morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-04-30
From: Bluff Mountain

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: few clouds

Watched the sunrise from Bluff Mtn.Trail conditions were very good today.Another good weather hiking day for me because I was done at 10:30 am. It rained in the afternoon and hikers came to town wet. Just part of the job.The town is crawling with hikers. I got my own small house instead of a room. a bit pricy but not more than a real nice motel room, which there none to be had in this town.It is raining tonight so the trail will be muddy tomorrow.
Date: 2015-05-01
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Jerry Cabin Shelter
Miles today: 26.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Started walking at 8:30 am. Lots of hikers roaming the streets of Hot Springs. I was the only one with a pack on. The river festival is keeping most hikers in town for the weekend.There are about 25 tenters and hammockers along the river. One hammock is actually hanging over the river. There is a pic in the photo album. The trail is not muddy like I expected.I have the trail mostly to myself for most of the day.The weather is a bit chilly in the morning and then warms up in the afternoon. I am going to miss this cool weather hiking.Close to five o'clock I stop to say help to two gals taking a trail side break. One is called Nemo. They both follow as I leave, keeping a conversation going. Memo keeps up for a bit but her friend falls behind immediately. I felt kind of bad for hiking off while she tried to talk but it is hike your own hike (HYOH) out here. Lots of people barely say hello.I stop at 5:00 pm at Little Laurel Shelter to eat my evening meal. Several hikers already have tents up and look like they are ready for bed. I still have three hours to hike. After I always have the trail to myself and pass dozens of people in camp for the evening.I get into Jerry Canin Shelter right before dark and another tenter recognizes me from several days before me. He had left Hot Springs 30 minutes before Me today.At about 1:00 am someone screams HELP HELLP HEELLP. Then it was silent. Pretty freaky for a minute there. There were about 20 other campers but I Did not here anyone respond. I listened for the offending creature to make its rounds to each tent but obviously it was just someone's bad dream.
Date: 2015-05-02
From: Jerry Cabin Shelter

To: Big stamp
Miles today: 24.7
Weather: clear sky

First very warm day. Had to drink a lot of water.Saw several hikers in the morning then alone on the trail for the rest of the day. Met Selfie from London. He camped up on Big Bald to take advantage of the View of sunset and sunrise. I camped lower on another bald for privacy and the nearby woods for use as needed.This a challenging day of hiking because of the higher temperature. A taste of what is to come this summer.
Date: 2015-05-03
From: Big stamp

To: Erwin,TN
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: clear sky

Nice sunrise. Left camp about 8:00am. Stopped five minutes later at Bald Mountain Shelter for water. I knew it was going to be warm today so I drank plenty of water.On my next water stop Selfie showed up as I was leaving. He already looked tired. Heat will do that to a hiker.   Not many hikers. Scooped up another bottle of water before No Business Knob Shelter, the last available before the 7 mile hike into Erwin, TN.There were several hikers at the shelter for lunch. One guy headed back down the hill to get water that he had passed earlier. He misdeeds the trail guide. At least he did not try to hike 7 miles low on water.I ate my delicious homemade chili that I rehydrated at breakfast. As I was leaving the shelter for Erwin, Selfie arrived looking very tired. I suspect he not ate and drank enough today.It continued to get warmer as I hiked the last 6.5 miles to Erwin. The 16 ozs of chili really helped keep my energy level up. I had just enough water for the trip. No one likes to carry extra water or run out on a hot day. I got to Uncle Johnnies hostel at three pm to pick up my two food boxes, or mail drops. Johnnie was out shutteling guests to/ from a pizza run. Enjoyed a cold diet Pepsi while I waited. Johnnie does not let anyone run the store while he is gone.After about ten minutes his helper found my boxes. Johnnie did not have a shuttle driver so I called Tom's shuttles and he was there in ten minutes. He took me to the not so Super 8. We talked about his PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) hike he did last year and his CDT (Cotinental Divide Trail) section he is going to start next month.He stopped by the motel later and gave me a free ride to a Mexican eatery since he was on his way out of town. What a nice guy.
Date: 2015-05-04
From: Erwin,TN

