morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2004-05-01
From: Elevated Campsite

To: Low Gap
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

We walked through lush forests today...up,up and more up.It felt like ups all day, but I know that's not possible...I was just tired.We walked across stiles for the first time. I saw lots and lots of red and black caterpillars and snails on the trail. During the first up we passed a beautiful, gushing waterfall. Then it started raining...it was very refreshing and felt great. We also saw ruins of old homes.Ten miles later we were at Sam's Gap, where Aswah was excited (and me) to hitch to a diner a few miles away. Unfortunately, the small road is now overpowered by a major interstate. Only 3 cars passed us in an hour's time.It really is funny hitching. Before the AT, I would never have tried hitchhiking. Some cars pass and look at you like you're crazy (people not familar with AT thru-hikers). Most people are friendly and wave when they pass, or they stop. It's always great when thru-hikers get into a car with non-hikers. The windows are rolled down immediately. Sniff,sniff.We ate lunch at the road crossing (a curry chicken dish that wasn't bad). Hiked on another 3+ miles to Low Gap where we slept on roots and had to rig our thermarests so we wouldn't roll on down the mountain. Surprisingly, it was pretty comfortable.
Date: 2004-05-02
From: Low Gap

To: Erwin, TN
Miles today: 20.8
Weather: light rain

Did a 21 mile day today! We decided to hike it all in one day because we wanted FOOD. Motivations...Today I went thru cold, wet and heavy rain. We started climbing Big Bald, which is a fun climb. (I love those rocks). On top it was eerily cool at 5,516 ft. It was cloudy and very windy on top of the bald. There aren't any trees up there to provide protection from the heavy winds. I would have literally blown over if not for my hiking poles. Man, have those poles saved my life a bunch of times!We then went mud-skiing! On the way down it was rainy and muddy. It was fun skiing down and trying not to fall. Thank you again hiking poles! The rest of the walk into Erwin was very pleasant thru lush forests and over streams.Got into Erwin around 5:30pm. and checked into a motel, ate a Big Mac with fries at Mickey D's, showered and relaxed all night.
Date: 2004-05-03
From: Erwin, TN

To: "Hero Day"
Miles today: 0.0

Hero Day! Started out with a nice breakfast and great service at Huddle House. Did lots of errands: laundry, p.o., etc. Went back to Huddle House for lunch then back to our room to relax. We met up with a bunch of people. Miss Janet came by, Sarge, and then Jack Rabbit and Sleepy the Arab. All great surprise visits. Miss Janet, the angel that she is, offered to take us on to Johnson City (30 miles away) for dinner. Woohoo...Sushi!We had been craving sushi for awhile now, so I was ecstatic to go. Aswah and I had a lovely dinner and then dessert and coffee next door. That was great.
Date: 2004-05-04
From: Erwin, TN

To: Iron Mountain Gap
Miles today: 19.0
Weather: clear sky

Started out with an early grocery run to get supplies for our 19 mile slackpack southbound and ingredients for breakfast at Miss Janets.Aswah and I (as an assistant only) made a humongus frittata for 25+ people at Miss Janets. It was a three layer omelette with spinach, ham, peppers, onions and cheese. Everyone loved it. It was great seeing people again and meeting new ones.Got a late start slackpacking unfortunately, so I felt a bit rushed once we got started. Before we started we had some fun with Miss Janet's potato cannon. I have never seen a contraption like this before. We attempted to hit a street sign with the potato cannon. Fun for some!! My three attempts miserably failed due to bad flint. Oh, well, it was humorous.The slackpack was really beautiful. The beginning was up,up,up to Unaka Mtn. which is the most beautiful, rustic pine forest. Then off to beauty spot which lives up to its name...stopped and enjoyed lunch near there.The rest of the day was glorious, lush greenery, warm sunnyness and walks along streams. We walked the whole way with Chasqoi, who is a really cool man...an interesting conversationalist. Since we left so late, 1pm, we walked the last 1-2 miles in the dark. Three of us with 1 headlamp...it was actually fun! We did 19 miles in 8 hours, which surprised and pleased me. Went back to the hotel, got a pizza and mountain dew and fell asleep quickly
Date: 2004-05-05
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: Little Rock Knob
Miles today: 7.0

