morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2011-04-08
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Hogback Ridge Shelter
Miles today: 14.7
Weather: broken clouds

It wasn't raining this morning but it was threatening so we started with our pack covers on. Short but tough climb up Big Butt Mountain. Put us at 300 miles total. Shortly after the seasoned veterans Earl Grey + Peregrine missed a turn in the trail and we walked about 1/2 mile the wrong way down this logging road. Once we realized we weren't seeing white blazes we backtracked, cursing the whole way. Long tough walk today in the afternoon because my knee started acting up. Late in the afternoon we came upon Chainsaw getting water. We assumed he would be way ahead of us, but he took a wrong turn at the previous shelter and lost about 20 minutes. Arrived at Hogback Ridge Shelter to find a lot of people, most only did 8 miles so they are in a partying mood. If we weren't so tired, and they weren't talking rain we would have moved on and camped. We did luck out in that we only got sprinkled on today for 15 to 20 minutes, just enough to make us put our rain coats on. Well early to bed because there was a sign that says trail magic up the trail tomorrow; we all plan on hitting the trail early to enjoy the trail magic.
Date: 2011-04-09
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Whistling Gap
Miles today: 13.5

We were up early and left at 6:45 for the 2.5 mile hike to breakfast. Upon arrival we found "Quiet Paul" setting up to cook. Soon we had a pile of scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, fresh oranges, and muffins - it was delicious. "Quiet Paul" thru-hiked in '07 and recently moved from Maryland to here and decided to do trail magic this year. Thanks "Quiet Paul"; it was just what we needed for the ascent of Big Bald Mountain. Big Bald climbs to over 5,500 feet and is a true Bald. Great views, but we didn't stay long as grumbles of thunder and dark clouds forced us to head for lower ground. My knee felt a little better today and we pushed on past Big Bald Shelter to cut the mileage down for tomorrow. I'm meeting my parents in Erwin as they are coming back from the west. Camped tonight with Mammoth and Chainsaw. Peregrine pushed on for 2.5 miles more as he is meeting his wife in Erwin. Shortly after dinner a nasty series of storms rolled in. We had strong winds, heavy rain, hail, and plenty of thunder and lightning. It rained so hard I got a lot of splatter under the fly of my tent up on the mesh, and it misted me and made a mess of the tent. That was bad, but even worse was a lightning strike so nearby that we swore it was only 100 ft or so from camp. Shortly after the storm subsided we heard a loud tree crash down. During the storm we had pea to nickel size hail which just hammered our tent, along with the strong wind gusts that tested the tents strength, and our nerves. It was by far the worst storm I've ever experienced in a tent. We survived the night though, so on to Erwin to dry out. Alan stayed at the Double D Campground in his parents camper Mary
Date: 2011-04-10
From: Whistling Gap

To: Erwin
Miles today: 13.5
Weather: clear sky

I was up at about 6:00 today with my headlamp trying to clean most of the splattered mud off my things before I packed them in my bag. I wanted to get an early start so I would have as much time in town with my parents as possible and also I wanted to catch Peregrine to give him his hat. Chainsaw had picked up Peregrine's favorite "Foothills Trail" hat and gave it to me to give to him. I hiked fast today dreading the long down hills with my knee. The strange thing was the faster I hiked the less my knee hurt. It feels better today than it has felt in a long time despite the downhill. I caught Peregrine about 2 miles before town and returned his hat. He and I hiked the rest of the way to town together where just as we hit the road his wife showed up. Shortly after my parents arrived and we chatted for several minutes before we went our separate ways. I had a nice day with my parents doing re-supply, laundry, drying my things at the campground, and eating some home cooking. This included potato salad (Aunt Irene's) and brownies. When I first arrived at the campsite I met the owners and their son. They had recently butchered a pig. I got a fresh sausage burger while I discussed timber framing with the owners son. Ironically he has been to NH and taken Ted Benson's Timber Framing Class. We had a good chat and it was very interesting to see the small farm they had. All in all it was a relaxing day and I was quite pleased that my knee felt so good. I did purchase a new knee brace to help with the downhills, I hope.
Date: 2011-04-11
From: Erwin

