morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-11
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Good to be indoors. It's raining this morning. We sorted through our food for the next couple legs of our trip before packing up the rest. We had a great breakfast at Cowboys; blueberry pancakes and biscuits and gravy. We made a trip to the post office and sent our bounce box ahead. We'll leave a small box with the outfitter for when we return this week. The rest of our day looks like catch up on the internet and resting up for the continuation of our hike tomorrow morning. We have a 8:00 shuttle to Elk Garden, just south of Grayson Highlands State Park. It should be a good hike back to Damascus and the weather prediction is for sun tomorrow.Damascus is buzzing as they get ready to grow from a population of 1,000 to 25,000 for this weekends Trail Days. We're hoping to see many of the hikers we've met on our trip as this is one of the big reunion events of every hiker season.Thanks everyone for your support. We enjoy hearing from you and hope you're enjoying our journal. Next updates should be in about 3-4 days.
Date: 2009-05-12
From: Elk Garden, VA 600

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 8.0
Weather: scattered clouds

We caught an 8 AM shuttle north to Elk Garden from which we'll hike back to Damascus for Trail Days. Today is clear and sunny, but it's quite a bit cooler. We have two other hikers shuttling with us who will slack pack all the way back to Damascus today.We had a nice hike this morning with lots of flowers blooming and the Rhododendrun also blooming. We stopped to take in the view from Whitetop Mountain and then went on to lunch at Buzzard Rock. What a great view. Another young hiker we had met a couple weeks ago, Duncan, showed up hiking north. He stopped to have lunch with us and it was great to see him again.After lunch we started a long downhill to VA 601 and then US 58 before climbing to Lost Mountain Shelter. The weather was great, so we elected to tent next to Rusty. Rusty shared a room at The Place with us last night and is hiking north. She's our age, and we really enjoyed spending more time with her. There's lots of tents going up, so it looks like a full shelter tonight. It was a little warm this afternoon, but all in all, it was a great day to hike.
Date: 2009-05-13
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Campsite near Virginia Creeper Trail
Miles today: 10.8

Woke to another nice day today, and we started hiking around 8:00. There were lots of ups and downs today with some nice views. We're passing all kinds of hikers heading both north and south with most of them in the area for Trail Days. We hiked into Saunders Shelter for lunch and water. There we met Bob and Walter, two older hikers heading south like us to get to Damascus. Two younger hikers were also there and hiking north. We took our time before heading out to do the steep trail back to lower altitudes. Bob passed us to get his campsite set, but Walter hiked down with us. When we got to Bob, we all decided to camp along the river where the Virginia Creeper Trail crosses on a nice wood bridge. It was a great site with lots of flat spots under the trees and a nice fire ring. Bob built a good fire that we all enjoyed until bed time.Tomorrow we'll hike on in to Damascus for the big Trail Days Festival. Not sure where we'll be staying yet, but we'll find something.
Date: 2009-05-14
From: Campsite near Virginia Creeper Trail

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We were up early today and started hiking around 7:00. We did a pretty significant up with a nice view at the top before descending into Damascus. It was about lunch time as we came into town, so we stopped at Fattie's and enjoyed hamburgers with all the trimmings plus dessert. Coming into town, we walked over near The Place where a neighbor offerred us tent space in her back yard. It was real close to all the downtown activity, so we set up our tent and retrieved our bounce box from Mt. Rogers Outfitters. Then it was off to the laundry. While doing laundry, Mosey met AWOL, who had rented a house for the weekend. He had room and offered to let us stay with him. We gladly accepted and quickly tore down the tent and moved to the house. Lion King is camping there in the back yard, and the house is a great location. It looks like we'll have a great stay for Trail Days. More on this adventure tomorrow.We're really excited about being here.
Date: 2009-05-15
From: Damascus, VA

