morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-05-02
From: Sealth Campsite Above Watauga Lake

To: Iron Mt Shelter
Miles today: 9.3

Day 41:  SilverGirl is not feeling well this morning (intestinal bug), so we decide to just do a short day so she can rest during the afternoon. The morning is uneventful as the temperature and humidity level soar. We walk along the ridgline high over the northern half of Watauga Lake. Eventually, the lake gives way to green farmland below. We walk past the Vandeventer Shelter at about 10:30 and then slowly descend into a valley where we get some water and have lunch. Proceeding on under a sweltering sun, we finally arrive at the Iron Mt Shelter at about 1:30. It is very early to stop, but we need the rest. We set up our tent and rest inside for awhile, but it becomes too hot to remain inside so we retreat to the shade of the shelter. I cook a delicious dinner of zucchini casserole, which we dehydrated before our trip. SilverGirl is able to eat some, which is good. Tomorrow, we hope for a longer day to set us up for a short day into Damascus on Friday.
Date: 2012-05-03
From: Iron Mt Shelter

To: Abington Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

Day 42: After a decent nights sleep, we rise early this morning. We hope to beat some of the heat by getting on the trail early. After a quick breakfast, we hit the trail at just after 7:00. At about 9:00, near TN 91, we come upon a bright orange metal box that has been filled with cold sodas and a variety of snacks - trail magic provided by a local Baptist church. I suck down 3 Mountain Dews and 2 Little Debbie cupcakes. SilverGirl sticks to just soda since her intestines are still a bit queasy. Crossing TN 91, we enter into a  .8 mile stretch of the trail that is wheelchair accessible. It crosses a beautiful open field full of wildflowers and views of the surrounding countryside. For lunch, we stop at Low Gap, where there is a picnic table and piped spring. We are joined shortly after by Comanche, Hannah and her husband (don't know his name), and AllBalls. He is hiking 30 miles today into Damascus. There are also 3 ladies here from Texas and Louisiana whom we have crossed paths with over the last few days. They are section hiking up to Damascus then going home. One of them gives SilverGirl some pills to help her with her intestinal discomfort. Later on during the day, we see them again at McQueens Gap and they give her some GatorAid and me some chocolate chip cookies. People can be so nice out here. By 2:30, we reach the Abington Gap Shelter, 10 miles short of Damascus. During the last couple of days, the terrain has been easy, but the weather has been hot. Summer is here. We look forward to the short hike into town tomorrow along with 2 nights of hotel rest and lots of food!
Date: 2012-05-04
From: Abington Gap Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 43: Today, we cross into our 4th state - Virginia. Last night, SilverGirl abstained from having any of the lasagna that I cooked up so that she could give her stomach some more rest. So what do I do? I eat the whole meal myself. It is very good, but I pay for it later, making two trips into the woods during the night, and a couple of more this morning. I skip breakfast to give my stomach a rest and hike all morning on an empty stomach. We are on the trail at 7:10, with only a little over 10 miles of downhill hiking until we reach Damascus. By 9:45, we reach the TN/VA state line and enter into our 4th state. HealHiker takes our picture at the sign. By 10:45, we enter Damascus. Damascus is generally considered to be the trail town of all trail towns. The population of Damascus is only about 1500, but in two weeks, the Trail Days festivities will get under way here, and the population for those few days will swell to about 30,000 as hikers from all over pour into town to celebrate and visit with fellow hikers, both present and past. We plan to skip this event since we will be about 2 weeks north of Damascus by then. As we walk into town, we stop in at the Montgomery Homestead Inn and reserve a room for toworrow night and Sunday night. Tonight, we are staying at the Victorian Inn B&B. We weigh ourselves today for the first time since we started our hike. I have lost 12 lbs and SilverGirl has lost about 7. Staying the extra day will give us ample opportunities to add back on some of this lost weight. After checking into the B&B, we walk up the street to do laundry and have lunch at the Subway. Our appetites are coming back nicely. After a little nap, we walk over to Quincy's Pizza for dinner. We forego the pizza in favor of salads. Tomorrow is my birthday, so we're going to try to hunt down a small birthday cake and enjoy a quiet, peaceful day of much needed rest. Damascus is a huge milestone for thru-hikers to reach. We are almost 1/4 of the way through the trail now, so it's a good time to pause for a couple of days and rejuvenate our bodies so that when we start up again on the 7th, we will feel strong and ready to go. Can't believe we're here! We will be hiking in Virginia now for the next 530+ miles.
Date: 2012-05-05
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Day 44: Today we are spending a quiet day here in Damascus. This is quite the trail town. All of the businesses here seem to revolve around the hikers who come through. This morning, we had a wonderful breakfast at the Victorian Inn. Unfortunately, we were not able to get a room here for the 2nd and 3rd nights we will be here in town. After breakfast, we checked out of the Victorian Inn and walked over to the Montgomery Homestead Inn, where we were able to find a room for the next two nights - not as nice here and no breakfast is served, but it will do. Today is my birthday, so we take a walk up to the shopping plaza about 1/2 mile away. I get myself a nice fat slice of German chocolate cake to celebrate along with some lunch. Still feeling  a bit weary, we go back to our room afterwards and take a nice nap. I think we have both been a bit sleep deprived lately, so the nap sure felt good. For dinner, we walk back over to Quincy's, same place we ate at last night. There are a ton of other hikers here, all of whom we have met along the way since Georgia. Tomorrow, we will be spending one last day here in town. SilverGirl is still trying to recuperate from her stomach troubles of the past few days. Hopefully, she will feel better by Monday, when we get back on the trail.
Date: 2012-05-06
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 45: Not too much too say about today. This is our 3rd day in town as we rest up before heading back out tomorrow. SilverGirls stomach is still not cooperating - 6th day now. Needless to say, this has got both of us a bit down in the dumps. During the morning, we walk over to all of the outfitters in town, looking at boots, filtration systems, and other gear that we've been contemplating replacing. We don't buy anything though. Our afternoon is spent pretty much in front of the TV in the lobby of rhe Montgomery Homestead B&B. Tomorrow, we are planning a 15.6 mile day out of town to the Lost Mountain Shelter. Hopefully, SilverGirls stomach will feel better. We are both a little tired of hanging around town for almost 3 days now, so it will be good to get back on the trail.
Date: 2012-05-07
From: Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: broken clouds

