morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2021-05-26
From: Boots Off Hostel in Hampton, TN

To: Iron Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: mist

May 26 - Boots Off Hostel in Hampton, TN to Iron Mountain Shelter - 16.0 miles (336.4 trip miles) - 37574 steps The hostel worked out well last night. Nice place overall and very convenient to the trail. I was up by 630, ate some honey muffins I had bought at the market and was hiking before 8. The trail immediately goes down to Watauga Lake. First impression, it¢s a dump. Looks like everyone that uses the area just dumps their trash at the beach area. It¢s unfortunate that the town doesn¢t encourage users to take better care of it. I didn¢t see a single trash can. This area could be a real boon for a rather depressed town. Once up on the ridge the lake looks gorgeous. From the beach area the trail then winds its way around the SW shoreline with a few small ups and downs. It eventually reaches the Watauga Dam. Similar to Fontana, this dam is part of the TVA. It¢s an earthen dam and the power generation was way down from the dam itself. After a rather steep road walk, the trail goes up into the woods. After a mile it crosses a road and then heads up steeply to make the ridge line. I went through a lot of water as the sweating was profuse in the morning humidity.About 8 miles into the hike, my head was down watching the tread and I heard the rattle and stopped on a dime. Right in the middle of the trail was a huge rattle snake. It was kind enough to pose for a picture then move off the trail. That was a huge adrenaline rush. Of course, the rest of the day I was expecting big snakes under every plant and rock. It didn¢t happen.I hiked most of the day with Boston Bill and Goob. I have been leapfrogging Goob for a few days now. Bill retired from his auto body shop. Goob just retired from the AF. He was a refueling boom operator then a navigator on KC-135s. Goob is videotaping his hike and has a YouTube channel, Goob¢s Adventures. Check it out. We all ate lunch at Vandaventer Shelter. The afternoon was uneventful and generally easy walking. It should be like that into Damascus. We are staying at the Iron Mountain Shelter tonight. They are in the shelter while I am in my tent. Just before getting into the tent a large deer walked through the shelter area. Now while typing this entry I hear all sorts of small critters moving around.Tomorrow¢s plan is to do another 16 miles then 10 on Friday. It may be crowded in Damascus due to Memorial Day. We¢ll see. Until tomorrow.
Date: 2021-05-27
From: Iron Mountain Shelter 

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter 
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: scattered clouds

May 27 - Iron Mountain Shelter to Abingdon Shelter - 16.0 miles (352.4 trip miles) - 36500 steps Today was rather uneventful. Gorgeous weather once again; cool in the morning, mostly sunny, only warm for an hour or two in the middle of the afternoon. We were all up just after 6. I packed up and we, Boston Bill, Goob and I, were hiking by 7. The terrain was very gentle all day. There were a few steeper ups but they were short compared to some past climbs. After a short distance we came to the Nick Grindstaff Monument. He was a hermit in the mid 19th century who lived out in the woods. There is a whole backstory to him I need to look up (no cell coverage tonight). A while later we crossed highway TN 91. From here the trail goes into a handicap accessible field for 1/2 mile. We stopped for a snack on some rocks and a bench. A local runner came by, a talker, who told us more about Grindstaff. It seems the hermit had a very loyal dog. When Nick died in the woods the dog would not leave the body. To get to the body and bury it, authorities had to shoot the dog. The local guy told us he has been trail running up near the monument after fresh snowfall and there will be dog prints in the snow but no entry or exit tracks. It seems the dead dog may still be loyal to old Nick. The trail continued to be easy and we stopped at Double Spring Shelter for lunch. We finished lunch and thought about going on to Damascus for a 26 mile day. No! Next we dropped down to US 421 and topped off water. A few miles later we topped off again at a stagnant but clear pool. We kept the water topped off because the spring at the shelter is a long way down. At 421, as we just started up the trail from the road, a skunk walked 10 feet in front of us. I had to yell at Bill to stop. We/He was close to an issue. It was odd that the skunk did not smell at all. We arrived at the shelter before 4. Socialized with some other hikers that were going into Damascus, cooked and ate dinner and got set up. I also made some calls and was finally able to get bunks for the 3 of us for Friday and Saturday in Damascus. Holiday weekend and it¢s going to be busy. And, it is in fact a very long way down to the spring for water. Tomorrow is less than 10 easy downhill miles to town. We should be there by 11. Also, my food bag is almost empty. Walking into town with an empty food bag is the goal but I thought I bought too much in Hampton. I have finally started eating bigger lunches and dinners. And, one final but important lesson I learned. Caramel M&Ms are terrible. Flavorless. The Hampton market didn¢t have regular, peanut or peanut butter in the size I need so I went with caramel. Lesson learned. Until tomorrow.
Date: 2021-05-28
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter 

