morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-08-27
From: VA 683 Atkins VA

To: Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: broken clouds

Scott's Journal Entry: The continental breakfast buffet was the best. We caught a taxi back to the trailhead, and the first part of the trail was thru a grassy, lush valley. Climbed up over 1700ft on Glade Mountain. After 11.6 miles, we ended at the Partnership Shelter near Mt. Rogers Visitor Center. The shelter had a shower and sink. We used the phone at the visitor center and ordered a pizza. I waited at the gate to pay for it and bring it back to the shelter. There was a resident black cat, who jumped on a tree like Spiderman with her long claws. I took one of the greatest showers ever. Kay and El, who were tent- camping nearby, came to use the showers and we had a nice conversation.Tom's Journal:Day 61 - As is often the case when we leave a town, a 2000 foot ascent awaited us. Of course our packs are at their heaviest since we just resupplied with 10 lbs of food. Along the way the AT passed a settlers museum and an old school house. We enjoyed learning some history of Southwest Virginia and exploring the schoolhouse. Further down the trail we encountered a northbound section-hiker named Sunshine. One of the rare hikers we have seen lately. After a lot of effort, we finally reached the top of Gladys Mountain at 4100 feet. The final few miles were essentially downhill all the way to our destination -- Partnership Shelter. This shelter is unique in several ways. First it is located only a few hundred yards from the Mt. Rogers Visitors Center. It had running water and a shower attached to the shelter. It also had an outdoor sink attached to the back of the shelter. But most importantly, its proximity to the visitors center allowed us to order pizza and have it delivered. Eating pizza in an AT shelter seemed very strange, but it sure tasted good. No bears at this location, but there was a resident black cat looking for handouts. It was a 2-story shelter and we were the only hikers sleeping there. We did meet another coupled who were tenting nearby named K&L. They were doing a section hike. After our showers and pizza, we settled in for the night.
Date: 2013-08-28
From: Partnership Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 10.6
Weather: mist

Tom's Journal:Day 62 - We awoke about 6:30am and saw bats flhying out of the 2nd story. Good thing we were sleeping on the bottom level. Before beginning our hike, we visited the Mt. Rogers Visitors Center. There was a scale inside so I weighed with and without my backpack. To my surprise, my pack weighed 55#. All this time I thought I had been carrying about 40lbs. I thought that possibly the scale was broker. Scott weighed and his backpack weighed about 38#, about what he expected. So the scale was not broken. All I could think about the rest of the day was my 55# backpack and how much heavier it now seemed to feel than when I thought it was 40#! I began negotiating with Scott about off-loading some of my weight to his pack. Not surprisingly, he seemed uninterested. I even played the old man sympathy card, but he wasn't buying. Today we hiked for about 10 miles. No striking highlights, but we did run into some trail magic near the end. A cooler of cold drinks had been left for hikers. Always a welcome sight. We arrived a the Trimpi Shelter and set up our tent. I didn't particularly like this shelter because it felt like you were in a hole with very little daylight, no breeze and lots of mosquitoes. We passed the 500 mile mark today!Journal Entry from Scott: We left the shelter and went inside the visitor center to weigh our packs. Dad's pack was 55# and mine was 39#. My Dad was bothered with 55#. We met Soccer Paul at the Holston River Bridge and he was finishing up a section-hike back to the Partnership Shelter. He informed us of trail magic further down the trail, put there by a Baptist youth group. A cedar chest with food inside read "John: I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will not hunger. He who believes in Me will not thirst." It was nice. We kept hiking to the Trimpi Shelter and erected our tent. The bugs were bad. We have hiked over 500 miles.Interim Note from Cassie (based on phone call from the guys):- Called from a high point when they finally had some cell service. Tom having problems with his OR gaiters ¢ the leather strap is splitting. Gaiters are the funny-looking things he wears over the top of his boots to keep out rain and pebbles, etc. Hoping when they get to Damascus that the outfitter will have replacements. Tom is also having problems with his boots. The GoreTex seal is apparently failing and his feet are getting damp ¢ not a good thing. The manufacturer has been contacted and they will be sending a replacement pair, and meanwhile he will have to make do. )
Date: 2013-08-29
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: light rain