To: Erwin,TN (zero day)
Miles today: 0.0

Today was a zero day for me. A zero day is no trail miles hiked for various reasons. Could be injury, illness, weather, awaiting mail drop, or some do to party like approaching trail days in Damascus, VA, I did walk about six miles in this spread out town. Not that bad packless.My zero was for rest to avoid injury to feet and knees after putting in lots of high mile days.
Date: 2015-05-05
From: Erwin,TN (zero day)

To: Gerasy Creek Gap
Miles today: 24.3
Weather: few clouds

Glad to get on the trail.Saw a girl from Texas, trail name Haiti, with a BIG pack. She is from Texas. She had about 15 lbs of food and tried to give a bunch to me. I took some and she tried to give me more. She said she was going to just stay there and eat. Wow!As I went down the trail I met two slack packers headed south. Now a slack packer is a thru hiker that carries a small pack for the day to give the body a break from the heavy load. There is usually a fee involved. So I told the two young gents of Haiti's plight and asked if they could help to lighten her load. They said they would. Saw two more slack packers and gave the same story. Ended up being about eight SPs in all. I am sure she dumped plenty of food. Turns out these SPs were hiking 20 miles back to Erwin that day and did not start until noon. They were going to be doing some night hiking. It rained when I put my tent up about 8pm.A young couple and hammock hanger shared the spacious camping area.I fell asleep as soon as I laid down.
Date: 2015-05-06
From: Gerasy Creek Gap

To: Doll Flats
Miles today: 23.6

Trail magic at Hughes Gap about 10am. Turkey or ham sandwiches, beer, lemonade, sodas, deserts.Long climb up Roan mountain. Had lunch at a picnic table. Water from a drinking fountain. Bear proof trash cans. Several hikers around. Down the mountain a ways is Carvers Gap. This is a big parking area and was filled with cars of day hikers. The trail was well used today. Talked to one guy that just did not want to let me get on with my hike. Always feel bad having to say goodbye before they have said there fill. I could still be there listening to his stories of when hi hiked the trail.Some of the best views on the trail today.Passed a thru hiker a bit older than me. Did not seem like he wanted to be passed. He too wanted to talk to me as we hiked. I eventually just hiked on. He was stopping 8 miles before I would. Think the guys name is Seneca.Got to Doll Flats and one guy was there. I did not get his name but he spoke little English as he was from Germany.Doll Flats is the end of the trail in NC.Also hiked for a while with two from Forrest City, IA.
Date: 2015-05-07
From: Doll Flats

To: Dennis Cove Road (Black Bear Resort)
Miles today: 27.7
Weather: clear sky

Plenty of walking by rivers and streams with small falls. The sound of rushing water makes walking much easier.Stopped for water in the late afternoon and a guy was camped by the trail to the water. The campsite was under an apple tree in full bloom. The tree was almost vibrating from all the bumble bees in it. It was quite a sight and sound.Near 5pm a down poor helped wash the salt off my clothes. I was soaked when I got to a shelter 5 minutes later. It rained hard for another 15 minutes or so. I ate my evening rehydrated bean soup then checked the weather radar on my phone. It was clearing up. The tent sites were all muddy and it was only minutes after 5pm. I hike until 8pm.I called Black Bear Resort to see when they closed. 8pm but I could get in the bunk room after that and pay in the morning. About a 6.7 mile hike in just over 2 hours. I know they sell ice cream. I will make it before 8pm. Got there at 7:45 much to the dismay of the lady I talked to on the phone. Got checked in to the bunk room then got three ice cream bars. I also had a food box. Picked that up, got a shower and sorted my food for the trip to Damascus.One guy fell asleep in the bunk next to me as soon as his head hit the pillow terrible loud snoring. I laughed at first, then put in my earplugs. After 15 minutes he showed no sign of letting up so I woke him up. It was much better after that. That is why I try to avoid shelters, hostels or tenting near others.
Date: 2015-05-08
From: Dennis Cove Road (Black Bear Resort)