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: clear sky

May 28 - Abingdon Gap Shelter to Lady Di¢s Hostel in Damascus, VA - 10.0 miles (362.4 trip miles) - 27838 steps It was a mostly uneventful night. Around 3am it rained some. It sounded torrential in the tent but when I got out in the morning it looked like just a quick shower. I¢m still with Boston Bill and Goob. We were on the trail just after 7. Today was a short and easy 10 miles into Damascus, VA. Not much on or about the trail to talk about. No views and we didn¢t need to get water. We did leave TN for good and now have 550 miles in VA, a full quarter of the trail.We rolled into Damascus at 11. The trail comes into a town park then ends up on the main road. We ate lunch at the diner. It was quite good. Goob went to the library to try and upload his YouTube videos. Bill and I went to the outfitters as we are both having issues. The guy in the store was able to quickly identify Bill¢s pack issues. Then I showed him mine. He just looked at it and said you¢re not doing a long distance hike with that ZPacks backpack. I have heard that from many hikers who have or had that pack. Basically, it has rods that are supposed to arc away from my back so the pack only touches me at the shoulders and hips. The rods always bend to the sides and cause neck and back pain and fatigue. I ended up purchasing an Osprey Exos 58 liter pack. It felt really good in the store. I will send the ZPacks home as it would be ok with a very light load. Tomorrow I am taking my first zero day; no hiking miles. I¢ll eat, resupply, eat, send the pack home, then eat again. My weight is only down about 10 pounds so I must be getting enough food.We are staying in a new hostel, Lady Di¢s B&B/Hostel. It is very nice, new, includes laundry and breakfast, and very clean. Best hostel so far. Until tomorrow.
Date: 2021-05-29
From: Damascus, VA

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

May 29 - Lady Di¢s Hostel in Damascus, VA - 0 miles (362.4 trip miles) - 13419 stepsZero day on Saturday. Still plenty of steps, though. The idea behind a Zero is to take a break and let your body heal a bit from the pounding you put on it while hiking. I did that. Started with a great breakfast as part of my stay. Went to Food City in the morning for a 4 day resupply. Stopped at the outfitters but he wasn¢t open so we went to the other outfitters. Got a pack cover for the new pack and stove fuel. The old poorly functioning pack did not need a cover. I got a box to ship the old pack home. We then went back to the first outfitters because his freeze dried meal prices are much lower. He was open and I got 3 of them. Then it was back to the hostel for a relaxing afternoon of nothing. Some of the hikers soaked their feet in Epsom salts. I passed as my feet feel good and I don¢t want to fix what isn¢t broken. Dinner was at 7 Trails Grill. I had a (whole) pizza and a beer. Back to hostel early, relaxed and asleep early. I still feel good and am ready to eat breakfast and head out. We are planning to go 75 miles over the next 4 days to Marion, VA.  Hopefully we will get a visit from the wild ponies in the Grayson Highlands.Until tomorrow.
Date: 2021-05-30
From: Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: overcast clouds

