morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-04-14
From: US 18E - Mountain Harbor B&B

To: Mountaineer Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: light rain

I had a great night's sleep last night in a cozy bed with sheets and a pillow (despite a very obnoxious snorer who sounded like he would choke to death any second). We all woke up early and headed over to the B&B for breakfast cooked up by Mary and Terry. It was amazing - a buffet of cheesy egg casserole, pancakes, home fries, cinnamon buns, biscuits, and fresh fruit. I went back for thirds and was totally satisfied...this was definitely one of my favorite breakfasts on the trail. OH and Terry and Mary have 5 cats! Rocket and I spent some quality time with the cats before heading back to the hostel.The weather was looking pretty crummy out so we were weighing our options...either staying another night at the hostel and taking a zero day or heading out and hiking 9 miles to the first shelter. I need to be in Damascus on Sunday to meet Dom (!!!) so I preferred to head out rather than take a zero. Luckily the weather cleared a bit and the sun came out so we made a group decision to hike out today.The trail was kind of sketchy today, passing through random fields, a cemetery, logging roads, and even a christmas tree farm. Grommet broke the news to us that she wasn't feeling well and was concerned she was geting the bug that Ducky just had. We were trying to convince her that she was probably just psyching herself out. It started pouring on us with about 1.5 hours to the shelter and I was absolutely drenched to the bone when I finally got to the shelter. I doubt my clothes will dry out tonight but at least it stopped raining.Grommet got her sleeping bag out and took a nap in the shelter for a couple hours while we all got out of our wet clothes and cooked dinner. We are all staying in the shelter tonight because it's really nice and relatively new. It has three levels and holds 14 people, which is great because it's definitely a full house tonight. Some hikers here tonight include the Tag Team, Cajun, Lone Wolf, and some other thru-hikers and section hikers.Grommet woke up and is feeling so much better. Whew! If one of us gets the stomach bug we are all doomed since we are always in close quarters and take bites from each other's dinners all the time.Tomorrow is a big day...we cross the 400 mile mark. Woot!
Date: 2009-04-15
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: Dennis Cove Road - Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 15.6

We were the last ones out of the shelter this morning. It was super crowded with everyone packing up their stuff so we took our time and waited for it to clear out. My clothes were barely any drier than they were yesterday but I put them all back on (even my wet socks, which I kind of regretted later). I really don't understand why there are no privies in Tennessee. I know I've brought this up before but it makes no sense! Without privies you get lazy people who decide to do their business 5 feet from the shelter and don't bury it. Rocket went to brush her teeth not 15 feet from the shelter and came back with poop all over her crocs. Another thru-hiker was packing up her pack this morning right outside the shelter and found poop all over the outside of her pack and pack cover. Come on people! Please be considerate of others and go the appropriate 100 yds from the shelter and bury it! It's not that hard!Ok enough of my ranting. So we left the shelter and hiked on relatively even terrain for most of the day. Nothing too exciting to note for today. It didn't rain on us but it was very foggy and gloomy all day. Apparently tomorrow is supposed to be nice...finally! Another thing I don't understand is the contaminated streams that the trail crosses. My guidebook mentions all the water sources along the trail, and a few over the past couple days have been noted as "contaminated". Does this mean we shouldn't draw water from these streams even if we treat it? Or is that note just intended for those who don't treat their water? Hm....My feet were killing me all day today...my left heel actually feels like it's collapsing or disintegrating! I know it's not, but it definitely doesn't feel right. Storm's toes are hurting, Rocket's knee caps feel like they are going to explode, and Egg's and Grommet's feet aren't doing so hot either. Feet-wise, the packadivas are falling apart!We got down to Dennis Cove Road and walked the 0.2-mile to Kincora Hostel owned by Bob Peoples. We resupplied in town and cooked up dinner back at the hostel. We are sleeping in bunks tonight...I'm on the top bunk and there are tons of cobwebs above that are a bit too close for comfort. But this place is great and runs on donations only. Other folks here tonight include the Tag Team, Cajun, Pogo, Cascade, Lone Wolf, Jones, and some others. A bunch of people are slackpacking tomorrow but we are heading out with full packs. We've heard that there is a tough climb tomorrow and I'm a little concerned about my feet, but at least the weather forcast for tomorrow looks nice!
Date: 2009-04-16
From: Dennis Cove Road - Kincora Hostel