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Today turned out to be very nice even with an iffy weather forecast. We had a leisurely morning touring the various vendor displays set up in the town park. We took advantage of the free medical checkups that the First Baptist Church was offering, and it looks like we're doing ok in that regard. We continually ran into hikers we had met during our hike so far. It was nice catching up with them and hearing their stories. The most unexpected story was from Greg and Jenn. We found out they were off the trail because Jenn got pregnant in Franklin. We told them zero days could lead to complications. We wish them the best and will miss them on the trail.We met up with the other hikers who are filming The Road Less Travelled, and we all got to see a brief promo clip shown at one of the venues in the afternoon. It looks like the producer is working hard to get his TV series ready for a late year showing. We're itching to see how it turns out.Tonight we visited the tent camp for hikers located just on the edge of town. It was quite a zoo with lots of activity and partying campers. Saw Miss Janet who was getting her van redecorated by willing campers. It will be interesting to see what the end product looks like.Tomorrow we'll take in more of the festival and participate in the hiker parade. Should be fun.
Date: 2009-05-16
From: Damascus, VA

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

Lots of sun again this morning. The promised rain held off all day and it was great festival weather. We toured the town displays and met up with Ron Havens and his family. It was nice to reconnect with some of our Franklin residents.The highlight of the day was the hiker parade. We arrived at the start early and enjoyed free hot dogs from Sundog Outfitters while viewing the gathering hikers. Most were armed with water balloons and squirt guns to do battle with those who line the parade path. Some of the hiker costumes were outrageous. We'll post pictures later. We walked with others from or 2009 class and had a great time participating in this annual event. The water wars were a hit with everyone and felt good on a warm day.We met up with Rusty and her husband for dinner and enjoyed talking to them about her hike and his plan to join her in PA. We wound up our day by going to the contra dance which was in a building right across the steet from the home we're staying in. Our fitness level is definitely up as we danced every dance. It was a nice addition to the hiking we've been doing.Tomorrow we'll get organized to return to the trail. We've got an 8 AM shuttle to Elk Garden scheduled and then it will be on to Troutdale.Having lots of fun in Damascus.
Date: 2009-05-18
From: Elk Garden

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 9.3
Weather: scattered clouds

It was a great day to get back on the trail. Lots of sun and cool. 42 degrees at the trailhead when we started hiking about 9 AM. The initial up is through a field where the flowers were all blooming and everything is spring green. We shared the field with a couple cows, but they didn't seem to mind.We saw our first ponies as we approached Thomas Knob Shelter where we lunched. The ponies kept their distance, but later in the afternoon, other hikers told us that five of them came right up to the shelter after we left. We stopped after lunch at Rhododendron Gap where we climbed the rocks to get a 360 view of the area. Really beautiful. On our way down through Grayson Highlands State Park, we met two ponies right in the middle of the trail. We were able to pet them while they continued to graze (photos later) before we went on to Wise Shelter. The night was so nice that we tented instead of using the shelter. Other hikers did the same later and only two people ended up using the shelter.We're looling at another great weather day tomorrow so we expect good views as we're enjoying southern Virginia. Really enjoyed the Lewis Fork Wilderness today.
Date: 2009-05-19
From: Wise Mountain Shelter

To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: clear sky

We woke to ice on our tent and in our water bag. The thermometer said 27 degrees. Like they say, don't send your cold weather gear home too early. At least it's sunny with the promise of a warm afternoon. Today we'll visit the Little Wilson Creek Wilderness and the Jefferson National Forest.Our early hike was over some more pasture land, and we saw more ponies resting in the field while a new foal played around the adults. We stopped and talked to a man who was camping at The Scales with a large telescope. He claimed that it was a great location for star gazing with little light polution and free camping. We may have to visit here again.Lunch was at the Old Orchard Shelter where we chatted with Moe, an early 30's solo female hiker. Still cool, but a gorgeous day. As we got ready to leave, a hiker came by to ask if Mosey had lost her credit card. She hadn't, but as we found out later in the day, Moe had lost hers, but the reunion was successful before the day was out.We tented near the Hurricane Mountain Shelter which had some nice campsites near the water source. The shelter is realatively new and was built to preclude tenting right at the shelter. That was ok with us because it kept us away from the shelter noise and we had a great site near the water. It should be a nice night. We enjoyed a small campfire before turning in, and all is well.
Date: 2009-05-20
From: Hurricane Mountain Shelter