Journal Entry from Molasses:Day 63 - We learned that someone we knew from many years ago was living in Chilhowee VA and was very close to where we are now hiking. She (Shannon)and her husband Scott offered to pick us up from the trail and take us back to their home for a shower, meal, laundry, and overnight stay. An offer we could not refuse! We arranged to be met on a forest service road near the AT at the end of the day's hike. Unfortunately, making connection on the AT can be very tricky unless the AT intersects with a major road or highway. We were not able to find each other and no cell phone signal was available, so we hiked on to the Hurricane Shelter. The shelter was at the top of Hurricane Mountain where I was not able to use my cell phone. I called Shannon and we rescheduled for Saturday at another pickup location. The Hurricane Shelter was the polar opposite of last night's shelter. It was newer, larger, and on top of a mountain with great views and a nice breeze. We elected to sleep in the shelter tonight rather than tent.Journal Entry from Mac&Cheese:We woke up and started late because we thought we were meeting a distant relative Shannon at 6pm on USFS-84. We hiked to Cummers Creek for a beautiful bridge and cascade. Took good photos there and met 3 strong section-hikers northbound. There was a mix-up and we ended up hiking to Hurricane Mountain Shelter and not meeting Shannon. The shelter had a rock bottom foundation and welcomed a cool breeze. It was a newer build. The stream was sandy bottom and crystal clear. We ate dinner late with our headlamps. That was challenging. A great end to a long, full day - bless God for that.Interim Note from Cassie:Tom has tried sending photos from his phone several times recently, but they haven't been going through. Tom says his boots are coming apart on a seam, so he is praying there is no rain. He's tried duct tape and a couple other temporary repairs, but they are not holding. His new boots will be waiting for him at the B&B in Damascus, but he's not sure his old boots will last that long!
Date: 2013-08-30
From: Hurricane Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Molasses' Journal:Day 64 - Today we were headed to Grayson Highlands State Park. All of the hikers we pass mention this as a great place to see wild ponies. The hardest part of the day was the 1500 foot climb to Pine Mountain. We also got some great views from Stone Mountain before descending through the rain to Grayson Highlands State Park. As we approached GHSP the landscape changed from woods to meadows and pastureland. Soon we had our first encounter with the wild ponies. They were crossing the AT right in front of us and they were beautiful to watch. We took many photos. We continued on to the Wise Shelter where we would spend the night. At the shelter area we met Walter and Carol, a nice couple from Augusta GA who were doing a short section of the AT. We also met two girls who are sophomores at Appalachian State. Their trail names are Lady Belcher and GraceFall. They were hiking for the weekend and also doing a video documentary of the hikers they were meeting. So Scott and I ended up being interviewed for their documentary.Mac&Cheese's Journal:We awoke and continued our earlier ascent of Chestnut Flats. The forest is looking beautiful and catches my attention. As it is nearing autumn, there are some red and brightly colored leaves on the trail. We ate lunch at Old Orchard Shelter. Hiked up 1500 feet to 5000 ft on Pine Mountain. Right when we stopped to sit in our chairs, 2 muscular men approached from behind and greeted us and then it began raining. Rain is not good for my Dad's cracked boots. We also hiked through Stone Mountain, same name as the one in GA. We entered a 3.7mile section of the Grayson Highlands State Park. We stopped at Wise Shelter and met 2 women from Appalachian State University, Lady Belcher and GraceFall, and a married couple, Walter and Carol. GraceFall and Lady Belcher interviewed us for a documentary and gave us s'mores.
Date: 2013-08-31
From: Wise Shelter