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: clear sky

Since we only had about 11 miles to hike today we took our time packing up this morning. I made some scrambled eggs with jalepeno cheddar cheese and then ate a bowl of Kix and my leftover pasta from last night.We took off around 9:30 and walked down the road back to the trailhead. Finally the sun is out and not a cloud in the sky! The trail was really cool today and different from what we've seen lately. We walked through Laurel Fork Gorge with steep rock walls and rocks steps that descended down to the river. I took my pack off and walked 20 feet down to Laurel Falls to snap a couple photos, and as I did that my pack (which I guess I left in a precarious spot) fell over and tumbled at least 30 feet down into a ravine! I watched it wide-eyed (and laughing hysterically, along with all the divas above) as it somersaulted down the ravine and luckily it got caught on a tree trunk or it would have ended up in the river. I had my camera on me so there was nothing really breakable in my pack except for my steripen but I checked the bulb and it was fine. So funny! Tip of the day: Always check the footing of your pack before leaving it alone for a few minutes.The climb up to Pond Flats wasn't that bad (although hard on the sore feet) and we took a 1.5 hour lunch break towards the top. Descending from Pond Flats was easy as there were lots of level switchbacks that brought us down to Watauga Lake where we rested in the sun for over an hour. We had an easy 2 mile walk to Watauga Lake Shelter where we are staying the night. It took us 9 hours to walk 11 miles! It was a relaxing day and it was nice to walk slow, take lots of breaks throughout the day, and enjoy the sun. We are tenting tonight (it's been 4 nights since we tented last!) and Cajun is the only one in the shelter. Another nice day is forecasted for tomorrow!
Date: 2009-04-17
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: clear sky

I slept like a rock last night and probably could have slept in until 10am if we didn't have to hike. Some thru-hikers showed up around 9pm last night - Birches, Double Bag, and Pyrotucky - and were asleep in the shelter when we woke up. We had breakfast, packed up, and were hiking by 8:45.The trail paralleled the shore of Watauga Lake for a while and then we climbed a ridge that took us above the lake. The lake is bigger than I thought...we must have hiked along it for at least 7 miles. I was about out of water when I arrived at Vandeventer Shelter (where we were stopping for lunch). The spring was half a mile down a steep side trail and then back up it. Ugh, no thanks. Luckily a nice section hiker (Old Pack) offered me some of his treated water since he was getting off the trail later in the afternoon. I was so gracious because walking a full mile roundtrip to get water didn't sound too appealing. At the shelter was another section hiker, Timber, and another man he was hiking with. I talked with them for a while as I ate my lunch. This shelter has really nice views of the lake and valley below...I would have stayed and hung out a bit longer but the sun was really hot and I was antsy to get more water from the next spring which was 4 miles north.The 4 miles to the spring was pretty flat with some slight ups and downs but I was so thirsty and hot that it seemed to take forever. I was so happy when I got there...I chugged almost a liter of water and hung out for a half hour or so before hiking the remaining 3 miles to the next shelter where we are staying tonight. It's ironic how I always seem to run low on water on the hottest of days...I got to the shelter and Cajun and a section hiker (Captain Max, who is 78 years old!) were the only ones here. I set up my tent and started cooking dinner and Egg and Rocket showed up not too long after. Storm and Grommet arrived after that, and then the Tag Team, Ketchup and Ms. Muster, Chocolate Chipmunk, and Indiana Toad showed up. Wow, didn't expect to see all of them here tonight!      Apparently the stomach bug is still going around...someone had it really bad at Kincora last night. Good thing we got out of there when we did!My feet were feeling a tad better today...maybe my heel is on the mend, but I won't get my hopes up too soon
Date: 2009-04-18
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