To: Deep Gap
Miles today: 12.1
Weather: overcast clouds

A lazy morning, I had a nice breakfast of eggs from the farm and cinnamon buns with orange juice. My knee was feeling so good I decided to head north again around 10:00. We stopped at Johnny's Hostel to check on Mammoth and see if he got his mail drop. The hostel workers said Mammoth had checked out; I did chat with High Five, Enzed, and Mike who had got in after a 20 mile day previous. I headed out alone as Peregrine, Chainsaw, and the others were all staying another night. I wasn't sure how far I would go as they were predicting strong storms again tonight. It was kind of strange starting out leaving real family behind, and most of the travel family was staying back in Erwin. I made it to Curley Maple Gap Shelter around noon. The shelter is new, clean, and sleeps 14; it would be perfect to wait out the storms, but it was early and I had only hiked 5 miles. Just as I was regretting leaving town, and was wondering what I should do, up the trail comes Mammoth. We had a quick break (he loved the brownies my mom had packed to go) caught up on town news, and formed a plan for the rest of the day. It was hot but we managed a 12 mile day even with a late start. We're tenting again and hoping for the best. Breeze, a thru-hiker from Maine, pitched his tent nearby later. As I write this at 9:00, Darvey, another hiker arrived in the dark calling out "thru-hikers?" When we answered yes he said "thank god", he was bored at the last shelter and decided to move on at 5:00, but ended up hiking the last hour in the dark. He was happy to see some friendly faces. It's supposed to still be raining tomorrow morning so that means a wet tent and a quick breakdown of camp, and then get hiking. The good news is my knee felt good all day, no vitamin I last night, this morning, or tonight. I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Date: 2011-04-12
From: Deep Gap

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: light rain

So here was the plan. Sunday and Monday were both hot and humid in the high 80's low 90's. Monday night was supposed to rain then clear slowly Tuesday with a nice day on Wednesday. So Mammoth and I awoke today, Tuesday, after a small thunder shower on and off all night. When we got up it wasn't raining and we could already see the sky lightening. We packed up wet gear with the thought of hiking the climb and then drying our gear once the sun came out. What really happened was we hiked until 12:30 with skies looking like they might clear. Unfortunately, the fog rolled in and the wind really picked up. About 1:00 the rain started and it was very windy and cold. When we got to the shelter we planned to wait out the weather over lunch. "Sky" was already at the shelter waiting on the weather. The more we waited the worse it got, and the colder we became. Soon "Breeze" came in and we all made the decision to stay because to push on meant going from 4,500 feet to 6,200 feet and the highest shelter on the AT. Pretty soon we were all in our sleeping bags trying to stay warm. The problem was the wind was blowing the fog and mist right into the shelter. Most of us had all our clothing on inside our bags and were still chilled. One other problem was that no shelters in Tennessee have a privy, this one only had a shovel. Much discussion took place about braving the elements, but one by one with the exception of "Breeze" we all had to use the shovel. It was a long, miserable, damp night.AlanLast night, April 27, Earl Grey stayed at the campsites at Trent's Grocery. (Va 606 W).Mary
Date: 2011-04-15
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: Kincora Hiking Hostel
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Woke up after a very restful sleep, it was not too chilly so camp wasn't so frantic getting packed up. We knew the threat of rain and very high wind was forecast for later in the day; so once we started we only took a couple of short breaks and ate lunch on the run. No spectacular scenery today, mostly Rhododendron thickets, and many small ups and downs over a ridge to Bob Peoples Hostel. When we arrived at the Hostel we were greeted by Bob and found only Fuzzy Navel and Tiger Lilly staying there. We showered, did our laundry, and generally chatted all afternoon. Mt. Squid from "Whiteblaze" came in to chat with Bob and relay some stories from up and down the trail. Everyone ended up going into town for dinner at Arbys and a re-supply which made for a nice relaxing evening. With only four of us at the Hostel we were able to really spread out and take in the rich heritage of this iconic place. Bob said he's now seen over 17,000 hikers come through and has hundreds of cards and pictures from past hikers to enjoy. Bob is a real hero for what he does for hikers and what he gives of himself to the trail with all the maintenance he does. I'm very glad I didn't miss this place. I wanted to recount a story I forgot to write about after I met back up with Mammoth coming out of Erwin. We both hiked up this hill when I stopped suddenly because there was a 3 1/2 to 4 foot long Black snake across the whole trail. We both got out our cameras before it got scared away, and snapped many pictures. Then Mammoth tells me "I think that is a Black Racer - Chainsaw told me they can be quite aggressive". I kind of brushed this off and took my hiking pole to shoo the snake off the trail so we could pass. As I nudged his tail he did in fact turn on me and come in my direction. This certainly got my attention as I didn't want to get bitten, even though I knew it wasn't poisonous. I tried several more times to push, prod, or use my hiking pole to pretend there was a mouse in the leaves just ahead of it. All the while Mammoth was lecturing me about how fast it could move, how it could strike 3/4 the length of its body, how it could instantly change direction. Neither the lecture or my efforts seemed to be helping our situation. We couldn't go around because it was very steep uphill and downhill on the trail. Finally I lured him enough downhill that I could sneak by uphill at the same time. This was great because now Mammoth wasn't lecturing, he was wondering how he was going to get by. He had called me crazy when I did my little maneuver, but now he decided to try the same thing. Of course now I was on the other side of the snake and offered to help out in many ways which Mammoth didn't find funny at all. He eventually made it by and it turned out to be the highlight of our day. Hopefully we got some good pictures. I know I got a good video of Mammoth going by the snake. Well it's near midnight so I'm off to bed.
Date: 2011-04-16
From: Kincora Hiking Hostel