Today was a tiring day. Got ready for the next few days in the woods and started hiking around 11:00, via Miss Janet. We were both very tired, and Aswah's ankle was causing alot of agony, due to lack of rest. So, we only went 7 miles.The last mile was up Little Rock Knob, which was a good boulder climb with great views. Found a cherry campsite spot: flat,soft,and with a nice fire ring. We roasted cheddarworst over an open fire...oh my gosh, cheddar oozing down my chin out of a crunchy smoked sausage...living the good life! Ate those with macaroni salad then walked south 1/4 mile to a great rocky outlook with (you guessed it!) great mountain views.We spent a good hour watching the sun go down. And then, yes!, a gorgeous sunset. What a great life I'm living!!
Date: 2004-05-06
From: Little Rock Knob

To: Roan Mountain
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

Slept in until 8:00am. Yep, that's right, 8am. is now considered sleeping in. Slowly packed up and started the gorgeous sunny day. Today was up Roan Mountain, a 6285 ft. steep mountain. Three miles straight up. Very tiring.We stopped for a snack at a road crossing and who comes driving up in all her glory, but the lovely Miss Janet. WOOHOO!Being the opportunists that we are, we hopped into her van for lunch. We went to Bob's Dairyland for a big cheeseburger, fries and a hot fudge sundae. And right before Miss Janet showed up, I ate a ton of combos and a King Size Snickers. "Holy Appetite Change!!"With bellies full, we walked up Roan Mtn., which is a huge climb, but with beautiful, rustic pines. (that rhymes)...We got to the top and decided to stay. We found a great campsite. Others started coming in and staying near us. Sheriff, Keystone, Momma's Boy, Rob and Swiss Miss.We saw the BEST sunset! I was lying down cuddled in my warm sleeping bag. Out my side tarp window I watched the glowing, orange sun fall between two pine trees 100 yds. away. Awesome!When it got dark, we all laid down and watched the zillions of stars and satellites. Awesome again. It doesn't get much better than this
Date: 2004-05-07
From: Roan Mountain

To: Apple House Shelter
Miles today: 14.6

Today was the most beautiful day ever. My words and thoughts and pictures cannot do this day justice. Most of the day was through open grassy balds (Carvers Gap, Little Hump and Big Hump). The coolest part was how we could see the path we were going on, miles ahead, up and down the balds. And to top it off, of course, we were surrounded by the most breathtaking mountain views.It was just stunning. The climbs were all hard, but I didn't even notice because it was so beautiful. Camped in our tarp near Apple House Shelter...met up with Sheriff, Swiss Miss, Sleepy the Arab, Jack Rabbit, Keystone and Momma's Boy.
Date: 2004-05-08
From: Apple House Shelter

To: Campsite
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: broken clouds

Today was a warm, sunny day walking through open fields. One part that I absolutely loved...I'll try to explain. I am walking down a narrow path immediately surrounded by foot tall green grass. 300ft. all around me is this grass with a few green bushes, yellow flowers scattered about, and big, white flowered trees. Behind that, in the distance, is dense forest leaning on an angle toward me. Big boulders were also scattered throughout. Beautiful!We came upon a boulder waterfall today! You could sit at the bottom for a Zen moment or climb a side trail near the top where water is gushing out. We waded through the water...it was so refreshing. Isn't hiking great?!Toward the end of the day it started thundering with heat lightening. That was awesome. Thunder in the mountains sounds really cool. The echo is outstanding! Of course we were near the top of the mountain which is not the best place to be with metal hiking poles. It took a good 1/2 hour to find a flat campsite. It started raining, of course. We found a flat spot, threw up our tarp and got warm and dry. The moment we were safe it started hailing marble-sized pellets. The storm was right over us with lightening...a little too close for comfort. Cool when you are listening at home...scary when you are in it. The storm stopped a few hours later, and we stayed dry.
Date: 2004-05-09
From: Campsite

To: Dennis Cove Road
Miles today: 12.7

Happy Mother's Day to my Momma, Micheline and Beth! I hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing day.Today I was tired. We got a fairly early start (8:30am). The walking was thru forests up and down, up and down. We reached Dennis Cove Road and headed to Laurel Creek Lodge. This place is awesome. Aswah is friends with John, who runs the place. He let us stay in a 3 bedroom apartment that is awesome...wood burning stove, laundry, our own shower... nice and private, and full kitchen. We are going to do a work-for-stay. We'll stay for free and eat for free and do whatever work needs to be done. Cooking, cleaning, shuttling people, etc. Awesome! We'll slackpack southbound the next 50 miles while staying here. I like this change!We went to an AYCE chinese restaurant with Loon and Lizard. We went home and cooked a pizza, had oreos...double stuffed with milk. This is the life. We watched a movie, drank beer and had a great time. I feel very relaxed. Talked to our families and got a good night's sleep.
Date: 2004-05-11
From: Watauga Dam Road