To: Whitetop Mtn Rd - USFS 89
Miles today: 11.8

Molasses' Journal:Day 65 - It is Labor Day weekend so we have been seeing a lot more hikers lately. The first part of the day we were still hiking through Grayson Highlands State Park amidst a light rain. Near the south exit of the park we came across about a dozen wild ponies on the trail. They actually seemed anything but wild since they were nuzzling up against us and didn't mind being touched. Beautiful horses. After leaving the park, we went through a stretch of very rocky terrain and made our way through a rock tunnel called Fatman Squeeze. Ran into a guy out camping for the weekend. Turns out he had already finished thru-hiking the AT this year in July. His trail name is Tucker and he was the 34th thru-hiker to finish up in Maine this year. We ate lunch at Thomas Knob Shelter then went past Mt. Rogers -- Virginia's highest peak at 5700 feet. The rest of the day was pretty much downhill thru meadows and pastureland (lots of cows) until coming to the last climb of the day. A 700 foot climb to the top of Whitetop Mountain. At the top we waited for Shannon to pick us up. We had missed the connection with her a few days ago and anxiously looked forward to shower, hot meal, and laundry and a real bed. She arrived with her husband Scott and 2 kids, Preston and Vaughn. She drove us about 20 miles to her home in Chilhowee. A beautiful historic home built in the 1800s. They moved here from Florida about 10 years ago and renovated the house and built a barn primarily for their horses and some sheep. Shannon shared some interesting ghost stories about her house. Her husband Scott cooked us a great dinner of chicken with cream sauce and capers and couscous and asparagus along with apple pie and ice cream for dessert. Turns out Scott graduated from University of Florida so we got to talk about Gator football. Shannon generously did our laundry and drove us to WalMart for some trail supplies. We enjoyed spending time with the entire family and think we may have inspired 8 year old Preston to do an AT thru-hike some day. A big thank you to the Simpson family for their hospitality.Journal from Mac&Cheese:August 31 - Earlier yesterday we saw a dozen wild horses. Today we hiked through Grayson Highlands State Park and were approached by several wild horses, sniffing the food in my pack. There was Fat Man's Squeeze (rock tunnel) that my Dad and I barely maneuvered through. On our way to Thomas Knob Shelter, we met 2013 thru-hiker (#34) Tucker, back for a Labor Day hike with two buddies. At lunch we met 2 interesting men, Chris and Jason, who were knowledgeable and shared information with us of mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina. The foggy weather caused us to bypass the Mt.Rogers side trail. We reached Elk Garden and a heavy rainfall started while we summitted White Top Mountain and waited for Shannon to pick us up at 5pm. She let us stay at our house, cleaned our clothes, fed us, and drove us to WalMart to re-supply. She and her family were a true godsend. Her son Preston was a good friend to me.
Date: 2013-09-01
From: Whitetop Mtn Rd - USFS 89

To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 11.9
Weather: broken clouds

Scott's Journal:The Simpsons drove us to the trailhead around 10:30am and we said goodbye. We hiked out to Buzzard Rock and called my Mom. The weather turned bad and dark quickly. We hiked for cover in the woods as we were poured on. We didn't want to take a lot of breaks since it was raining. We reached the Creeper Trail, famous between Abingdon and Damascus. It is Labor Day weekend and lots of people bike from White Top Mountain 34miles downhill into Damascus. We reached Saunders Shelter and met JuneBug and CrazyLegs. They had trail experience, so we shared stories. It was nice to sleep in a dry shelter. I am looking forward to arriving in Damascus tomorrow afternoon, and i will think of my pastor John Ponders as I walk through.Interim Note from Cassie until Tom and Scott have computer access:Day 66: 10:30am: called from Buzzard Rock on Whitetop Mountain ¢ fog and rain and heavy wind coming in so call was very short. Hiking to Saunders Shelter tonight.Called back at 5:45pm because had phone service - now 14 mile from Saunders Shelter and will not have service at shelter. Hiked in pouring rain today after the first phone call. Tom¢s shoes and feet are soaked and the duct tape (3 times around the shoe) is shredded. Good thing he only has to wear these shoes one more day. Tom says he was attacked by swarm of bees today - 3 stings, but Dr.Scott had his handy first aid kit and had an insect sting med to apply to the bites for him. Today they were on the Virginia Creeper trail for 2 miles, because it intersected and ran along the AT. Tomorrow 9.5 miles to Damascus, VA.
Date: 2013-09-02
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Damascus VA
Miles today: 9.4

