morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2016-01-21
From: Damascus, VA/Mountain City, TN, Bob & Joni Marsica

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.2
Weather: clear sky

There is a ¢severe winter storm¢ forecast to arrive in this area tomorrow afternoon. Last night my plan was to just stay with the Marsicanos until Monday after the storm passed.I woke up about 6:00 AM this morning and got up about 7:00 AM. Bob and Joni were still asleep, so I made a pot of coffee. It looked like it was going to be a nice day. If the roads were passable, perhaps I could hike from Elk Garden down to Damascus, over Whitetop Mountain, and get in another 24 miles before the weather got too bad.I decided to call Mount Rogers Outfitters in Damascus to check on the condition of the roads going up to Elk Garden. They suggested that I use them for a shuttle in a four-wheel drive pick-up. Deal!After Bob and Joni prepared a big breakfast while I swept the snow off their front porch, deck and steps, Bob drove me over to Damascus. Larry, with MRO, drove me up to Elk Garden, arriving at the trailhead at noon. The state highway trucks were plowing VA 600 to Elk Garden when we got there, so Larry didn¢t have to put his Toyota pick-up in four-wheel drive, and we had no problems.Eight miles over Whitetop to the Lost Mountain Shelter. It was a beautiful day¢bright sun and clear, blue skies. Quite a contrast to yesterday!The snow was about four inches deep at Elk Garden and about six inches deep on Whitetop. There was snow on all of the trees. There were great views from Buzzard Rock. Then downhill to Lost Mountain, arriving at the shelter at 4:30 PM.Lost Mountain is a really nice shelter. It is another one of those places that I would like to have stayed in 2004, but the timing was wrong.I¢ll get up early tomorrow morning and try to be on the trail by daylight. Hopefully I will be able to beat the storm.
Date: 2016-01-22
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Damascus/Mountain City, Bob & Joni MarsicanoÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs hou
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: broken clouds

Last night about midnight I hear the wind pick up and roar through the trees like a freight train. When I heard that sound, I pretty much knew that I wouldn¢t reach Damascus before the snowstorm. When my alarm went off at 6:00 AM, there was about six inches of new snow on the ground.So I fixed hot coffee and oatmeal for breakfast (as usual!), packed up my gear and headed down the mountain. Now I¢m breaking trail in about ten inches of snow, which is a little slower than four inches of snow. As I went down the mountain, there was less wind and less snow, and the temperatures warmed up. I didn¢t stop for lunch, but snacked on Fig Newtons to keep me going to Damascus.When I reached Damascus, I stopped at Cowboy¢s and had hot coffee and a fried chicken liver lunch. I called Rest Step from there, and he was able to drive over from Mountain City to pick me up before the roads got too bad.So now I¢m doing the thru-hiker thing at Rest Step¢s house in Mountain City¢shower, laundry, resupply and eat. Watching the snow continue to fall.
Date: 2016-01-23
From: Damascus/Mountain City, Bob & Joni MarsicanoÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs hou

To: Mountain City, Bob & Joni MarsicanoÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Watching the snow continue to fall! Watching the fire in the fireplace.As I was cleaning and drying my gear, I noticed that my left shoe is beginning to split/separate between the sole and the upper. (Lowa Renegade Lo GTX.) This is where my Lowas usually fail first. This pair has about 850 trail miles on them. In warmer weather, I could wear them for a couple more weeks and get 1,000 miles. In snow like this, I could get wet socks and frostbitten toes! That happened to me in December 2007 in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico on the Continental Divide Trail. Frostbitten toes are no fun and take literally months to heal! My wife Becky is mailing new shoes to me today. Hopefully, the new shoes will be here by Monday.
Date: 2016-01-24
From: Mountain City, Bob & Joni MarsicanoÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house

To: Mountain City, Bob & Joni MarsicanoÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house
Miles today: 0.0