Day 46: Todays hike is dedicated to my Uncle Bob. We received notice the other day that he is in intensive care and may not have long to live. Our thoughts and prayers are with him. He will be with us today with every footstep we take. We love you, Uncle Bob. This morning, we both wake refreshed and ready to go. SilverGirls stomach is feeling much better today. She is actually hungry today! For breakfast, I eat some leftover food from our last maildrop along with a few items I bought at the store last night. On the way out of town, we stop at Cowboys, where SilverGirl buys some scrambled eggs, bacon, and a biscuit. The AT runs right through the main road in Damascus and then out of town onto a short section of the Virginia Creeper Trail before veering off up into the woods. The day starts off warm and rather humid. There is a 30% chance of showers this afternoon. The hiking goes smoothly and easily for us durng the morning as we cover 9.5 miles by noontime. Stopping for lunch just past a side trail to the Saunders Shelter, we sit on a soft, mossy patch along the edge of the trail and enjoy all of the nearby rhododendruns, which are now in full bloom. As we eat, we notice some dark clouds beginning to gather above us. Looks like we might get rained on soon. About 1/2 hour after lunch, it starts to rain. SilverGirl dons her raincoat, but I decide to just let the rain fall on me. I am hot and the rain feels good as it wets and cools my face, hair, and skin. After about 10 minutes, the shower moves on and gives way to more sunshine. At this point, we are walking along easy terrain, and soon we reconnect with another section of the Virginia Creeper Trail, which is also part of the AT for about the next mile. This section is also a bike path, so we enjoy easy walking. We cross the Luther Hassinger Memorial Bridge before veering back off into the woods. By now, it is about 2:15pm, and the rain is starting to fall again. This time, we both decide to just let ourselves get wet, and get wet we do. For the next hour, until we arrive at Lost Mountain Shelter, it pours on us. We get soaked, but we don't mind. The rain feels good. We are having one of those days where our minds are just at ease. We feel good today, mentally and physically and we are very content with the quiet of the woods and the soft cadence of our footsteps. Life is full of ups and downs out here, and to be happy, you must learn to adapt to whatever nature throws your way. While we certainly have not yet mastered this skill, we are learning quickly. When we arrive at the shelter, we duck under the cover of its roof and quickly change into some dry clothes. The shelter is already occupied by a band of about 8-10 young hikers, so after a break in the rain, we set up our tent off to the side. Tomorrow, our plan is to hike up and over Mount Rogers to the edge of the Grayson Highlands. There are herds of wild ponies that live there, and we hope to see some of them. We hear they can be quite friendly.
Date: 2012-05-08
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 47: We had high hopes for a dry day today.  When we went to sleep last night, the sky was perfectly clear with a cool, dry breeze blowing. Most of the night did stay dry, however at about 5:00am, we started to hear the patter of rain on our tent again. We linger in our sleeping bags for awhile, not wanting to face the prospect of packing up and hiking in rhe rain. Finally, during a lull, we get everything together and set off. SilverGirls stomach is not cooperating again today, so she skips breakfast. During the morning, the rain comes and goes. The trail conditions are horrendous as we walk through a flowing brook and slippery mud. At lunch time, we stop at VA 600, which is the beginning of the climb up to Mt Rogers. About half way up, the skies open up again and it rains steadily until we reach our destination for the day - Thomas Knob Shelter. The shelter is jammed wirh hikers, so we wait inside for a quick break in the weather and then walk up the trail for a few hundred feet, where we set up our tent. Shortly after we get all set up, the skies open up in earnest. It pours for the rest of the evening until about 9:00. We settle for a dinner of instant soup and peanut butter crackers before burrowing into our sleeping bags in a vain attempt to hide from the abysmal weather. The forecast for tomorrow calls for a 30% chance of showers...we shall see. Not one our better days today.
Date: 2012-05-09
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Fox Creek VA 603
Miles today: 12.7