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 10.4
Weather: light rain

We didn't rush out of the hostel this morning because it was off and on rain. We ate the Cinnamon buns I bought last night for breakfast and chatted with Bob about the trail past and present. He has so much knowledge, and so many good stories, he had us all listening intently. About 9:30 in came High Five, Enzed, and Cascade with Sierra, all soaking wet looking for showers and warmth. We caught up on trail gossip and by 10:00 Mammoth, Fuzzy Navel, Tiger Lilly and I set out. It was a nice hike down by the river and out to the waterfall, then it was quite a climb up Pond Flat Mountain where you could look down upon Watauga Lake and the Dam. Of course, once you were on top you start the long descent all the way to the lake and around the back side. Mammoth and I decided to only do 10 miles into the shelter because going further would put us close to the parking area, and being a Saturday we thought we might have a problem with partiers. Fuzzy Navel and Tiger Lilly came in later and decided to stay also. They plan on 3 days to Damascus, but I think Mammoth and I will try to make it in 2 twenty mile days. Having a nice fire tonight, but will get to bed early so we can make the back to back 20 miles.
Date: 2011-04-17
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 21.5
Weather: clear sky

We left the Shelter pretty early hoping to do our first 20 mile day. Our plan was to take breaks every 2 hours in hopes of not bonking. After passing over the dam we quickly headed up to Iron Mountain Ridge where we walked most of the day. We followed the ridge for something like 13 miles and were rewarded with views on both sides periodically. At Vandeventer Shelter we stopped for lunch and Fuzzy Navel & Tiger Lilly tried to convince us to take 3 days to Damascus, but Mammoth and I were determined to do it in two. We pushed on to Iron Mountain Shelter where we got water and took a break. Again the girls caught up to us and tried to explain the benefits of taking 3 days. Mammoth and I were committed to our original plan so we pushed on to the last shelter for a 21.5 mile day. Upon arrival at the shelter we met a couple that was doing a 200 mile section with their little black lab/daschund cross dog. When I arrived at the shelter the dog growled at me constantly. They said he would stop once he got to know me. Someone was tenting on the hill and I decided to check out the tent sites. When I went up I was greeted by Pickles and her dog Guinness. Guinness growled at me with all his hair standing on end. Pickles seemed friendly enough but Guinness, not so much. I decided to stay in the shelter with the small growling dog. Eventually he did settle down and went into his crate. We had a large campfire but didn't stay up too late as we still had 18.5 miles to Damascus tomorrow. My knee is feeling pretty good, but both guadriceps felt like I had Charlie Horses by the end of the day. We did encounter some trail magic sponsored by a church group which consisted of a welded metal box containing coolers of soda, water, and Little Debbie Snack treats. This was much appreciated and helped us get through those last 3-4 miles. Hopefully a good night's sleep will cure the aches & pains.
Date: 2011-04-18
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: Damascus
Miles today: 18.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Up and out early intent on reaching Damascus and some real food. We had heard rumors about these "Slaw Dogs" at the Dairy King. They are Hot Dogs with Chili and Cole Slaw for $1.39. Interestingly enough this seems to be the battle cry for today; get to Damascus for Slaw Dogs. Unfortunately my legs did not feel much better this morning. When Mammoth caught me at 10:00 on a break he seemed to think I was really moving, but it seems painful and slow to me. After a rest and snack my leg felt a little better and we made good time, finally crossing the border into Virginia. I think I forgot to mention about 3 days ago we finally broke 400 miles and left North Carolina behind for good and had been traveling in Tennessee only, finally. Now that we're in Virginia we will be here for a long time. Approximately 1/4 of the trail is located in Virginia. After crossing the line