Waiting for my new shoes to arrive! The snow finally stopped falling. The sky is clear and blue with no clouds. The sun is shining brightly.Rest Step and I shoveled snow from driveways today. We walked down the hill in the evening to a party at one of their neighbor¢s house¢Tom and Lynn.
Date: 2016-01-25
From: Mountain City, Bob & Joni MarsicanoÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house

To: Mountain City, Bob & Joni MarsicanoÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Still waiting for my new shoes to arrive¢¦USPS delivered the shoes at 3:00 PM. Too late to start hiking today!
Date: 2016-01-26
From: Mountain City, Bob & Joni MarsicanoÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 3.9
Weather: moderate rain

I woke up at 6:00 AM; Joni had coffee for me at 7:00 AM. Bob fixed breakfast¢scrambled eggs with lots of cheese, plus toast. Bob drove me back to Dickey Gap. It felt as though I¢d been on vacation and was going back to work! Thank you, Bob and Joni, for being such awesome trail angels!The temperature was in the mid-30¢s. The snow was dense and compacted with a slight crust of ice on top, about 10 inches deep¢no longer dry powder. I started at 9:00 AM and reached Trimpi Shelter just after noon¢1.3 MPH instead of my usual 2 MPH. A light rain started falling about 30 minutes before I reached the shelter.Ten more miles to partnership Shelter. 1.3 MPH¢it would take about eight and one-half hours...Sunset is at 5:45 PM...Rain. The safest/smartest plan would be to stay at Trimpi. So I did!Besides that, I like Trimpi. Stone shelter with a fireplace in the center of the back wall that can really heat up the shelter. Privy. Good flowing piped spring.So I had lunch, got water, and gathered a good supply of wood. I lit a fire and by mid-afternoon had a really good fire going. It was comfortable in the shelter without a jacket! I fixed hot Chai tea latte and read and wrote in the shelter register.At about 5:00 PM I fixed my dinner. After dinner I set my mousetraps and tended the fire.
Date: 2016-01-27
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Partnership Shelter/Methodist Mission House, Mario
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: snow

Jeff Wadley called me and wants to play trail angel for me. He¢s picking me up at VA 16 by the Partnership Shelter at 5:00 PM and taking me to spend the night with him at a Methodist Mission house in Marion tonight.I reached the shelter and Mt. Rogers Headquarters by 3:00 PM. I waited there and recharged my phone until 4:30 PM when they closed the headquarters. Then I waited at the front gate for Jeff until 5:15 PM. We went to the Mission and then went out to eat at a barbecue place in Marion. Thanks, Jeff¢it was much better than cooking my own dinner in a cold shelter!
Date: 2016-01-28
From: Partnership Shelter/Methodist Mission House, Mario

To: Atkins, VA/Methodist Mission House, Marion, VA
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: clear sky

Jeff took me out to breakfast at Hardee¢s in Marion, then drove me back up to the trailhead at the Mr. Rogers Headquarters.I hiked eleven miles down to Atkins. I passed the Lindamood School, which was started by the family of Josh Lindamood, the first Methodist AT Chaplain. I called Howard McGee to pick me up and take me back to the mission.I spent the night there, and he took me back to the trailhead in Atkins in the morning.
Date: 2016-01-29
From: Atkins, VA/Methodist Mission House, Marion, VA