To: Dennis Cove Road
Miles today: 13.1

We slackpacked SB today and it was easy hiking! We started out hiking thru lush forests towards a great lake where we had lunch and went for a swim! Ahh, so refreshing on a hot, sunny day. After playing in the water we hiked some more thru dense forests. At the end of the day we walked through canyons of boulder rock and next to a gushing creek. God, I love that sound...so relaxing. At the very end we went to Laurel Falls. Wow! These falls were GUSHING with water...about 200 ft. high and 100 ft. wide over huge boulders into the creek. If the water wasn't so cold we would have taken another swim...Gorgeous.Came back to Laurel Creek and did some housework for John, Shuttling and shopping. I finally had a chance to relax and read in my peaceful apartment. What a great way to end the day.
Date: 2004-05-12
From: Tenn. 91

To: Watauga Dam Road
Miles today: 15.7

We slackpacked SOBO again today. It's really fun because you see people that are ahead of you and you make them jealous because you are free without a heavy pack.We just cruised today...great views of the Watauga Dam. I just love bodies of water, so I was happy. Rained off and on, but we didn't care because we are going back to a warm apartment with laundry and hot showers and hot FOOD! Tough life I'm leading...
Date: 2004-05-13
From: 91

To: Campsite
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: clear sky

Great Quote:"Remote for detachment, narrow for chosen company, winding for leisure, lonely for contemplation, the Appalachian Trail beckons not merely north and south, but upward to the body, mind, and soul of man."                                                 Harold Allen 1936Started out by passing an old farmhouse...it's neat to walk by old properties like that and to think about how life might have been back then. Nice, easy forest walking today. We stopped at Abingdon Shelter and chatted with Swan and April Showers about the changes that have occured in the last few weeks.Starting to finally get past the physical pain...I'm beginning to not even think that I'm walking. It's a great change that helps me appreciate the beauty more.We camped in a nice spot for the evening.
Date: 2004-05-14
From: Campsite

To: Damascus
Miles today: 9.0
Weather: scattered clouds

What a great morning! We took our time because we weren't in a rush to enter the madness of Trail Days. After our tarptastic fun, we headed off into town. Another day of nicely graded, easy walking. We stepped into our 4th state today! Always exciting. Virginia is 535 miles long, so my next state border will be even more exciting.Got into Damascus and walked around. Oh! Aswah and I were talking about what kind of carnival food we liked on the way in...that's how Trail Days is like...booths of food...a dream for us starving, deprived hikers. I said I loved those big 'ol turkey legs and lemonade and funnel cakes. What's the very first booth we got to? All of it! It was great.We walked around, went to the Old Mill where Aswah used to work at. Then we ran into Mountain Mike and his cutie pie dog, Pumpkin. I thought we might run into him. We went out for ice cream...I got a gi-huge-ic sundae. Wow, was that tasty. Then dinner at Cracker Barrel.We then drank some beers at the Side Track Cafe and hooked up with two of Aswah's friends that he thru-hiked with in 2000, Hi-Lo and Worm.We all went to our campsite and made a fire, drank more beer and had a good time.
Date: 2004-05-17
From: Damascus

To: Straight Branch
Miles today: 5.6

I am right now in heaven eating a Hostess Cherry Fruit Pie. Why? Because I can. I love these pies and I never could justify eating the 22 grams of fat, 470 calorie pie. I was talking to my cousin and one of my best friends, Beth, about this over the phone. I can eat literally WHATEVER I want and LOSE WEIGHT! What?! That's unheard of! It's really always been a dream of mine. Sad, I know. My cousin can sympathize because we used to binge on munchie food all the time...ahh the good 'ol days. I have such great memories of our time together...I love you, Beth and I miss you.To top things off, I am also in my warm, cozy tarp drinking hot chocolate, listening to music and spending time with my soulmate. It really doesn't get any better than this.Started out today after 2 and 1/2 days in Damascus. For the first time of my hike, I was itching and yearning to get back into the woods. What a great feeling to have! I really feel happy and comfortable out here. We did a short day due to heavy packs and rain...felt like staying dry tonight.
Date: 2004-05-18
From: Straight Branch