we could just about smell those Slaw Dogs so the miles ticked off quickly. We arrived about 3:30, did our mail drops and went to "The Place" which is a church hostel. Nobody else was there so we chose our bunks, showered, and gathered our dirty clothes and went right to the Laundromat. Of course the Laundromat is right next to Dairy King, so we had Slaw Dogs and a Banana Shake. They were out of Vanilla so the Banana Shake was made with Chocolate Ice Cream, which tasted good. The Slaw Dogs were very good too, but we didn't want to totally spoil our appetites, so we stopped at two. When we got back to The Place with our laundry Fuzzy Navel and Tiger Lilly had decided to do 23 miles to get into town. They were starved so we all went out for Pizza downtown even before they showered. After dinner we met up with Darvey who zeroed here today. Once everyone had showered we went back to the Pizza Shop with Darvey for a beer. On the way we met up with Crazy Goose & Ducky, also Sky and two other hikers. Ends up being seven here tonight. I think I'll zero here tomorrow to rest my legs. Mammoth is still waffling; first he was going to zero, now he's talking about heading out. We'll see I guess, everyone's got to do their own thing - Hike your own Hike.AlanI'm waiting to receive the next batch of Journal pages from Alan, and will update as soon as I do.Mary
Date: 2011-04-19
From: Damascus

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

May 10 - I'm going to add 5 days to the journal today (4/19 - 4/23) - So those of you following on a daily basis, make sure you start on the journal for 4/19. Mary Everyone was up pretty early to get breakfast at MOJO's. When we arrived the woman seemed quite overwhelmed as it was mostly a coffee house that served breakfast, but with the locals and several hungry thru-hikers she seemed to have her hands full until extra help came in around 8:30. I had blueberry pancakes which were very good. Most of the morning was consumed by moving from "The Place" to "Dave's Place" which is the hostel run by the outfitters in town. Dave's place has rooms which can be locked to secure your belongings unlike The Place which was open to all with no supervision. Apparently there have been problems in the past with stuff getting stolen. Once we moved we basically lounged around between the hostel, outfitter, Dollar General, and the post office, which are all basically right next to each other. The funny thing about a zero day is when you arrive you see all the people in front of you that zeroed and are leaving town late, the group you are with, and then the ones just behind you getting to town the next day. Soon we saw Enzed, High Five, and Cascade come to town. With them arrived Redwood and Lego who said they had been trying to catch up to Mammoth and I for a while, but when they did a big day we would also do a big day - so they stayed about constant. Soon Booksmarts was in town, next we saw Chainsaw walking down the street. Sometime later Breeze, Stretch, The Colonel, Porkchop ('09 thru-hiker) and Savage all arrived. Apparently Savage, Stretch, and the Colonel all did a 32 or 33 mile day to arrive in town. It was great to catch up and hear all the stories of the cold, snow, rain, blisters, and general misery many had suffered, just because misery seems to like company. Soon word spread that we were meeting at Quincy's for Pizza at 6:00. Of course, before that could take place several of us went to the Dairy King for slaw dogs and milkshakes again, seeing how they were so good yesterday. After we did our re-supply everyone cleaned up the best we could and put on our Sunday best (shorts, t-shirt, and Crocs) and started to filter into Quincy's. In the end we had 16 or 17 thru-hikers at one table eating, laughing and telling stories until closing at 10:00. It was interesting to see the amount of food the guys that did the 33 mile day ate. They were literally shaking they were so hungry. Overall it has been a good zero, hopefully I will be rested and my legs will feel better. The upcoming week is supposed to be a great section of trail. We are going through Grayson Highlands and up over the 3 highest peaks in Virginia. The weather might be iffy tomorrow, but then it looks good for a couple of days.
Date: 2011-04-20
From: Damascus