Day 48: Today was a day to both remember and forget. It went from about as bad as it could get to about as good as it gets. After a decent nights sleep, I rise before SilverGirl to get water and visit the privy. There is a blanket of fog covering the highlands where we are camped and the skies once again threaten rain. For breakfast, I make the huge mistake of attempting to cook oatmeal inside the tent. As I attempt to extinguish the alcohol stove after the oatmeal is done, the stove slips off its base and burning alcohol melts the floor of the tent. We extinguish the flames quickly, but the damage has been done. We are going to have to buy a new tent. The lesson learned... NEVER cook inside your tent, no matter how bad the weather is. It is only, 9:00am and our nerves are already frazzled as we begin our hike. We have decided to hike to VA 603, Fox Creek and hitch a ride into town where we hope to get phone service. We need to get ahold of an outfitter either back in Damascus or call REI. The rains start again almost as soon as we begin hiking, but the bright spot of our morning is running into the herds of feral ponies that live up here in the Mt Rogers and Grayson Highlands. They are so cool, especially the baby horses, and they are all so tame. After 5 miles, we reach the Wise Shelter, where we stop for a quick lunch. Again, the shelter is jammed with hikers trying to escape the rain. Moving on, we slog through continuous mud, running water, and slippery rocks and roots before finally reaching the road. Chedda is here as well, with the same mission to get into town. Within 5 minutes, 2 section hiking ladies walk out of the woods on the other side of the road and offer to give us a ride into town. SilverGirl and I are planning to get into Troutdale, where there is a hostel and hopefully phone service. Chris and Joan drive Chedda and us to the hostel, where we check to see if we have phone service. Alas, no service. We pile back into their car and continue on to Marion with them to book a room at the Virginia House Inn and call in an order for a new tent. After checking in, we call REI and order a new tent, which will be shipped here to to the hotel the day after tomorrow. This is perfect because we still have 2 days of hiking before we actually get here for real. One problem solved. Our trail angels, Joan and Chris, then offer to take us into town to a Mexican restaurant, where we enjoy a delicious dinner. After dinner, they drive us to Walmat and to Walgreens so we can pick up a few things that we need. On top of all this, they are going to drive us back to the trailhead tomorrow morning where they picked us up. Thank you so much, Chris and Joan. We can't thank you enough for your generosity and kindness. You have helped us so much with this difficult situation we were faced with today. We will be sure to pay it forward at some point.
Date: 2012-05-10
From: Fox Creek VA 603