To: VA 610
Miles today: 9.8
Weather: snow

Good news: WILDCAT's journal entries from Jan. 29-Feb. 4 that were missing finally arrived today (Feb. 20th), even though they were postmarked Feb. 6! ~ WILDCAT's wifeI was by myself at the Methodist Mission House in Marion last night. At least it was warm and dry¢and free! Howard McGee picked me up and drove me back to the Sonoco Truck Stop/AT trailhead at 8:00 AM. Snow is forecast for today. It¢s cold and windy.Alan Ashworth is supposed to pick me up at VA 42 this afternoon, and I¢ll spend the night at his house in Bastian. Geo/Jeff Seeeney, my friend who hiked the AT SOBO in 2010, is also meeting me at VA 42. He is joining me on the trail for a few days. At about 2:00 PM, Jeff and I connect by phone. He is hiking south to meet me. He¢s on the north side of Walker Mountain, and I¢m on the south side. Shortly after the phone call I pass a sign for the 1/4-way point/547 miles from Springer Mountain on the AT.I met Jeff at the bottom of the mountain, and we walked two miles back to VA 610 together. Alan met us there, and we decided to quit hiking for the day two miles earlier than planned.We drove back to the Ashworth¢s house in Bastian. Alan and Mary took Jeff and me out to dinner at Tamarack Restaurant in Beckly, West Virginia. Great dinner!
Date: 2016-01-30
From: VA 606

To: VA 611, Alan AshworthÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house, Bastian, 
Miles today: 9.6

Alan Ashworth is my ¢boss¢ with the United Methodist Church¢s Appalachian Trail Outreach Ministry (ATOM) and our trail angel for this weekend. He and his wife Mary fixed a big breakfast for Jeff and me: scrambled eggs with ramps. Jeff had never eaten ramps before. We also enjoyed homemade pear preserves on our biscuits.The plan is for Alan to slackpack us today from VA 606/Kimbeling Creek, near Trent¢s Grocery Store, to US 51¢about fifteen miles. There is still a lot of snow¢occasionally knee-deep drifts¢along the ridge.After six miles, Jeff and I stopped for lunch at the Jenny Knob Shelter. We had been doing just over one mile per hour in the snowdrifts. We revised our plan, and Alan picked us up after 906 miles at VA 611.We went home and took showers, did laundry, had dinner and watched a movie about The Rocket Boys.
Date: 2016-01-31
From: US 52

To: VA 615, Ashworths' House, Bastian, VA
Miles today: 7.2

Jeff and I went to church with Alan and Mary. After the service, we went back to their house for lunch. Then Alan took us to US 52. We walked about seven miles to Laurel Creek/VA 615.It was a sunny afternoon with no wind. Much of the snow had melted, and we made good time. Alan walked in from VA 615 to meet us and walked the last couple of miles with us.
Date: 2016-02-01
From: VA 611

To: US 52, Ashworths' House/Bastian, VA
Miles today: 8.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Rain was forecast for today, but the sun was shining when we finished breakfast. This is Jeff¢s last day with me.Alan shuttled us to VA 611. We started walking just after 8:00 AM. Most of the snow had melted, and the trail was clear. We made good time and hiked about nine miles back to Jeff¢s pickup truck by 1:00 PM.Jeff and I took Alan and Mary to dinner at Cracker Barrel; then Jeff headed home to Roanoke.
Date: 2016-02-02
From: Walker Gap

To: VA 610, Alan AshworthÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house, Bastian, VA
Miles today: 15.3

Here¢s the strategy: Chestnut Knob is 4,410-ft. elevation, so I¢ll hike the lower elevation trails first and give the snow some time to melt on Chestnut Knob. Also, by walking from Walker Gap south to VA 610, I¢ll be walking ¢downhill.¢Today it¢s time to do fifteen miles over Chestnut Knob. It¢s very foggy¢no views of Burke¢s Garden today. I can barely see the Chestnut Knob Shelter! But the snow is mostly gone.I stopped at the Knot Maul Branch Shelter for lunch. Alan hiked north from the O¢Lystery Pavilion to meet me on Brushy Mountain. We walked together to the Holston River Bridge. Water was flowing over the deck of the bridge, so I had to take off my shoes and wade in ankle deep water. Alan turned around and went back to his truck, then drove around to VA 610 to pick me up.We drove home and ate leftovers.
Date: 2016-02-03
From: Walker Gap

To: Laurel Creek/VA 615, Alan AshworthÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house, Bastia
Miles today: 14.5