To: Buzzard Rock
Miles today: 15.0

Today was calming. Lots of forest walking across streams and along the river. Walked across a huge bridge that was an old railroad bed along the Creeper Trail.I saw a snake!! I was walking and it slithered right in front of me to my left side. I was surprised, but didn't get scared...probably because it wasn't coming at me directly. But wow was that cool; my first snake siting. The other day I saw this beautiful, bright orange salamander perched on a log that you have to climb over. It was about six inches long. Very cool.Ended up camping at the top of Buzzard Rock at 5120 ft. Beautiful views all around. Then it got cloudy, rainy and very windy. We had to adjust our tarp a few times during the night, holding down the sides with huge, heavy boulders. It was sooo windy.
Date: 2004-05-19
From: Buzzard Rock

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: light rain

Wow, today was fabulous. Hard to get up today from warm, cozy cuddling to cold, windy rain. Why can't we just stay in our home all day? Oh yeah, we have 1700 miles to walk!Onward we walked and the weather got much warmer but still cloudy and drizzly. I was disappointed because later on today (about 10 miles in) are the Greyson Highlands. They are supposed to be awesome. We hiked thru nice forests...spooky with the clouds, like from "Lord of the Rings".Then, of course, out of nowhere, right before entering the Highlands it clears up and blue skies are upon us!! WOOHOO! We were so happy. Oh, how the trail provides.Elk Garden was awesome with its open field walking. We passed right through about 20 cows. I've never seen a cow up close, so that was neat. We all just stared at eachother. Then we hiked through a rock "tunnel" called Fatman Squeeze. Wow! I loved that. We crawled and pulled ourselves thru hugh rock faces. There is a mile section of this coming up in Maine...can't wait.Then we had the most beautiful field walking with lots of rock outcroppings and wild ponies! This area is lickened to the grasslands of Montana. Wow. Wild ponies all around you. I walked up and fed apples to them!We stopped for lunch on top of one of the rock outcrops. I didn't want to leave. It was so beautiful. But, onward we went. Virginia is great walking...graded and easy.We ended up night hiking for a few miles which I didn't really enjoy. I was tired and it was hard to see with just a headlamp over slippery rocks and roots. I trip enough as it is (hense, the name Day Tripper), so this made it worse. And, bugs kept flying into my face, as they are attracted to light. We stopped and camped at the shelter. We had a nice chat with CJ and Harry...nice guys.
Date: 2004-05-20
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Troutdale
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: few clouds

Today was nice and easy walking. At the end of the day we saw a beautiful waterfall. We went into Troutdale for a delicious Bacon Cheeseburger and stayed at the Church Hostel. This place is free of charge to hikers. It had hot showers, laundry and camping. It was great. We talked with Double E, Sprinkles and Paradox.
Date: 2004-05-21
From: Troutdale

To: Partenership Shelter
Miles today: 14.5
Weather: scattered clouds

The walking was uneventful today, but our evening was devine. Walked to Partnership Shelter which not only had hot showers (unheard of in a shelter), but you can also have pizza delivered! Woohoo! We ordered a bacon, green olive and pepperoni pizza ( a combination my brother and I love), a 2 liter bottle of root beer and a big salad.Yummy, yummy in my tummy. There was also a real bathroom and a soda machine. I could live here! We had a delightful dinner with Loon, Can't Zip, Bent Frame and Paradox. Then back to our tent for a relaxing evening with CJ and Harry. A fun time was had by all.
Date: 2004-05-22
From: Partenership Shelter

To: Atkins
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: scattered clouds

We jammed all the way to town today. Jammin' to music with Aswah. He rigs up his MP3 player and speakers on top of his backpack so we can both hear it. Fun! The end of the walking was through wide open, tall, grassy fields. A nice change of pace, but also very hot, which led to me getting heat stroke. Luckily, I was able to rest up and cool off in a hotel room. Aswah was wonderful, as always, and did our laundry and grocery shopping.We had a fabulous dinner with Loon and Lizard. Lizard came up for the day and brought with her some fresh lettuce and strawberries from her garden along with all the fixin's for a great meal. We feasted on salad, steak, sausages, ice cream and stawberries. Oh, and wine! YES.
Date: 2004-05-24
From: Atkins