May 30 - Lady Di¢s Hostel in Damascus, VA to Lost Mountain Shelter - 16.0 miles (378.4 trip miles) - 39014 steps The last day and a half was restful but I am ready to be hiking again. Lady Di¢s has been the best hostel so far by a longshot. Breakfast today was large and delicious and a bit earlier to accommodate hikers heading out. If you¢re hiking through Damascus or riding the Creeper Trail you should try and stay here. I¢m still hiking with Goob and Boston Bill. We left the hostel at 8. It was cold this morning at around 48 degrees. We cut down the alley to avoid the traffic then met up with the Creeper Trail for about half a mile. Finally the trail turned left and headed up into the woods. This climb was about 1000 feet but was not very steep. After some downs it then climbed again for about 800 feet. This climb had lots of switchbacks and seemed a lot longer than it was. At the top we went into Saunders Shelter for lunch. It was cold up there. I inhaled a tortilla with peanut butter and some jerky. I was getting cold sitting there so I moved on. The afternoon was easy. A long down from lunch led into us walking for about a mile on the Creeper Trail. There were plenty of bikers. It seems tour companies shuttle people and bikes from towns to the top of Whitetop Mountain where the Creeper starts and we passed by. The Creeper is a former rail line used for moving trees from logging operations. From the top it is almost totally downhill for the bikers. I didn¢t notice anyone peddling except over the bridges. Eventually we turned off the Creeper. From there it was about 2 miles of gradual up to the shelter. There are a lot of hikers here tonight. Maybe due to the distance from Damascus. The shelters for most of the next 50 miles have bear boxes. These are metal boxes with latches to keep the bears from getting to hiker food bags. They worked in MD and PA. I hope it works here. There was a hiker back at the hostel who had his tent torn by a bear before Damascus. Tomorrow we hope to go 17.5 miles or more and get well into Grayson Highlands. Perhaps I¢ll have a selfie with a wild pony. Not much to see today but very satisfying hiking. That¢s all for now. It¢s going to be cold tonight. Until tomorrow.
Date: 2021-05-31
From: Lost Mountain Shelter 

To: Wise Shelter 
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: broken clouds

May 31 - Lost Mountain Shelter to Wise Shelter - 17.5 miles (395.9 trip miles) - 43339 steps Rocks! Today was all about the ankle twisting, knee jarring, enough already rocks. Today was a great day but the rocky terrain takes its toll. And, the thru hikers passed the 500 mile mark. I¢m coming up on 400.We were up early. It was C-C-C-Cold this morning. 38 according to one hiker¢s thermometer. I had my usual 2 packets of instant oatmeal, packed up and we were on trail at 653. The trail started down for about a mile and the tread was good. Then we crossed a road and started the big climb of the day of 2000 feet. Almost immediately the trail became much rockier. It wasn¢t steep but was challenging due to the rocks. We made good time getting to the top. We traversed the ridge for a few miles then dropped down a bit. We got to route VA 600 about 11 and ate lunch on some rocks. The parking was crowded with day hikers out for Memorial Day. After lunch we began a slow ascent into Lewis Fork Wilderness. As you climb up the terrain gets rockier and more like something out in Utah or Nevada. Eventually the trail works it¢s way through various large rock formations providing excellent long range views on this mostly sunny day. We then got to Thomas Knob Shelter where we topped off water. There was a former thru hiker giving out treats to hikers. I didn¢t get her name but thank you. From the shelter we continued to climb to an open area where 3 of the ponies were hanging out. We stopped for pictures and a quick chat and moved on. More rocks, rock climbing, and rock hopping were in store. At one point you have to get through a tight spot called Fat Man Squeeze. I¢ve lost a lot of weight so I was able to make it. A few more climbs took us over more rock outcrops with great views. Finally we reached Grayson Highlands State Park. There were plenty more ponies to greet us and all the other tourists on arrival. On the trail we passed a guy who gave us cookies. Thanks. Following more rocky roads and trails we reached our destination of Wise Shelter. This shelter is in the state park and does not allow tenting. But, Boston Bill, Goob and I have the shelter to ourselves at this point. I know there are lots of other hikers around but have no idea where they all went. Food bags are in a bear box. Plenty of horse land mines (bombs is more like it) are around so I have to be careful when I go pee in the dark. Clearly the ponies come near the shelter so we may get a visit. The plan is to go 20 miles tomorrow. Goob¢s feet have been hurting so hopefully there are less rocks tomorrow. The elevation profile doesn¢t look too bad for tomorrow but that view of the trail has not always been honest with us. Regardless, tomorrow we will walk. Until tomorrow.
Date: 2021-06-01
From: Wise Shelter 

To: Trimpi Shelter 
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: overcast clouds