Scott's Journal: We left Saunders Shelter behind, and Junebug and CrazyLegs. There are some difficult uphill climbs. We met Bic and Tic, weekend hiking north. After 9 miles, ending on the Creeper Trail, we arrived at Sundog Outfitter in Damascus to exchange my gaiters. My Dad received new boots at the Lazy Fox Inn B&B and I have a new water purifier cartridge, to make for easy water pumping. Ginny and Joe of Lazy Fox Inn are very kind, loving. We ate lunch and bought 2 shakes at Dairy King, and for dinner we ate at BlueBlaze Cafe.We headed over to the park with our chairs and witnessed a great fireworks show. I had an awesome day with my father.Interim Note from Cassie pending Tom / Scott having internet access:Hiking Day #67: The hikers arrived in 'Trail Town USA', Damascus, VA early afternoon on Labor Day after an easy hike and checked into the Lazy Fox Inn B&B. Picked up supplies at Sundog Outfitters. They collected the food box that had been sent to Lazy Fox from home, showered, and relaxed. Tom has his new boots now, so no more complaints about wet feet! Lazy Fox is really nice - backs up to a river and hammocks set up nearby. The laundromat in town was closed because of Labor Day, so they were extra grateful to Shannon for helping them out with laundry on their recent visit!One problem - AT&T offered NO SERVICE anywhere in town! So could not call home. There was a fireworks show in the park that evening after dinner - because the 4th of July fireworks display had been rained out. So they took their camp chairs and watched the fireworks display before heading to bed.
Date: 2013-09-03
From: Damascus VA

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: mist

Scott's Journal:Ginny of the Lazy Fox Inn is famous for her breakfasts. She encourages people to eat, and put out enough food to feed a family in front of us. My Dad did most of the talking, and I did most of the eating. She served 7 different fruits, pancakes, biscuits with gravy and home-made jam, cheese grits, sausage and bacon, cinnamon apples, baked pineapple, eggs, and orange juice. I had to skip lunch and wait for dinner. We really enjoyed our stay with Ginny. After mailing home our extra food supply, we started late to Abingdon Gap Shelter. After 10.4 miles, we arrived at Abingdon Gap. That night we met Doe and Spoons, two south-bounders. We talked about many hikers we knew in common. I feel part of a hiker community now.Interim Note from Cassie - until hikers have computer access:Hiking Day #68. Woke up at Lazy Fox Inn and enjoyed what Scott called a 'Thanksgiving Breakfast' that host Ginny prepared for the two of them. Scott says he has never eaten so much breakfast in his life - and it was all delicious. Then it was back to the AT. After hiking a little over 3 miles, they crossed the state line into Tennessee. Then about 8 more miles and they arrived at their first Tennessee shelter, Abingdon Gap Shelter. They met a female hiker there, 'Doe', who is a 'flip-flopper'. That means she started her thru-hike in the middle (Harpers Ferry WV) and hiked north to Mt.Katahdin in Maine. Then she came back to the middle (WV) and started her southbound hike to Springer Mountain in GA. She started the southbound journey at the end of July - a month after Molasses and Mac&Cheese started. And she caught up with them! Guess Molasses has earned his trail name for sure! Doe is from Northern Illinois and is hiking for a while with a friend, 'Spoons'. They enjoyed visiting with the 2 of them at the shelter. NEW JOURNAL ENTRIES NOW ON 8/21 THROUGH 8/24 FROM THE HIKERS.
Date: 2013-09-04
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 8.3
Weather: clear sky