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

I awoke this morning to grouse in the distance. We've been hearing them since Georgia...they produce a sound with their wings that sounds like a bowling ball falling down the stairs; the thumping starts off slowly and then speeds up as it gains momentum. Today we were out of camp at 8am since we had almost 16 miles to hike. After a couple miles we hiked through a farm with great views of the mountains and green fields that surround it. The farmland was so pretty, definitely the higlight of today. It was another nice day...very sunny and probably in the mid-70s. I'm hoping the leaves on the trees start blooming soon to offer some shade during these hot, sunny days. I made it to the first shelter (8 miles out) in 3 hours and had a big lunch. Everyone started to show up and we all ate together and hung out for 1.5 hours before heading on. I saw lots of wildflowers lining the trail today...purple, white, and yellow ones. They definitely add some nice colors to the trail. My heel was feeling a bit better today although every now and again I would feel a shooting pain extending from my arch to achilles on my left foot. Hmm. I also rolled my ankle twice today. It's a very painful initial pain but after repeating the mantra "Walk it out, now walk it out, now walk it out..." in my head, the pain quickly dissipates. Those are lyrics from a song by Unk that is on Grommet's ipod...it's a very intense rap song but I repeat a more mellow version of it in my head. I'm looking forward to Damascus tomorrow: my first shower in 6 days, ice cream and french fries, another lunch brought by Grommet's roommate (there is a rumor of homemade vegetarian strombolis being made), a complete change in my hiking wardrobe, and Dom is coming!
Date: 2009-04-19
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I awoke at 6am eager to get to town (and cross the state line into Virginia). I packed up quickly and headed out of camp around 7:30, just as the other 'divas were getting up. I told them I'd see them in town and took off down the trail. I basically had no food left in my pack so all I could think of was fries and ice cream which made me hike even faster. I ate a celebratory Twix bar (thanks Grommet!) at the state line and made it to town at 10:45...that's about 10 miles in just over 3 hours, probably my fastest pace yet.The trail goes through the town of Damascus, which prides itself on being the friendliest trail town. I saw some section hikers that I had met a couple nights ago in town and they recommended I have breakfast at Cowboys, a small restaurant attached to the Exxon station. I beelined it there but was about 10 minutes too late for breakfast, so instead I ordered a grilled cheese with fries. I then checked in at the Lazy Fox Inn where Dom and I were staying the night. I was a bit early, but they let me come in, drop my stuff off, and take a much needed shower. The inn is so cozy and Miss Ginny (the owner) is great. After my shower, I watched the end of a tennis match on TV, bought some food at the Dollar General (Dom had just informed me over the phone that he left my Damascus maildrop back home in Maine...oops!), then went to the outfitter to pick up a couple packages (girlscout cookies from a coworker and a surprise package from my aunt, uncle, and cousins!). By this time, the 'divas had made it to town and were checking in to The Place, a hostel in town.Grommet's roommate, roommate's mom, and roommate's mom's boyfriend (who had brought us that nice Easter lunch) were nice enough to meet us at the town gazebo for more feasting. They made us strombolis with broccoli, mushrooms, shallots, and cheese and a meat version of that for the meat eaters. Also lots of cake, homemade pastries, candy, and potato chips. What a treat! Dom pulled up at the gazebo just as we were finishing up lunch and I introduced him to everyone. He dropped his stuff off at the inn, then we had wine and snacks with Miss Ginny and some of the other guests at the inn (Bluebelle, Bluebelle's husband, and OM - Bluebelle and OM are hiking from Damascus to Maine).Before we knew it, it was 8pm and I still had to do laundry at the laundromat and resupply at Food City. Dom and I are hiking out tomorrow (the other 'divas are taking a day off) so I had to get all my town chores done tonight. I got everything done but it was probably midnight before I crawled into bed. What a long day!I'm looking forward to Miss Ginny's breakfast in the morning! Three states down, 11 to go
Date: 2009-04-20
From: Damascus, VA