To: Mile 442.8
Miles today: 24.3

On the trail by 8am.Walked by Laurel Falls and Watauga Lake today. It was kind of sad and lonely because last year I hiked a large part of this area with Barb. Even though she is just a phone call away it is hard hiking thru these miles without here.It was a tough hot day for me. My hardest so far. Ran low on water.Met few other hikers. One guy is Burn. Very nice guy.Got a nice camp site to myself again. Was getting water just as it started to rain. I hurried back to my camp site and put my tent up in the rain in a few minutes. It rained pretty hard for about 15 minutes. Afternoon and early evening thunderstorms are the norm lately.Talked to Barb for about 20 minutes. That is another good thing about solo camping, being able to talk instead of texting. It is good trail etiquette not to use the phone in front of others. Not followed all the time even by me.
Date: 2015-05-09
From: Mile 442.8

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 26.5
Weather: broken clouds

Got up at 5:30 to get to Damascus before 6pm.The tent was wet on the inside from condensation an on the outside from the rain last night. It took about 15 minutes to wipe it down with my Pack Towl. Mostly dry and save me from carrying extra weight.The trail was more gentle than the last 400 miles. No real long or very steep hills. Water was scarce so I carried extra. It did get quite warm again today. Still made the 26.5 miles in just over ten hours.Took about 45 minute break to get water and eat lunch so that was a good recovery period from the heat. Only saw a few other thru hikers, two day hikers and 13 day hikers as a group that is part of a wellness program from a nearby Bell helicopter factory. They felt the need to delay my hike too. Some people just like to talk to thru hikers. I feel so rude but if you talk to lots of people for long periods every day ya just don't make it to Katahdin before the park closes.Got a room in a B&B called Montgomery Homestead Inn. No smoking, drinking or dogs and way more costly than many hostels. Those are the reasons There was just one couple here besides me. They do missionary work. It was very nice to meet them and find out about their work.
Date: 2015-05-10
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Slept in more than if I was on the trail, which is just across the street. Made coffee. Visited with the other house guests, well the mister anyhow. She just said hi.Was going to have a big breakfast out but just had my oatmeal hot instead of the usual cold.Relaxed until noon when the outfitters opened. Browsed for some gear I wanted to downsize to. Did not see what I needed so I went to lunch. Options are limited in this little burg. Ate a fried cod platter. Ok, just ok.Back to the outfitters. Talked the the expert on hand. Wanted to get something to replace my sweat producing 20 degree sleeping bag He said to keep it until after Mt Rogers cause they got snow there this time last year. Well it at going to snow. He does not have what I am looking for. I asked about the smallest air mattress and he says it is too small for me. I see the guy is smarter than me so I go to the other outfitter. They have the sleeping bag replacement I am looking for, which is simply a sleeping bag liner. I get that and a short sleeve synthetic shirt to replace my long sleeve winter weight merino wool shirt that I have not worn yet. I also get a 12 inch accordion style closed cell foam sit pad,1.6 oz to augment the width of my tiny sleep pad I am going to go back to buy from the "expert".The plan is to get down to the minimum pack weight and still be safe and reasonably comfortable. I am sending home gloves and stocking cap.I will let you know how it works out for me. Mt Rogers is only 2 days hike from here.The other house guests left this morning so I have this big house to myself. The owners live nearby.Post office opens at 8:30. I have to pick up my food boxes and mail some stuff home. Then it Northbound again.
Date: 2015-05-11
From: Damascus

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Late start today. Post office chores. Pick up food boxes mail one box home. It always takes some time to sort my food.Had left over turkey sub for breakfast. Had another six" turkey Subway at 11am on the way out of town.Did not see many hikers until Saunders shelter. Everyone was stopping for water.Pretty much uphill most of the day.Got to Lost Mountain Shelter around 5pm. Plenty of hikers tenting. I got water and headed down the trail. I noticed through the trees that the sky was turning white with towering cumulonimbus clouds. It was hard to stop at 5:15 but there was abundant tenting just past the shelter and no one else was there. All other hikers had tented right next yo the shelter.As soon as I hotly tent up it stared to rain quite hard. There were thunderstorms rolling thru the area all night.My tent does not leak but when it rains hard like it did water splashes off the ground onto and thru my bug netting. I put the tent in storm mode by lowering the sides but I still experienced some misting.Tough night sleep with my smaller sleeping air mattress, just a sleeping bag liner and all night storms.
Date: 2015-05-12
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 27.8
Weather: broken clouds

