's funny how strange it is to hike north when you're used to hiking south. We opted for a nice, short day, and I'm so glad we did. Hiking in the snow was fun, but sitting by Mountain Yogi's roaring fire was more fun. Smokin' Loon learned new marshmallow roasting techniques and instructed Karma on her bladder theories. It felt so right to be hiking with those two again, and I'm so glad that now Karma can picture them when I tell stories.I feel so blessed to be able to share this part of my thruhike with my friends from last year, and so happy that my friend from this year got to meet them. What a magical day!
Date: 2010-11-07
From: No Business Knob Shelter

To: Snowy Stealth Site
Miles today: 10.0

mileage estimateToday was my 26th birthday. I woke up to a snowy world and no rush. We lounged in our sleeping bags and I handed out leis to everyone. We ate lovely pumpkin muffins for breakfast and I blew out a candle. Eventually we decided to hike back to Erwin and Uncle Johnny's where Smokin' Loon and Mountain Yogi parked their car. We ate yummy pizza (thank youuuu) and drove back out to Sam's Gap so that Karma and I could continue south.By this time the snow was packed and had melted a tiny bit which made the ground slippery and the elevation change kind of terrifying. We camped in the snow and were only marginally miserable.It was the greatest birthday present to spend the day with friends old and new on the Appalachian Trail. Thanks to Smokin' Loon and Mountain Yogi for making the trip out to hike with us!
Date: 2010-11-08
From: Snowy Stealth Site

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

I am sitting at my home in Minnesota, sipping hot cocoa and looking out at flurries outside. I have been home just over a month, and it's finally time to update Trailjournals. Once I left Erwin, internet access along the AT was rather . . . abysmal, and when there was internet access, I had more immediate things to do.And so I am picking it up again, from my real-life journal and from pictures. I have very vivid memories of my last month on the trail; in some ways, those were the very best of days.So I start where I left off, which was actually one of the worst days on the trail. From the high of visiting with Smokin' Loon and Mountain Yogi for a couple of days, to celebrating my birthday in the woods, and grand adventures in Erwin, the shock of returning to the woods in the snow was more than miserable.I woke up this morning in the snow. None of it had melted overnight. My shoes were frozen, wet, and if Mountain Yogi hadn't given me his gloves, I might have frozen my fingers. The only reason I slept at all was because of handwarmers that they had given me for my birthday. They warmed my feet when even my 10 degree fancy bag was struggling to keep me warm. There's nothing like packing away my gear (don't forget metal poles) that had been in freezing temperatures all night. On top of all this, Karma went to bed with a possible cold, and woke up no better.Karma and I continued south, thinking that the day's sun would soon take care of the remaining inches of snow. What actually happened was the the footprints of those before us melted just enough to make the trail a slick, treacherous place. Going up was bad; going down was worse. Luckily, the mountains we crossed that day were small in comparison to what was farther ahead of us. My real-life journal says just this: Snow-hiking sucks. Icy chutes of death. M sick.Sometimes, as much as you love it, life on the trail is truly pretty awful. It makes the good times better; it makes you stronger for being out there even if the hard times are short-lived.And sometimes, it's better to bail. We decided that a sick Karma, plus general misery of not being able to escape the snow, made it time to bail.I'm never terribly concerned with missing bits of the trail. Those who feel the need to see every white blaze in order are, in my humble opinion, making up for something missing in their lives. I'm happy to see most of them, and in whatever order they happen in. Next time I hike I'll see any small bits I missed.We met a man named Taylor who was scattering the ashed of his beloved dog. He kindly offered us a ride to Mars Hill, where we found a shuttle to Hot Springs. It was time to take some health time. Thanks again to the kindness of strangers, everything worked out.
Date: 2010-11-09
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Elmer's 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