Rain today¢at least it will melt the snow. My umbrella will keep me dry.After about six miles, I saw an orange and white two-person dome tent set up beside the trail near the side trail to Davis Farm Campsite. Strange! I walked over to the tent and shouted, but there was no answer; so I assumed that it was empty.About two miles later, I realized that I had seen no footprints around the tent. What if someone had been in the tent during the snowstorm and had died of hypothermia? I called Alan Ashworth; he called a friend of his on the Burke¢s Garden Fire Dept. They investigated the tent¢no bodies!The rain finally stopped, and I had an uneventful walk back to the car parked at Laurel Creek.After Alan and Mary came home, he drove me over to the church, where he and three of his friends pick guitars every Wednesday night.
Date: 2016-02-04
From: Laurel Creek/VA 615

To: Woods Hole Hostel
Miles today: 15.2

We had leftovers for breakfast. Actually, it was a great breakfast! Biscuits and gravy, pancakes with homemade maple syrup.Alan drove me to Kimberling Creek/VA 606, where we said goodbye, and I headed north to Woods Hole Hostel. I had stayed with Alan and Mary for six nights, and he¢d slackpacked me every day! Thank you, Alan and Mary, for your hospitality.Fifteen miles to Woods Hole Hostel, where I met Neville, the granddaughter of Roy and Tillie Wood, who opened the hostel in 1986.Naturally, I was the only AT thru-hiker staying there at this time of year. But Neville was kind enough to fix dinner and breakfast for me. Great hostel! Thank you, Neville!
Date: 2016-02-05
From: Atkins, VA

To: Pearisburg, VA, Brian BurchÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house
Miles today: 11.1

After a big, leisurely breakfast with Neville at Woods Hole, I hit the trail, heading north again, at about 9:00 AM. The sun was shining, but the north wind was cold!Eleven miles seemed like a fairly short day. I arrived at Angels Rest, overlooking Pearisburg, at about 2:00 PM. I called Brian Burch from the overlook and walked down two miles to meet him at the road.Brian is a Methodist minister in Pearisburg. Jeff Wadley, one of the ministers in ATOM, arranged for me to stay with Brian and his wife DeAnne, when I reached Pearisburg. Apparently Jeff and Brian worked together at the Methodist Camp Wesley Woods when they were younger.
Date: 2016-02-06
From: Pearisburg, VA, Brian BurchÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house

To: Pearisburg, VA, Brian BurchÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house
Miles today: 17.4

Brian Burch has offered to slackpack me this weekend. That way I spend more nights with him and DeAnne and can attend his church on Sunday.Brian arranged for Steve Chafin to drive me to the trailhead at Stony Creek/VA 35, north of Pearisburg in the morning. Then I¢ll walk 17.4 miles back south on the trail, and Tim and Trish Poole will pick me up at the Clendennin Road trailhead in the evening.After about an hour of hiking, I arrived at the Pine Swamp Branch Shelter. This shelter is almost identical to the Trimpi Shelter in the Mt. Rogers area, where I stayed on January 26th. Both shelters are constructed of stone, with a fireplace in the center of the back wall. I wouldn¢t mind staying here! The problem is that it¢s now only 10:00 AM, I¢m slackpacking so I don¢t have my food and gear with me, and I¢ve agreed to spend tonight with Brian and DeAnne in Pearisburg.At 11:45 AM I came to the junction of the Allegheny Trail and the Appalachian Trail. I stopped and had lunch.My afternoon was a long ridge walk along the border of West (by God!) Virginia and Virginia. I reached Clendennin Road as it was getting dark at 6:00 PM. Tim and Trish Poole were waiting for me at the road.
Date: 2016-02-07
From: Pearisburg, VA, Brian BurchÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house