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: light rain

It was nice being able to sleep in this morning. Breakfast was served at 8:30 in the dining room and it was amazing, one of the best on the trail! Scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, cheesy grits casserole, biscuits, apple blintzes, and fresh fruit. It was ridiculous how much I ate but I couldn't stop myself...everything was so good!Dom was flipping through a Washington County promotional magazine (from this year) that was at the inn and found an incredible three sentence blurb about the AT that made me laugh. The second sentence (which has a whopping 4 mistakes in it) reads: "The 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail runs from Georgia to Maine, and Damascus is roughly the halfway point. Damascus is also the only town that the trail passes through - the sidewalk on Main Street is part of the Appalachian Trail". Haha! I'm surprised that was even published - the trail is 2,178 miles long, Damascus is definitely not the halfway point (maybe they got it confused with Harpers Ferry?), Damascus is not the only town that the trail goes through (Hot Springs, Duncannon, Hanover, North Adams, etc etc) and the AT through Damascus isn't on Main Street, it's Laurel Avenue.Anywho, it took us a while to pack everything up since I was doing some gear and clothing swaps. I am no longer using the wool icebreaker shirt as my hiking shirt...it got just as smelly as my tech T and wasn't quick drying, so the tech T is BACK and it's back with a vengeance! I also traded my black Patagonia hiking skirt for a light blue skirt I've had for years. I'm taking my winter gloves, neck warmer, buff, silk long underwear, and Patagonia micropuff coat out and sending it all home with Dom. Hopefully I don't regret parting with any of that stuff! In it's place, I'm adding my camp pillow (total luxury but absolutely necessary) and trekker chair (another luxury). But I did weigh my pack without food and water and it's at 23 pounds - I'm happy with that.Dom and I finally started hiking around noon...we only had 9 miles to hike and the sky was looking ominous so we were in no real rush to head out. The weather was totally unpredictable as we hiked out of Damascus - it would be sunny one minute and raining the next and followed that pattern for the entire afternoon into the evening. As we hiked Dom caught me up on all the big news stories, some highlights (but no spoilers) from my favorite TV shows, updates on all our friends back home, and funny and cute cat stories (I miss them!).We got to the shelter around 5pm...not many people here (only One Stick and Mudflap) as most people probably continued on to the next shelter 6 miles north. We set up our tent right away before it started raining again and then made dinner (burritos with rice, beans, and cheese - one of my favorite trail meals). We are going to try for 18 miles tomorrow - we'll see if that actually happens!
Date: 2009-04-21
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 18.6
Weather: moderate rain

It ended up being a nice night...no rain or wind. Dom and I woke up around 7am, packed up, made breakfast, then headed out around 8:30. The weather today was crazy...we experienced every type of weather possible: sunny and warm, torrential downpours, snow, sleet, wind, etc. The hiking was pleasant though and we hiked the near 19 miles we had planned (both of our longest hiking days ever) to Thomas Knob Shelter. There were some nice views as we climbed Whitetop Mountain and as we approached the shelter (which is very close to Mount Rogers).We are tented just south of the shelter...apparently this area is one of the coldest spots in the southern Appalachians, and we are definitely feeling that tonight! Luckily I still have a hand warmer left that I can use to help keep me warm tonight. Brr!We are sleeping in tomorrow and only hiking 5 miles to the next shelter. I'm looking forward to spending some time with the wild ponies in Grayson Highlands tomorrow...hopefully the weather will hold out for us!
Date: 2009-04-22
From: Thomas Knob Shelter