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.8
Weather: overcast clouds

05/10/11 - I'm going to add 5 days to the journal today (4/19 - 4/23) - So those of you following on a daily basis, make sure you start on the journal for 4/19. Mary After a few issues were dealt with last night, I got up early to organize my pack and get ready to head out after breakfast. Of course it immediately started raining, so I put on my new pack cover that I bought yesterday. Mammoth, Chainsaw, Sky, Fuzzy Navel, Tiger Lilly, Enzed, High Five, and Cascade and I all headed out to breakfast at the Dairy King. After a good hearty breakfast, and the usual calls to stay another day and have some fun, Mammoth, Chainsaw and I headed out for a 15.8 mile day. It was the usual uphill walk out of town, but we did follow the creeper trail and a stream for a good portion of the day which was nice. We all hiked together chatting most of the day which made the miles go by quicker. It rained a little at the start but quickly cleared and turned into a nice day. The shelter had some day hikers in it with a smoky fire, so we all chose to tent. Rambo, a female hiker I met in town, was already there and had pitched her tent. She had left yesterday, then changed her mind and went back to town to mail her banjo that she was carrying back home. She stayed the night then left early this morning. Later another hiker came in who has already done the PCT, and is doing the AT this year. My knee felt good today, but now my left quad hurts and my right shin. It is always something. Oh well, we will push on tomorrow for two big climbs back up over 5,500 feet. I forgot to mention, my food bag is so heavy with the 5 days¢ worth of food that my pack felt like it was filled with lead again. I have to get better at packing just the right amount of food because it is ridiculous what my pack weighs coming out of towns. Well, I¢ll just keep walking and learning.
Date: 2011-04-21
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: overcast clouds

05/10/11 - I'm going to add 5 days to the journal today (4/19 - 4/23) - So those of you following on a daily basis, make sure you start on the journal for 4/19. Mary Started out today hopeful for a good day to go across the Grayson Highlands. It was cloudy and chilly to start, but we quickly warmed up climbing up Whitetop Mountain. As we climbed the skies cleared and we started having great views. After a short rest at Buzzard Rock we pushed on to Mount Rogers. As we approached the area around Thomas Knob Shelter we started seeing groups of ponies. We took another break at Thomas Knob Shelter but decided to move on another 5 miles through the Highlands because the weather was so good and rain was forecast for tomorrow. We traveled over the rock outcropping, and though they were somewhat tough the views were very nice. We eventually came across a group of ponies with a foal that was close, so we dropped our packs and went down for some close up pictures. We made it to Wise Shelter and Mammoth, Chainsaw and I were able to secure a good spot inside right before a large group of day hikers arrived. We ate and were cleaning up when a large group of the thru-hikers arrived after doing a big day. Savage, Breeze, Sherpa, Fuzzy Navel, Tiger Lilly, Downhill, and Spoon all came in to tent or squeeze into the shelter. The highlight in camp tonight was watching Mammoth take a bag of what he thought was mashed potatoes, but turned out to be some kind of yellow cake mix, and fashion pancakes out of it. We found an old iron plate which he scrubbed with a brillo pad; he then built a fire to set it on top of. After mixing the batter, he oiled the pan with some of Savages olive oil, then poured the batter on and flipped with an old camp knife we found lying around. The pancakes were a little odd tasting, but quite respectable. The whole ordeal provided about 2 hours of entertainment, and everyone was impressed by the determination and adaptation. Overall it was a nice day to go through the Highlands even if my thigh and shin still were bothering me.