To: Troutdale, VA - Troutdale Baptist Hostel
Miles today: 5.2

Woke to another great day. Not as cool as yesterday, but still chilly. We saw a fantastic water fall (see pic) on Comers Creek before arriving at VA 16 where we quickly got a ride into Troutdale and Jerry's Restaurant. We enjoyed one of the world's greatest hamburgers along with sweet potato fries and peach cobbler with ice cream. Yum!We picked up our mail drop at the post office and checked into the Troutdale Baptist Church hostel. It's a very nice facility; clean and good showers. We did laundry and cleaned up before resupplying at Jerry's which is also the local store. Dinner was at Jerry's followed by a visit to the church for their Wednesday evening service. Tomorrow it's back on the trail.
Date: 2009-05-21
From: Troutdale, VA - Troutdale Baptist Hostel

To: Campsite South of Partnership Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: scattered clouds

What a night. The hostel sleeping experience was once again a disaster. One loud snorer, and a drunk who came in at 10:30 waking everyone up. He had a dog and they are not allowed in the hostel, so there was a long argument before the intruder finally left. Not much sleep last night.We caught a ride to Jerry's for breakfast and then the trail angel took us to the post office to mail our bounce box before putting us back on the trail. It was a late start, but a nice day. Dulcimer Dave stopped for lunch at Trimpi Shelter while Mosey went on for a while. There was a new privy being built at Trimpi that tonight's residents will get to break in.The afternoon got long and we ended up stopping early with no water source. We were very tired from the lack of sleep last night. We're going to bed early with no dinner and no breakfast until we get to water. Not a good end to the day, but we're ahead of schedule and should reach Partnership Shelter early tomorrow.
Date: 2009-05-22
From: Campsite South of Partnership Shelter

To: Chatfield Shelter
Miles today: 10.1
Weather: clear sky

Today we got an early start to find water and fix some food. We found a stream in about a mile and then stopped at Partnership Shelter for breakfast. After talking to the hikers at the shelter, we were glad we had not made it there last night. Seems it was filled to capacity and quite rowdy. Half a dozen cops showed up 11:30 due to the ruckus. Several tickets were written for drunkenness and one guy was hauled to jail. At least we got a good night's sleep where we camped. Too bad, because it's a great shelter and we missed out on pizza.We hiked on about mid morning and ate lunch at a trail crossing. The trail was pretty rocky with not much for views now that the trees have leaves. There was only one good view as I remember it, and it got real hot in the afternoon.When we arrived at Chatfield Shelter, we found one of the few flat spots and set up our tent. Quite a few hikers passed through trying to get to Atkins. At dark, there were only three tents set up with an empty shelter. This was an odd night where Dulcimer Dave was the only male. Four females shared the site with us. Tomorrow we head to Atkins.
Date: 2009-05-23
From: Chatfield Shelter

To: Atkins, VA; I-81
Miles today: 4.5
Weather: broken clouds

We slept in till 6:30 which is late for us these days, but the hike is short today. We stopped for a short time to look around the Settler's Museum, but it was not open at the time we stopped. Still, it was interesting to look around at the buildings before moving on.Today is going to be hot. As we approached I-81 and Atkins, we passed through some open areas where the sun really burnt down. We crossed a railroad, and I-81 will be on the next leg. We checked into the Relax Inn where we found Lion King and other hikers. It's nothing special, but the bed is comfortable and we're getting the laundry done. Getting a shower was nice after hiking in the sun.We lunched at The Barn where we got good food at a reasonable price. They had five boxes of stuff that had been sent to us, so we'll spend lots of time today sorting it all out. One box was trail magic from Rocky and Winkle, two previous hikers who have been following our journal. They sent a nice box of goodies that we are enjoying immensely. Thanks guys.Dinner was at The Barn since it's the only restaurant around. Again, good food and a reasonable price. Tonight we're continuing to chat with the other hikers at the Relax. By now, everyone has a story and there are lots of shared experiences. Not a bad way to fill up your day in town.Tomorrow Mosey will slack pack the next section of trail, while Dulcimer Dave sits it out at the Relax and rests his sore knees. The forecast is rain, but we hope Mosey will stay dry.
Date: 2009-05-24
From: Atkins, VA; I-81