To: VA 16 Mt Rogers Visitor Ctr
Miles today: 23.1

Day 49: After yesterdays tent disaster, SilverGirl and I decide that the best course of action for today is to hike from VA 603 Fox Creek all the way to VA 16, a distance of 23.1 miles. From there, we can hitch a ride back into Marion where we will spend another 2 nights at the Virginia House Inn. Initially, we had planned to hike this distance in two days, but given the poor condition of our tent and the prospect of having to stay in a shelter, we decide to do the whole distance in one day. At 8:00am, one of our trail angels, Joan, drives us all the way from Marion back to the VA 603 trailhead, the spot where she and Chris picked us up yesterday. Since we are hiking so far today, SilverGirl and I leave most of our gear in our hotel room, bringing with us only lunch, rain gear, and water. As we begin our days walk under very cool and cloudy skies, the light weight of our packs allows us to move along quickly. By 1:00pm, we have already covered over 13 miles. Today is the first day since we entered into Virginia that is rain free. We enjoy the dry trail conditions that now allow us to move along quickly. Instead of stopping for lunch, we eat as we walk. Also, twice during the day, we come across trail magic, the first at Dickey Gap, where we enjoy a soda, and the second just before VA 670, where we enjoy some cookies and crackers. Shortly after VA 670, we run into Chris and Joan, our trail angels, coming the other way. They are doing an 8 mile section today from the Mt Rogers Visitor Ctr to VA 670. These two ladies have literally been lifesavers for us over the past day. We are so grateful for all they have done for us. Todays hike is dedicated to the two of you. At about 19 miles into our hike, our feet are starting to feel sore and tired, but we manage to finish strong, reaching VA 16 and the Mt Rogers Visitor Ctr at 4:40pm. The Partnership Shelter, which is adjacent to the Visitor Center, is a very popular shelter for hikers. There is a shower there and hikers can even have pizza delivered to the shelter. Life is tough out here! Reaching the road, we stick out our thumbs and get a ride back into Marion after about 20 minutes. Our driver drops us off at the Pizza Hut, where we indulge ourselves with a 14" pizza and the salad bar. It has been a good day today. The weather has improved, we pick up our new tent tomorrow, and SilverGirls stomach is feeling better. I am also in a much better frame of mind. For the past week or so, I have been struggling with a string of emotional and gear related setbacks along with the long stretch of bad weather. I thank SilverGirl for being patient with me and helping me through my days of self doubt and depression. She is such a sweetheart. Tomorrow, we will spend the day in town, picking up our new tent, grocery shopping, doing laundry, etc. Saturday, it's back to the trail.
Date: 2012-05-11
From: VA 16 Mt Rogers Visitor Ctr