On the trail at 7:10, a little late because I did not set my alarm correctly.It was chilly, windy and looked like it was going to rain all morning. Saw only one other hiker all morning. There were lots of tents along the trail but only saw two people.At Elk Gardens, near a road and trail head parking, all the hikers were up packing bags and hanging wet tents on a wooden fence to dry. No one wants to carry a wet tent all day. By this time the fog had dissipated and it was obvious there would be no rain.Approaching Mt Rogers I encountered more hikers than ever before that were actively hiking. Southbounders heading to Damascus for trail days, section hikers and day hikers heading up to a view less Mt Rogers.There were lots of rocks and loose gravel in Grayson Highlands Park. That combined with a very windy walk across a mostly treeless ridge line with mostly sunny skies made it a tough hike this afternoon.The highlight of the day was seeing the wild ponies.The late afternoon hiking went much better when I got down off of the exposed ridge line, back in the shade of the green tunnel and the trail was mostly clear of rocks.This was a day of milestones for me.Day 28 = 4 weeks on the trail.Passing 500 miles.End of the trail I had hiked with Barb.Hiking new trail I had not hiked before.
Date: 2015-05-13
From: Hurricane Mountain Shelter

To: VA 16, Mt. Rogers Visitors Center
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Did not sleep well last night. Small air mattress will not work. Glad I tried it but the 25" wide mattress is the one for me. Too cold to sleep much but not shivering cold. I will keep trying to get the lightest setup that works.On the trail at 6:10am to catch the 2:30 bus into Marion for the night.Saw very few hikers today.Looking forward to some better sleep tonight.Daily mileage will be less the next few days. It is mostly because of food box pickup at the post office. I will have to wait until Monday for the PO to open . It is good to have built in speed bumps on my hike.
Date: 2015-05-14
From: VA 16, Mt. Rogers Visitors Center

To: Tilson Gap
Miles today: 19.4

Got the 9:00am bus back to the visitors center. There were about a dozen hikers but I was the only one on the bus. Two gals had a dog that was not allowed on the bus, so dispatch said. Driver told me he likes dogs and they could have ridden. Saw a few SOBOs (South Bound Hikers) then a few at The Barn Restaurant.Psych and Cindy Loppers visited for a while. Psych thought I might be a day hiker. Clean shave and no sleeping bag or air mattress & almost no food my pack was tiny. We picked each other's packs up. He was jealous. He had 3 lbs of heart shaped rocks he has been collecting. I could barely pick his pack up.Did see two deer today.Got my food boxes at The Barn and sorted my food. My UPS box was not there so I had an excellent 8oz burger and fries while I waited for my new shoes, air mattress and sleeping bag to arrive. The UPS guy arrived about 3:30. I also got a new pair of merino wool boxer briefs. Those and new shoes along with new socks picked up in Damascus, make hiking much more comfortable.As I type this on my newly returned large air mattress under my much missed sleeping bag, the wind is blowing pretty strong and the temp is dropping. What was I thinking. It is healthy to suffer some now and then.The afternoon hike was great. Chatted with four section hikers that were at the bottom of walker Mountain setting up camp for the night. They thought I was nuts for climbing this "big" hill at the end of the day.It was a prize of a climb. Filled up on water half way up. Was in awe to see the 1/4 way sign at the top. I had to camp here! Great cell signal, pretty level ground and a cool sign. WOW 30 Days!
Date: 2015-05-15
From: Tilson Gap