June 1 - Wise Shelter to Trimpi Shelter - 20.2 miles (416.1 trip miles) - 46060 steps I crossed the 400 mile mark this morning. I¢ve now been out here for 4 weeks (tomorrow) and still having a good time. It¢s tough but rewarding to see the distance keep going up. No one else came to the shelter last night. Seemed odd, but so be it. There were some deer running around the shelter area as well as the biggest bunny I¢ve ever seen. No Bigfoot. I¢m still hiking with Goob and Boston Bill. I slept in the shelter last night as tenting in that area was not allowed. We were up at 6, with the sun. Chores got done, ate some oatmeal and off we went at 655. We were in and out of Grayson Highlands State Park for the first few miles and it remained rocky. There were some good views back to some of the areas we climbed yesterday. A few miles after the park the rocks dissipated to a more normal level. From here on out we were in the woods with little to see. The ups and downs were much gentler today. We stopped at a shelter for snacks then another for lunch. We rolled into our destination, Trimpi Shelter, at about 540. This shelter is an old stone structure with an odd layout not made for vertically superior hikers like myself. I chose to tent down below the shelter. There are a good number of hikers here tonight. Tomorrow we thought of going 21 miles and stay in Marion, VA. Now we¢re thinking 10 but still going into Marion. Goob¢s feet have been hurting him so he needs rest and try to resolve that. Since I got the new pack I have had no neck pain but my left middle back has been hurting. I try stretching it all day with little relief. I did lower how I wear my pack and that helped. I borrowed a cork ball from BB and roll on that to loosen the knot. It seems to help. In Marion I will get plenty of Ibuprofen as they also seem to help. I think I can beat this with the right combination of remedies. I might try some yoga stretching tonight. 500 miles to go (now sing the song). Until tomorrow.
Date: 2021-06-02
From: Trimpi Shelter 

To: Marion, VA
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: overcast clouds

June 2 - Trimpi Shelter to Marion, VA - 10.0 miles (426.1 trip miles) - 25823 steps Today was a rather uneventful day. Up real early and hiking before 7. We agreed to do 10 miles and get a ride into town. The terrain was mostly easy with a few small steep spots. Only one place with a view down into Rye Valley. My back felt better today but it usually doesn¢t hurt bad until later in the day.  Ending early today should help. I got a tennis ball to roll on to try and loosen it up.We stopped at the Grayson Highlands State Park HQ. It was closed due to COVID. Why? There is a phone outside and Goob called the shuttle driver. He arrived in 15 minutes and got us to the Travel Inn in Marion. Good enough for 1 night. We couldn¢t check in so we ate lunch at the Mexican place and resupplied at Walmart and Ingles. Laundry is in work. It is all good. Tomorrow I will walk. Boston Bill and I will get a ride back to where we left off today and continue north. We plan to go about 70 miles in 4 days to a hostel that provides rides to somewhere for resupply. Goob will take a zero day and see if his feet feel better. Until tomorrow.
Date: 2021-06-04
From: Tentsite at MM 552.6

To: Chestnut Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 17.2
Weather: light rain

June 4 - Tentsite at MM 552.6 to Chestnut Knob Shelter - 17.2 miles (461.7 trip miles) - 40739 steps Great day today. Up early, packed up, ate Pop Tarts and walking at 710. Today had a lot of climbs. The first was immediately out of camp and steep. Both up and down. Boston Bill and I crossed a road and entered a cow field. Other than avoiding the mines it was great climbing through the grass. The views back were good. After the descent we entered another pasture area. Then along the north fork oh the Holsten River. More cows above the river. Then 2 large PUDs. I did go over a number of large stiles through the pastures. I also saw an orange salamander. I missed 2 rattlesnakes BB saw right where I had been. I had to ford a creek where the bridge was out. Only a foot deep in my Crocs.Finally we started the big 2300 foot climb up to Chestnut Knob Shelter. The first half of this climb was steep and tough through the woods. It then mellowed a bit through a burn area. Finally it entered a field or bald area for about 3 miles. There was a spring 2 miles from the summit where I topped off my water. No water at the top. After some more fields I reached the top and the old stone building. I decided to tent for the views.This summit overlooks Burke¢s Garden, a unique geological area in VA. A bunch of other hikers have shown up. I have no idea where they are all day. If my apps are right, the sun should rise at 604 directly in front of me. Also, Mount Rogers and Whitetop are visible behind me. They are 31 crow miles and 77 trail miles. Tomorrow, Boston Bill will go to a hostel for a day off. I plan to go longer miles in this area as the terrain should be easier. I will need to go into Bland, VA for a small resupply to get me to Pearisburg, VA in 3 or 4 days. All¢s still good. My back still hurts on the ups but not as bad. I hope the flatter terrain will help with that. Until tomorrow
Date: 2021-06-05
From: Chestnut Knob Shelter 

To: Mountain Garden Hostel in BurkeÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Garden 
Miles today: 6.2
Weather: clear sky