Scott's Journal:I slept well. We hiked our first 5 miles easily to a concrete picnic table to eat lunch early. I felt like I could hike an extra 7 miles, but my Dad wisely thought ahead. We met Natty and his girlfriend, Moxie, up the trail. She strained a tendon and is healing. They are 2 hikers of the south-bound community. The weather has been beautiful so far. The last 3 miles of our 8.3 mile day were hard and I was sucking back oxygen. The Tennessee trail is groomed without pointless ups and downs (PUDs). I like it. We are stopped here at Double Springs Shelter and are catching up on our journal writing. We are happy. Hiking low mileage days allows us to see the things around us. Interim note from Cassie until Tom & Scott's journals can be posted:Day #69 on the AT -- M&M hiked a little over 8 miles today to Double Springs Shelter. They say it is a nice shelter, but ... no privy! Tom says it is an interesting progression -- Northern VA shelters had fully enclosed privies, but as you got to southern VA, they were 1/2 privies (not fully enclosed!) and now in TN there is NO privy -- just a shovel! Apparently the next 6 shelters have no privy. Tom says this shelter is small -- you can't really stand up inside. They saw Natty today -- he had been in Damascus and was camping with his girlfriend, who had injured her leg, and they were waiting until she was able to hike again. Heading to bed early -- tomorrow is a 14 mile hike.
Date: 2013-09-05
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Scott's Journal:We awoke early. Ate breakfast and filled our water at the piped spring. The sun was rising at around 6:45am. We only had one 500ft climb. The rest were little hills, unnoticeable on the map. We stopped for lunch at Iron Mountain Shelter. After another 6.8 miles, we arrived at Vandeventer Shelter for a total of 14 miles. The view behind the shelter is of Lake Watauga and the Smokies. I am tired. Tomorrow will be even longer - 16 miles and a 1500 foot climb! I must keep hiking though because I do not quit. Honestly, I am hoping for easier days. I am out.Interim note from the trail widow until hiker journal can be posted:Day #70: Tom and Scott called to say they arrived at Vandeventer Shelter on a scenic mountain ridge in TN with amazing view out the back of the countryside and Lake Watauga. Weather has been excellent and the 10 day forecast looks good! Temps down in the 50s at night. Tom says they hiked past a monument (chimney tombstone) on the trail today that said "Nick Rindstaff -- Lived alone, Suffered alone, Died alone". (Read about this guy online -- Google: 'Uncle Nick Rindstaff'. He lived on Iron Mountain for more than 40 years, was one of the area's most famous hermits, died in 1923. Area is supposedly haunted by his howling dog at night!) So far they are only ones at shelter, but more hikers may arrive later. They had cell service since on a high ridge but still had to conserve power. Signed off so they could start cooking their dinner!Guys said that Brad came in later on that night -- a really nice guy from KY who does a summer camp in the area for kids and was on a 3-day hike. Also Roe and Spoons stopped by to say hello but were putting in more miles before stopping for the night. Tom and Scott will see them again later for sure since they are headed in same direction.
Date: 2013-09-06
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Laurel Fork Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Scott's Journal:We awoke. We prayed the Lord's Prayer holding hands with Brad before we began hiking at 6:50am. Brad is an inspirational believer I love dearly. The fellowship he brought was appreciated. The morning hike was flat and led to Lake Watauga bordering the trail for several miles. I enjoyed the side view. We stopped for lunch near a sandy beach and watched a sailboat on the lake. That was peaceful. We called Mom in New York. We then hiked 1700 feet up Pond Flats. The switch-back trail helped us out. We hiked 16 miles total, ending on a mountaintop at Laurel Fork Shelter. We met Scott, a businessman and a believer, taking some time off to think about things. The next 3 days to Roan Mountain will be shorter.Temporary note from Cassie until hiker journals can be posted:Called from recreational area on Lake Watauga - beach, picnic tables, roped off swimming area. Lake Watauga was created by a TVA dam in 1940s - has 3 or 4000 foot cliffs into a gorge -- on a ridge between the lake and the dam. AT runs along the lake shoreline for a couple miles. I asked them if they'd seen any bears because of the "bear activity" warning sign they'd seen posted. Scott says they saw 2 cubs scurrying down a tree but they were at least 35-50 yards away. Roe and Spoons hiked over 20 miles yesterday and then tent-camped. Tom and Scott passed their tent while they were hiking this morning, so they seem to be leap-frogging. They are sure they will see them again. Planning to hike 16 miles today so they got an early start. When they called, it was noon and they'd already hiked 9 miles. Heading to Laurel Fork Shelter. Another 'no privy' Tennessee shelter ...Also they have calculated they may reach Springer on October 22. Temperatures are excellent - experiencing some incredible weather!