To: Pearisburg, VA, Brian BurchÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up at the usual time, went downstairs, and had coffee and breakfast. After breakfast I went to church with Brian and DeAnne. He introduced me to the congregation and asked me to tell a little bit about the Appalachian Trail Outreach Ministry/Trail Chaplain program. Most of the people had met Hardtack/Josh Lindamood and Short Stop/David Smith in the two previous years. I explained that I was different, because I was a ¢flip-flopper.¢ After the service, we enjoyed a soup and sandwich lunch at the church.After lunch we went home, and I changed into my ¢work¢ clothes. DeAnne then drove me up to the road under Angels Rest, where she and Brian had met me on Friday afternoon. I walked five miles from there to where I was picked up after my hike on Saturday. Brian and his sons, Zack and Michael, picked me up.On the way home we stopped at the Dairy Queen, and I bought Blizzards for everyone. Today is Michael¢s 22nd birthday.Gwen, an exchange student from Thailand who is staying with the Burches, prepared a Thai dinner. After dinner the boys left to drive back to their colleges, Gwen went to a party in Pearisburg, and Brian, DeAnne, and I watched Super Bowl 50. Peyton won!
Date: 2016-02-08
From: Pearisburg, VA, Brian BurchÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house

To: War Spur Shelter
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: clear sky

We got up at 6:00 AM. Brian fixed breakfast. We said our good-byes, and DeAnne drove me to the Big Stony Creek trailhead on her way to school. Back on the trail headed north again!The trail climbed up about 1,000 feet out of Big Stony Creek for two miles to the Bailey Gap Shelter. I signed the register and continued on. An hour later it began to snow. Maybe I¢ll do the 10-mile plan today, instead of the 15-mile option.The snow let up at about 1:00 PM, then started again just before I reached War Spur at 2:30. As usual, I have the shelter all to myself. I got water and had hot Chai tea latte with my late lunch.It began snowing again at about 5:0 PM. If I had gone on to the next shelter, I would have been walking in the snow as it got dark. I think that I made the right decision. Tonight I have a good fire, and I¢m warm and dry.
Date: 2016-02-09
From: War Spur Shelter

To: Sarver Hollow Shelter
Miles today: 12.0
Weather: broken clouds

I did twelve miles today, and it took 8-1/2 hours! It would have taken longer, but a mile or two of the day was just walking across grassy pastures. It was cold enough today that I wore my Montbell 900-fill down jacket and my OR parka all day long. And again, mittens are warmer than gloves. But enough talk about gear.Last night¢s snow was still sticking to the trees¢often making AT blazes difficult to see and hanging on the leaves and branches. I had a quick snack for lunch at the Laurel Creek Shelter, so named because of all the damned laurel bushes around it. It took me four hours to hike six miles from War Spur Shelter to Laurel Creek Shelter¢in the daylight. It¢s a good thing that I didn¢t attempt to do it yesterday afternoon when it was snowing hard and getting dark! I wore my OR rain parka and pack cover to protect me and my gear from the snow. Hood up, head down, charging through the drooping laurel branches that are all weighted down by the snow!In the mid-afternoon, after crossing the pastures, I came to the Keifer Oak. It¢s almost as large as the Dover Oak in New York¢over eighteen feet in circumference and over 300 years old.Then I had the opportunity to climb over 1,000 feet in two miles and do a ridge walk over to the Sarver Hollow Shelter.Sarver Hollow is a really nice shelter. I didn¢t stop there or see it in 2004 because it is four-tenths of a mile off the AT and down a steep hill. Rumor on the trail is that it¢s haunted¢there is a small cemetery nearby¢but I ain¢t afraid of no ghosts! I didn¢t see or hear any of the ghosts, but I did get two mice. I probably could have gotten more, but it was too cold to get out of my warm down sleeping bag just to reset mousetraps.
Date: 2016-02-10
From: Sarver Hollow Shelter