To: Marion, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 50:Wow...hard to believe that it's been 50 days now since we started our hike. We miss being home at times, and we miss our children, but we realize that these feelings would surface out here, especially during times when we feel beaten down by either bad weather, sickness, injury, or just general fatigue. Hiking this trail and living through the daily rollercoaster of physical, mental, and logistical issues eventually catches up with everyone at one time or another. After yesterdays 23 mile hike, today has been a day of rest in Marion for SilverGirl and I. The hotel bed felt pretty darn good last night and we slept in a bit this morning which was nice. At about 9:00, we gathered our dirty laundry and set off up the road to McDonalds for breakfast. Then it was down the road further for another mile to the laundromat. Walking back from the laundromat, we stopped at Subway for lunch before finishing our morning expedition at Walmart and the grocery store. Back at the hotel, I pick up our new tent which has just arrived. We set it up in front of the hotel to check it out. I will certainly be more careful with our tent from now on. As SilverGirl enjoys an afternoon nap, I walk back over to the shopping plaza for a quick haircut. It's nice to feel a bit human again. As we step out of our door on the way to dinner, we meet "Y"s Guy coming out of his room, so we all go to dinner at the Mexican restaurant just up the road. We enjoy a very pleasant dinner with "Y"s Guy. We will share a taxi fare with him tomorrow to get back to the trailhead from town. Tomorrow, we will hike up past Atkins to a campsite about 3 miles beyond the town. Virginia is going to be a long section for us to get through, but we are looking forward to the easier terrain and blooming flowers. Every day seems to present a new adventure for us, most being good adventures, but also a few not so good adventures sprinkled in there. Those are the days that challenge our resolve at times, but we are doing a good job helping eachother as needed and getting through the hard times. This is still a dream come true for us, only now we realize that dreams are not always full of sunshine and daisies.
Date: 2012-05-12
From: Marion, VA

To: Davis Path Campsite
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: clear sky

Day 51:Up early to meet Y's Guy out i front of the hotel. We all walk up to McDonalds together, and after breakfast call a cab to take us back to the trailhead. Todzy looks to be one of only a few rainless days during the past few weeks. The walking is easy today. We stop at a nice overlook of the Virginia countryside looking up towards I 81, which we will walk under this afternoon. For lunch, we stop at the old Lindamood School near the Settlers Museum - very cool. They have the rules for teachers and student punishments of that era posted on the wall inside. A few miles further, we reach I 81 and stop in at the Barn Restaurant for another bite to eat. Crossing under I 81, we cross over a small stream with wildflowers lining its banks. At 3:30, we reach the Davis Path Campsite, where we pitch our tent on the tent platform, which used to be the floor of an old shelter that was gorn down. There is even a privy here! Camping here with us tonight is Turtle and Snail along with ElastiGirl and Mr Incredible. Rain is forecast for tonight and tomorrow - what else is new?
Date: 2012-05-13
From: Davis Path Campsite

To: Stealth Campsite
Miles today: 11.3

Day 52:The good news: the rain that was forecast for last night did not materialize, so we got off to a dry start today. The bad news: SilverGirl is still not feeling well. Her intestinal/stomach problems persist. We are going to get her into a doctor when we reach Bland on Tuesday. Because she can't eat much, she is losing strength, and the walking is slow today. She is a trooper though, and pushes on as best she can. During the day, we pass through some beautiful, open pstureland which we are starting to see more of as we progress further into Virginia. After stopping for a quick lunch at the Holsten River Bridge, we notice that rain clouds are gathering quickly so we move on. Around 2:00pm, we decide to stop for the day. SilverGirl is spent and needs the rest. No sooner do we get the tent pitched when the rain starts. Inside the tent during the rain, we discuss for the first time the prospect of leaving the trail if things don't start being more fun. Between SilverGirls stomach issues (and now I'm starting to have symptoms too) and the seemingly endless string of rain we've had for the past few weeks, our resolve is starting to break. We will not make any ash decision though. Instead, we will focus one day at a time. The first step is to get into Bland, where we can get SilverGirl to a doctor. Tomorrow, we have planned to hike over 18 miles to get us near town, but we may need to revise that plan. Not one of our better days.