To: VA 610
Miles today: 9.4

Got a good night's sleep at the Relax Inn. Mosey caught an 8 AM shuttle with Aqua to do today's slack pack from VA 610 back into Atkins. This is near the Smyth and Bland County lines. Dulcimer Dave took the day off to rest is knee and catch up on trailjournals entries. Rain threatened all day, but Mosey stayed dry. She went through open fields and woods with lots of wildflowers blooming. The rhododendons are really flourishing right now. In the woods, she met up with a deer that was only a couple feet from her before it decided to escape. Today ended with the crossing of a third interstate, I-81.Dinner was an interesting experience today. The only real restaurant, The Barn, was open only until 3 PM. Dulcimer Dave ate early and brought back a take out for Mosey. The other hikers at the motel scrambled around at dinner time. Some ate chili dogs from the service station and a couple others found a pizza delivery place after quite a few tries. Nothing like a small town for convenience.It's raining quite hard tonight, and we're glad to be indoors even if it is the Relax Inn.
Date: 2009-05-25
From: VA 610

To: VA 610
Miles today: 0.0

Time to leave the Relax Inn. Rambunny picked us up this morning and took us back to the Happy Hiker Hollow hostel run by her and Aqua. Mosey's feet were a little sore after yesterday's hike, so we zeroed and just relaxed around the hostel. We especially enjoyed a private room since our hostel experience with bunk rooms has not been good. This hostel is very user friendly in that regard. We enjoyed a nice dinner prepared by the hostel and were entertained by two of the other guests who played guitar.The weather today has been rainy off and on, so we're content with our zero. It's nice to spend another night in a real bed.
Date: 2009-05-26
From: VA 610

To: Piney Flats, TN
Miles today: 0.0

Dulcimer Dave and Mosey are off the trail. Dulcimer Dave's knee has done him in. The knee is not getting better and a consultation with an orthopaedic doctor at Trail Days confirmed that he needed to end his trip or risk more damage to his already bad knee. So the plan was to get off the trail at Atkins after passing the 500 mile mark.Mosey had planned to hike on with Dulcimer Dave supporting her in a vehicle, but her solo hike at Atkins convinced her that she didn't want to continue without Dulcimer Dave.After resting up a day at Happy Hiker Hollow, Dulcimer Dave and Mosey were picked up by Dennis and Katy Rosalowski and Trekker in Marion for a ride back to Piney Flats, TN where the family car was stored. Trekker had also been vacationing there while her owners hiked. After arriving in Piney Flats, everyone relaxed and we got in a short paddle on the river with some wonderful meals from our hosts. Tomorrow we'll head to our son's house in Newnan, GA for a grandchild reunion and to pick up our RV. Where we go from there is still up in the air. Since our summer is free of obligations, we may just continue to drive up the AT and see if Dulcimer Dave can day hike some of the highlights of the trail. Once we get a plan, we'll publish our plan and activities on facebook.com, so look for us there.We've had an interesting hike and no regrets. The knee thing was always a risk, and we're disappointed that it didn't work out, but not surprised. We're also a little disappointed that we could never get our hiking speed up, but we're definitely not unhappy about doing the hike. We met lots of great people who we'll be following and had many adventures we'll talk about for years. Thanks to everyone who supported us - the Rosalowski's who kept Trekker, Jan Palin our base camp person, Nina Rogers our scribe, Jason who took care of our mail, our families who encouraged us, the trail angels we met along the trail, and all of you who followed us and put encouraging messages in our guest book. Good hiking and best wishes to all of you. It's been a fantastic AT hike. Now we're considered Full-Timers (living out of our RV).
Date: 2009-02-18
To: Prep
Miles today: 0.0