June 5 - Chestnut Knob Shelter to Mountain Garden Hostel - 6.2 miles (467.9 trip miles) - 16904 steps Today did not go as planned. Everyone tenting at the shelter area was up before 620 to see the sunrise. It was worth it. Stunning, with a low layer of clouds hanging in the Garden valley. Boston Bill and I were hiking by 6. After the downhill both of us were feeling drained. We should not have been tired after such a short distance. I think I am not getting enough calories. We slowly made our way to the dirt road where BB would call to get a ride to the hostel. And then it happened; I was way ahead of BB and came up on 2 bears near the trail. We looked at each other, they knew who the boss was and ran off. 32 hiking days to see a bear reasonably up close. BB¢s driver was dropping off other hikers when we arrived at the dirt road, one of 2 exits from the valley. He said he had room if I wanted to stay. I would have had to get off trail for resupply tomorrow anyways so figured why not go today. We told the driver we wanted to eat and resupply first. He took us to an Amish bakery/restaurant/store in Burke¢s Garden. There is a large Amish population here. I had 2 big glazed donuts, a cream filled donut, a sarsaparilla and a root beer. Not a bad start to adding calories. Never had a sarsaparilla before and it was good. Sort of like a mild root beer. BB had a nice looking burger. Everything is grown or made locally and all was excellent. I wish we were a bit later for when the meatloaf was ready. We waited for an hour in the grass for our ride to come back. We then left Burke¢s Garden via the only paved road out of the valley for the Food Lion in Tazewell, VA. I resupplied for 3 days. With what I had left I will make Pearisburg even if it takes an extra day. The hostel is OK, but not great. It¢s an old house with a bunk room and some other private rooms. It could be great with some fix up and cleaning. Laundry is working and I had a shower so all is good. Many more hikers are arriving but I can¢t tell where they all will stay. BB and I bought steaks, salad, and potatoes at Food Lion for dinner. The talk is potential rain tomorrow. It doesn¢t seem to rain on me so unless it¢s pouring, I¢m heading out. Until tomorrow.
Date: 2021-06-08
From: Tentsite at MM 616.0

To: Woods Hole Hostel 
Miles today: 9.5
Weather: moderate rain

June 8 - Tentsite at MM 616.0 to Woods Hole Hostel - 9.5 miles (517.4 trip miles) - 23561 steps Short day today. I was indeed alone at the Dismal Creek tentsite by myself. It never did rain anymore last night. I didn¢t need to be at the hostel until 1 so I took my time, packed up, ate and was on my way at 750. I made a point of taking vitamin I (Ibuprofen) right when I woke up to see if that helps my back. The Dismal Creek area is quite dismal; dark, eerie and the water is a bit stagnant.The trail started out very gentle today, weaving through the dark green tunnel of rhododendrons along the creek. After 2.5 miles things turned upward into steep, rutted and rocky trail. It took about an hour to get to the top. Once up there it was a pretty mild trail except for some rocky areas. I did get 2 rock outcrops with views down to the valley below.After a long gradual down I reached a service road, found the sign to the Woods Hole Hostel and walked the final .5 miles off trail on the gravel road, downhill. Leaving will be up. Yuk. This hostel is very nice, clean and well organized. I got here before 1 and they gave me the rundown on how things work and where everything is. I first needed to eat and got the bread and cheese. It was a lot of bread and cheese. I couldn¢t quite get the end of the bread down. I also had a few sodas. I got a shower and did laundry. Lounged around. Then at 4 you can get a fruit smoothie. It was tasty. For dinner it was salad grown in the garden here, cheeses made here, breads made here and dressings and dips, also locally grown. All very good. I got my calories today. They have 2 scales. One new digital device in the bunk room and an older slide style scale on the house porch. The fancy scale said 150. The simple weight scale said 170. If I¢m 150, down 30+ pounds, I could not hike 10 hours a day. I feel about 170. So my back was still bad. It started hurting in the middle of the first long climb. I tried lots of things to no avail. I talked to my evac ride and we have a plan. I am going to hike into Pearisburg tomorrow and see how I feel. I¢ll call him when I get to town. When I have the pack¢s hip belt really low I feel better but the top of the pack moves a lot. I will also increase my vitamin I to 800mg 2 times a day as that is prescription strength. I am also thinking about a few days of slack packing to give my back a chance to rest and heal. Maybe if I¢m a bit smarter I can get to Daleville in 105 miles and reevaluate the situation. If I am totally miserable tomorrow, I¢ll get my ride and bail out. Until tomorrow.