To: Laurel Creek campsite
Miles today: 31.3

Woke up at 12:30 last night to the sound of footsteps in the leaves on the trail and I thought I heard a guy singing. That was wired but people do night hike. Then I herd someone walking around in the leaves, probably looking for a place to pitch a tent. Footsteps continued slowly then it seemed odd so I turned on my headlamp and partially got out of my tent to look around. No hiker, just a glowing pair of animal eyes staining me down from about 20 yards. Probably a small deer because a bear would have run off not walked away.Made a 6:10 departure as I wanted to get close to Bland to make it to the PO. Hrs 9 to 11. Don't want to wait til Monday.It was tough hiking most of the day. Big hills and trail conditions were bad. Lots of big rocks, twisted path and lots of short ups and downs. Haven't had much good sleep either.It rained about 30 minutes mid afternoon. I was soaked but refreshed. Temps cooled down and I got cooled down from the soaking.Saw about 15 other hikers, several young couples. Not a lot of conversation.Met the oldest girl from the Hiker Family. She was coming Southbound from the last big hill of the day. She was looking for her family. They must have stopped at the last shelter because I did not stop there and had not seen them. Young kids would be hard to miss. I think they are a family of five. She warned me of bears as she saw one earlier. I hiked on.I had my meal of chili & corn chips at 5:15. The food and short break always gives me an end of day energy boost. It was the easiest hiking of the day. Trail conditions also were about perfect. About 6:30 I saw my first bear. I went to get my phone out for a picture but the bear with a red collar on was gone before I could unzip my pocket. They can run amazingly fast. Good thing they are afraid of peopleThere would be no escaping one if it chased me.Got to camp at 8:00pm. Only one there. Got a nice level spot and settled in for the night.Plan to be on the trail by 6:00 to make the post office during the two hours of service they have.
Date: 2015-05-16
From: Laurel Creek campsite

To: US 52 Bland,VA
Miles today: 7.8

Got on the trail at 6:05. About 75 yards from where I camped there was another large campsite wit 5 or 6 tents in it. You just never know. One guy was up and packing.The trail was easy this morning. Some small climbs, a bit humid but an excellent rock and root free straight trail. The view of the fog in the valley was nice. See pictures. It was calm and peaceful until hiking over one hill then there was the traffic sound from the interstate. I made the hike so quick I had to make sure it was the right road. I walked towards Bland and got a ride in five minutes. Didn't even get my thumb out and a young guy in a truck stopped. He took me to the PO and gave me an orientation of where things were in town. He offered me a cold water. What a great guy.It was 8:40 so I had 20 minutes to wait. Might have to change my name from Last Minute to something else.Got my box and called Big Walker Motel and asked for a room. Yes but 1.5 hour wait. So I sat in front of the PO for a while looking at my trail guide book. Had a few conversations with patrons of the PO. Friendly people. Lots of people came and went. Everyone said hello. This is the friendliest town on the trail so far. Damascus makes that claim but Bland has it hands down.More time to kill so I went to Sunoco for food. They have a small restaurant there. Outrageous amount of food for cheap. See the picture.Should be an easy two day and a nero hike to Pearisburg for another food drop and maybe a zero day.
Date: 2015-05-17
From: US 52 Bland,VA

To: Mile 618.4 (Stealth campsite)
Miles today: 28.3
Weather: overcast clouds

Scheduled a 7:00 shuttle ride from Bubba. He was late, I called, no answer, I walked it was 3.5 miles to the trailhead. He picked me after about a mile with the other hiker in the car. He felt bad and did not charge us the $10 each fair. Fair guy. Thanks Bubba!Easy trail conditions today. Saw about a dozen hikers. It did not rain until about 7:10pm when I was getting water at the last place available up e steep hill. Had to get it because it was tomorrow's water too. It rained hard. I was drenched. Only had to walk about another 15 minutes uphill in the rain to find a stealth campsite. The rain let up and I selected a place with plenty of leaves around to make a level bed for my tent.This was my first experience of being totally soaked at bedtime. It stopped raining and I was able to hang my clothes up on a line of rope in hopes that they might dry by morning. Everything else was the same as I have dry clothes to sleep in.I was able to sleep with a door open to prevent the usual condensation on the inside of the tent.