I just returned to work yesterday after cutting and having surgery on my 5th digital nerve. So happy that it will not delay my trip. Just a month to go... It is all I think about. Vacillate between excited to get started and thinking "what the heck am I doing!!!" Especially the part about quitting my job... in this economy. I still feel it is what I'm suppose to do and I know it will be all right. It is all part of the adventure!!!I'm hiking the adventure trail this weekend. 25 miles in 2 days. Will see if I'm ready and do a gear check. This will be my second backpacking trip. I also started physical therapy on my feet this week. I know...how smart is it to START the trail with my feet hurting!! But hopefully this will help and if not maybe the hike will actually make them feel better...I know it sounds delusional!!!
Date: 2009-03-17
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It is only 3 days until I leave for Amicolola Falls Lodge. I haven't been working this week, my last day was last Thursday. Boy, was it a killer. They have been cutting hours because business is down, but you sure couldn't prove it by me. Amber and Heather, my coworkers, did the honors of shaving my head for me. Amber shaved and Heather took pics. It was good--a little scary at first, but I'm glad we did it. Much better than having hair that I can only wash once a week. I have a new found sympathy for the male population with no hair. It is definetly COLD!!! I believe the heat loss thru the head thing now.Met with my small group from church on Sunday. They did a hands-on prayer circle for me. I was moved to tears and feel very grateful to call them friends. Thanks to one and all. Your're the best!!
Date: 2009-03-20
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Today is the day that I leave for Springer Mountain. I feel pretty good only slightly nervous and a bit weepy. I'm packed and ready, I just have to finish last minute house and yard work. Although, I won't worry if it doesn't get done because it will still be here in 6 months no doubt!! My mantra is taken from Dorie the fish in FINDING NEMO. "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming, just keep swimming". I'll just change swimming to walking! I'll pick the kids(nieces and newphew)up from school so I can spend a couple of hours with them before I leave. This is the hardest part...leaving them for the summer. I love them as if they were my own children. They will be taking care of my most prized possession, my dog Bailey, who will be missed as well. It makes me sad to miss the baseball/t-ball season. Maybe their mom will bring them to see me one weekend for a visit. Then it will be home to be picked up by Karen and off to meet Stephanie and Susan and head for GA. We will stay at Amicolola Falls lodge and they will put me on the trail Sunday morning. Here I go!!! Until then....
Date: 2009-03-21
From: Evansville

To: Amicalola Fall State Park
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

What an incredible day!! We left Evansville about 7 pm last night. Drove till early in the morning to reach Karen's daughter Desiree and her husband Chris' house. Thanks for the southern hospitality-great bed with very soft sheets, big breakfast and good company. What an outstanding young couple. Really enjoyed meeting and getting to know them. Then it was off to Amicolola Falls lodge. What a beautiful setting!! Upon check in, we met Ricky, Mike and Jason. They are planning to hike to Springer tomorrow as well. The girls crashed a wedding reception while I got hiking tips from the guys. Ricky so generously donated liner socks, some suture and steri-strips and a Rx of antibiotics. The "step" sisters introduced me to Dave, another wedding crasher. He makes knives as a hobby, and as we were standing there chatting, he took his knife off his belt, handed it to me and said "I want to give you this to take with you on your thru hike." Incredible!! He gave me a nessmuk knife that he had made himself. Trail magic has started and I haven't even taken my first step on the trail!!!!I'm writing this @5am Sunday morning. I have been awake since 3 am. Can't seem to shut the brain off. Or I have just drank too much caffiene. Oh well, I should really sleep well on the trail tonight!! Can't wait! Until then..