This was the first zero day at Elmer's. Elmer is the owner/caretaker of an incredible house in Hot Springs. He allows hikers to stay for a meager $20 per night - an incredible price for the ambiance of the place. It was way more comfortable to each have a bed with quilts than for us to set up our tents in the snow. That's really not a fun thing. But quilts! Beds! Those are wonderful inventions indeed.Though our goal for the day was recuperation and rest (Karma was feeling pretty sick still, and I was very grateful that we had decided to bail rather than deal with his illness in the woods), we still managed to do a few chores: picking up maildrops from the post office (thank you for wonderful birthday packages!), visiting the library, and spending far too much time and money at Bluff Mountain Outfitters. Hot Springs is everything a trail town should be. It's small enough to walk to everywhere without the thought of violating the sacred sloth of a zero-mile day. The sidewalks where the AT goes through town have huge AT symbols - we felt special. The locals are so friendly that one woman stopped her truck in the middle of the road (not much traffic) to talk to me and Karma and learn about us. The diner had an AT symbol on its sign and well-priced and delicious food. And it had the best outfitter I visited while on the AT. This town could suck a person in, I think . . . like Gorham, but with soul.Any outfitter located near the southern start of the AT has to be prepared for lots of crazies wandering through. Thankfully, November was not its peak month, and Karma and I spent much more than an hour roaming through the store and making careful selections. I decided I needed rain pants if I was going to continue this hiking-through-snow crap; I mistakenly decided to buy new shoes that didn't have holes in them. After a day in Hot Springs, I had to bump Monson, Greenwood Lake, and even Waynesboro from my list of potentially favorite trail towns. Hot Springs has to win. I love this town. Forever and ever.
Date: 2010-11-10
From: Elmer's 

To: Elmer's
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

With fewer than 300 miles to go, it was tempting to leave town today, but we both decided it was wiser to not over-exert ourselves. Instead we spent another day at Elmer's.In our time at Elmer's, we saw some familiar faces from Erwin. Picker and Grinner were excited to catch up with Lucky and Charm near the Smokies. Deep Dish spent a good day agonizing over the shoes at Bluff Mountain Outfitter. And finally Boo and Scout caught up!Boo and Scout are officially my favorite people hiking the trail this year. An "older" couple by trail standards, they had incredible attitudes and good teamwork. I really hoped that we would become a trail family. Of all the people we met, they were the two who were not fixated on getting to Springer by Thanksgiving. I loved the idea that I, like them, had no deadline, and I loved how excited Scout got at the idea of hiking through snow. (Granted, this was before the snow really began . . . my own enthusiasm also waned.)So there were good times at Elmer's. He and his assistant (Jesse?) prepared an amazing meal for us one night.This was the day that Karma and I soaked in Hot Springs' famous hot springs. The town was originally called "Warm Springs" which is a MUCH better name, for the springwater was definitely not hot. Karma and I each rented our own tub, and I spent a nice hour gazing over the river and using the jets of water to try to blast some of the grime off my feet. It was only moderately successful.It was a lovely day. Karma was feeling better. I felt not miserable. I was slightly sad about missing a bit of trail, but those will be the sections I look forward to most next time. Can you believe that I'm thinking of next time? I sure can't.
Date: 2010-11-11
From: Elmer's

To: Walnut Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.4
Weather: clear sky

Today was a wonderful day: perfect weather to hike all the way to Walnut Mountain Shelter. At the first shelter of the day we rested, snacked, and left behind some trail magic for Boo and Scout, or whoever is hiking and happens to be in need of gloves, an Irish flag, or a tiny Etch-a-Sketch.Good times.I had really high hopes for Bluff Mountain. After all, Bluff Mountain Outfitters was so cool. Alas, Bluff Mountain was simply a long, long climb to similar forest atop it. It felt good to stretch my legs again, and I deeply appreciated the many springs on the way up the mountain (and the excellent signage). But overall, I have a sneaking suspicion that the Pacific Crest Trail would have skirted this mountain rather than force a 2,000+ foot climb. Happily, Walnut Mountain Shelter was deserted and although there were warnings of bears, the only animal activity was some scurryings of mice. The water source was cold and clear, if down a muddy hill of doom. We covered our 13 miles by early afternoon and felt pretty great about having hours of daylight left (!!) to enjoy as we wished.That night Karma donated a shelter log and I tried to burn off my hand with hot water from my pot. I read Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH that I picked up at the library. Alas, it did not make me feel better about the midnight scratching under the wobbly floorboards.