To: Little Wilson Creek
Miles today: 5.2

What a night! Wind gusts coming over the pastures from below blew our tent all night long, and around 10pm it started snowing. It must have gotten down into the 20s overnight because our water bottles were mostly frozen in the morning. I stayed pretty warm all night but Dom was wearing all his layers (even rain gear) and was still chilly. There was a good 1/2-inch of snow on the ground when we woke up but the wind was blowing so hard that it didn't stay on the ground for too long.Good thing we weren't planning on leaving early because it was too cold and windy to do much of anything this morning. I eventually got up and went to the shelter around 9am to make some oatmeal. All the guys who had stayed in the shelter said it was freezing cold and that the mice were running around...good thing we tented!We weren't quite sure what the weather had in store for us for the day, but we started packing up around 11, made a hot lunch, and finally started hiking around 12:30. I was glad that I started to warm up as we hiked because I was wearing most of my layers when we left the shelter.The wind was dying down as the day progressed which made the hike through Grayson Highlands very enjoyable. The scenery was awesome, different from what we've been seeing recently...very rocky and desert-like with the mountains in the distance. We got to see the wild ponies but they ignored me as I called to them for a photo. We saw a few more off in the distance but decided not to go up close to hang out with them since it was windy and cold. If it had been a warm day I could have easily spent all day hanging out in the highlands. Tonight Dom and I are camped out next to Little Wilson Creek, about 0.1-mile north of Wise Shelter. No camping is allowed around the shelter so we opted to walk just a tad farther to where we could tent. We played some cards, Dom made a sweet fire, and we cooked a couple dinners. The winds have died down and the sun keeps trying to come out and stay out, so hopefully we'll have a nice night tonight!My feet felt great today considering that we walked close to 19 miles yesterday. Either my feet really are on the mend or it's due to my lighter pack weight...or both. I was glad though that we only walked 5 miles today - it was a nice change of pace!      Tomorrow is a big day...500 miles! Booyackashaw!
Date: 2009-04-23
From: Little Wilson Creek

To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.8
Weather: clear sky

I slept great last night...the raging creek next to our tent covered up the sounds in the woods that tend to keep me up at night (creaking trees, wind rustling the leaves, mice scurrying around, etc). This was definitely one of my favorite campsites yet. It was a nice night too...the skies cleared and the temps went up which made for a much more comfortable night's sleep.   Dom and I were hiking by 9am after a hot breakfast. We first climbed Stone Mountain which was another bald which recently had a controlled burn which we could smell as we hiked along the trail. The trail over the bald was very rocky and dry with shrubby trees...it didn't seem like we were in Virginia, but maybe somewhere out west.We hiked down into "The Scales" which is basically a livestock corral and then climbed Pine Mountain, which essentially is the 500-mile mark. 500 miles!! Pine Mountain didn't really seem like a mountain; I was surprised when we saw the sign because we didn't really climb that much to get there. We had lunch a few miles later at the shelter - Teryaki Rice (a Knorr side) with peanut butter mixed in. Yum.The hiking between lunch and where we are camped for the night was fast and mostly flat. There are no tent sites at Hurricane Mountain Shelter so we decided to set up camp just 1/8-mile south of the shelter at a great spot situated between the AT and a fast-flowing stream.We cooked up dinner (our food bags are completely empty now except for breakfasts for tomorrow) and played a couple rounds of rummy 500 (in honor of crossing the 500-mile mark). It is almost dark and no one has passed by our campsite on the AT since we got here around 3...where is everyone? We think it's because the weather in Damascus was pretty bad the day after we left, so everyone should start catching up tomorrow.Dom's last day on the trail is tomorrow before he drives back up to Maine. We'll hike the 5 miles tomorrow morning to Dickey Gap, where he'll get picked up by the outfitter at 9am and brought back to his car in Damascus. It's been a great 5 days of hiking, too bad he's not sticking around for longer!I'm not sure where I'll meet back up with the packadivas...maybe I'll take a zero day in Atkins and wait for them to catch up. We'll see!