To: Lick Creek
Miles today: 17.1

After packing and breakfast we got a fairly early start. Argh, How the first day out of town and a zero day is tough. The day was split between forest and field walking. We camped by a creek under rhododendrums. We enjoyed an enormous lightening and thunderstorm. Man, is it different experiencing a storm on top of a mountain under a piece of nylon with metal poles. YIKES! It sounds so amazing. We stayed very dry in our chateau. The storm lasted all night.
Date: 2004-05-25
From: Lick Creek

To: Hunting Camp Creek
Miles today: 15.9

I have the most wonderful, caring boyfriend in the world. If he wasn't here with me, I honestly don't think I'd still be here. Or, if I was, I definitely wouldn't be happy.Aswah is an eternal optomist. So, whenever I'm annoyed or feeling down about hiking, he gets me out of my funk easily. I truely can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him.Today's hiking was over alot of rocky parts, which I always enjoy. We saw three deer this morning! and then at the end of the day we saw three more. Very cool. So far I've seen 4 snakes. These are cute ones...I don't know how I'll react to a 6-footer.We had another storm tonight and again stayed completely dry.
Date: 2004-05-26
From: Hunting Camp Creek

To: Campsite
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: light rain

I loved the walking this morning. Little Wold Creek crosses over the AT 12 times over 2 miles. It was fun because the storms have caused the creek to gush. It was a gamble crossing over each one. Again thank goodness for hiking poles to keep my balance!Then we crossed a bridge over Laurel Creek and had lunch in the creek. It was so beautiful. I would have loved to stop and swim there but we had a big day ahead of us. Finding a campsite tonight was a bit difficult. We were tired and wanted to stop and it took 2 miles to find a decent spot with a storm brewing. We made it in time to set up before the rain began.Whew!! Great storm.
Date: 2004-05-27
From: Campsite

To: Pond
Miles today: 19.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Happy Birthday Dad! I miss you and love you and thank you for your undying love and support. I couldn't ask for a better father. This hike wouldn't have been possible without your support.Today was a blast. We power walked 12 miles through beautiful, dense forests over very easy terrain. We were power walking to hot food. We walked 3 miles to Trents Grocery for Philly Steak sandwiches, soda, and re-supply. We debated staying at the campground there, but decided to push on. We hiked over more wonderful terrain for another 7 miles to a pond where we camped. CJ and Harry met us there and we had a roaring fiesta in our tarp until 1am. FUN.Oh! Earlier I was telling Aswah that I wanted to see another snake. He said he hoped he would first see a bigger one so I wouldn't freak out. He also said that he NEVER had a snake come into his tarp...he always saw them only on the trail. After saying that, guess what? Yep, a snake came into our tarp! It FREAKED me out bit time. I saw it slither on my right side and I jumped up so fast and yelled, "There's a snake!". It slithered away.For the next hour I was spooked. Then I tried to rationally think about it. What's the worst thing that can happen? It's scared of me more (maybe) and if it bit me, I'd get help. That calmed me down a little and the partying helped alot.
Date: 2004-05-28
From: Pond

To: Angels Rest
Miles today: 14.5

Due to the fun last night, we were very slow getting out of bed, and even slower walking. Man, I did not feel like hiking. After 5 miles we stopped for lunch for an hour at a picnic area. Then a mile up the way we decided to stop at Miss Tillies hostel to say hello. She is such a nice lady. Aswah spoke so highly of her. We stayed for awhile and decided to hike out again. We got back on the trail at 6pm and ran 8 miles before dark. We couldn't find the campsite that was marked in our guidebook, so we looked for flat ground in the dark. Wow, was that fun. We ended up camping at Angel's Rest, which is this huge boulder outcrop. We found a flat spot behind the boulders. We were exhausted and slept like babies.
Date: 2004-06-01
To: Campsite in Meadow
Miles today: 12.0

Today was hard after being off for almost 3 days. Our mosquito net is totally, completely awesome!! Not only are mosquitos kept out, but all the other creepy crawlers that I despise so much.I had the best sleep ever on the trail so far. We also slept on tall, padded grass which was delightful. We were in a meadow with a great sunset. We roasted cheddarwurst and had tortilla chips with cheese dip. YUM.
Date: 2004-06-02
From: Campsite at Meadow

To: Off Trail
Miles today: 16.1

Today's terrain was rocky with lots of ups. I saw my first rattlesnake! It was a small one that ran away, so I wasn't scared. We ended up going 2 miles accidentally off the trail. We followed the old AT trail by accident. Oh well. Lost mileage, but we were still able to set up our tart in a grassy area.