To: Niday Shelter
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I woke up, planning to do sixteen miles today. Then when I saw that it was snowing again and felt how cold it was...that and my experiences during the past two days made me reconsider and later change my mind. It was so cold that I wore Patagonia Capilene 4 bottoms to keep warm under Capilene 1 bottoms to break the wind. Usually I only wear Cap 1 bottoms. Again, like yesterday, I wore the down jacket to stay warm and the parka to block the wind. Normally just the parka/rain jacket is enough while I¢m hiking. That¢s it for gear reviews for today!The hike, of course, started with the four-tenths of a mile steep climb from the Sarver Hollow Shelter¢yup, that¢s why they call it a ¢hollow!¢¢back up to the AT. Then it was pretty much rock and briars, and briars and rocks all covered with fresh snowdrifts and ice. Even so, I made it six miles to the Niday Shelter by noon.Now, here¢s my dilemma¢do I want to do another ten miles this afternoon to get to the next shelter? Only six miles is a short day¢almost a ¢nero.¢ But I¢m not sure of the trail conditions ahead, I¢m only averaging 1-1/2 miles per hour, and the sun sets at about 5:30 PM. Also, I¢m a little short on stove fuel after cooking last night¢s dinner and fixing hot drinks to rehydrate, so I really need to cook dinners over a wood fire and save the denatured alcohol for making my hot coffee and oatmeal breakfasts in the mornings. The safe/sensible thing to do is to stay here tonight. Besides, I wouldn¢t want you, the reader, to think that I was reckless and taking unnecessary risks on a solo backpacking trip in February during winter conditions! So here I am at the Niday Shelter, safe and warm and dry, with a good fire going in front of the shelter. I just finished a good hot dinner cooked over a wood fire.So...what would a thru-hiker eat for dinner on a cold night like this? I had Idahoan instant mashed potatoes with tuna and freeze-dried green peas, prepared with dried whole milk, real butter and Cabot extra sharp Cheddar cheese. Also Kona coffee and fig newtons for dessert. After dinner I had a cup of hot Chai tea latte to help stay warm and well hydrated during this cold weather.The biggest problem with drinking hot coffee and tea all afternoon and evening is that now I will have to get out of my warm sleeping bag to pee at least twice before my 6:00 AM alarm goes off. But while I¢m up, I can check and reset my mousetraps and tend the fire.It¢s past hiker midnight, so I guess that I¢d better call it a day and get rested up for another ten miles of winter backpacking tomorrow.
Date: 2016-02-11
From: Niday Shelter

To: VA 620/Daleville, VA, Jim & Toni WhittleÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house
Miles today: 8.8

It was cold and windy today. At least there was some sunshine. I stopped once near the top of Brush Mountain, in the sunshine and out of the wind, and tried to call my wife. She said that Northern Harrier said to tell me to get down to Daleville ASAP because zero degree nighttime temps and snow were coming!I called Jim Whittle in Daleville to tell him that, because of snow and cold weather, I would be unable to reach Daleville until Saturday. He suggested that I let him pick me up at a road crossing that afternoon. We agreed on VA 620 at 3:30 PM.It was one mile less than I had planned for the day, but I didn¢t have to spend a zero degree night alone in the Pickle Branch Shelter.I stopped at the Audie Murphy Monument on top of Brush Mountain early in the afternoon. Four bars on my phone, but I¢m unable to text or call!I met another thru-hiker today. She was another flip-flopper¢much like me¢named Winston. She¢s walking south to Davenport Gap. Winston is also on TrailJournals.com.
Date: 2016-02-12
From: VA 620/Daleville, VA, Jim & Toni WhittleÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house

To: VA 624/Daleville, VA, Tim & Toni WhittleÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs house
Miles today: 8.0

Jim slackpacked me today. I walked eight miles from VA 620 to VA 624. I went over the famous Dragon¢s Tooth rocks today.After the hike, I took Jim and Toni to the well-known Homeplace Restaurant just outside Catawba, VA. It is famous in the thru-hiker community because of their AYCE family-style dinners. The Whittles had heard of the restaurant, but had not eaten there. I think that they got enough to eat!