morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2018-04-05
From: Hot Springs NC

To: Stealth camp mile 290ish
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Zero days are tough to leave behind. I woke up in the Laughing Heart Hostel around 7 as my bunkmate, Soothe Sayer, began cooking breakfast. He had offered to cook for a bunch of people in the hostel this morning and I think he ended up feeding everyone there! Scrambled eggs with tomatoes and peppers and spiced up pancakes. It was so good!I left town around 9am and began the climb up. Gaps and towns always mean steep downhill into them and steep ups out. This was no different. Soothe, shiver, honey bun and our newest friend Stoic all planned on meeting roughly 15 miles from town. They all started later but I wanted to go while the sun started heating up the mountains.I hiked about 14 miles and found a convenience store on the side of the road that the AT crossed. It wasn't on the guidebook but was an amazing surprise. It was a delipatated home with hiker specific foods and treats. I looked around and settled on a Hershey chocolate milk. It was so satisfying! I got rid of the bottle while I was still there then grabbed water. The area I was planning on tenting didn't have a source nearby so I loaded up and got an extra liter.About a mile from the gap I found a spot. It had roughly 6-8 flat spots for tents and I knew at least 4 more were coming. The weather was beautiful so I layed out and enjoyed while eating some pre-dinner. I eventually set up my tent, hung a bear bag for later then straightened out my gear. By 5, Soothe Sayer arrived and had two others with him- fixed gear and wutang. They all joined in and by 7 we had 8 tents set up and a small fire going. I was happy I grabbed extra water as some didn't have a ton left. We shared our water and planned on filling up at the next shelter 4 miles from our location. We all slept amazing in our "stealth" camp site under the stars.
Date: 2018-04-06
From: Stealth camp mile 290ish

To: Flint Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Last night dropped to cold temps probably mid 30's. Even then, we all slept well and we were grateful for such a nice spot. I downed a honey bun for breakfast (part of a nutritious breakfast) then started moving to stay warm. I had about a half liter of water left so when I hit the shelter I filtered a bunch and got some for the others who were behind me. The trail seems to have thinned out a bunch and I'm only running into 1 or 2 new hikers daily. It offers more solitude and less crowding but can be lonely. Seeing day hikers is nice though. Shelters are smaller so it works better with less people.There are shelter registry's for hikers to write in. Each time we stop everyone reads the entries and notices people they have hiked with before. We keep following Green Grass's entries as he speeds down the trail. They are pretty funny and cool to look forward to.The weather has been looking bad for the weekend and early week. Rain is forecasted for tonight through Monday with temps low during the day and dropping below freezing at night. More snow... Great. We are planning another 18 tomorrow then a 16 the next day to push through to Erwin, TN and see about the weather while drying out, warming up and resupplying. Might be a miserable two days but "no rain, no pain, no maine"-- maybe snow should be added to that quote. We are currently hunkered down at Flint Mt Shelter avoiding the rain and eating whatever we can! Oh and we hit mile 300 today!
Date: 2018-04-07
From: Flint Mountain Shelter

To: Bald Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: light rain

I woke up nice and toasty in my sleeping bag. I would classify today as the hardest day to get out of my bag. Rain pattered on the shelter roof and the air was pretty cold while a 19 mile day lingered in front of us. The forecast looked grim but the rain slowed and only a thick fog remained. We all agreed on doing a 3 mile hike together to a hostel to grab a morning pizza. Mmmm. It really was the only thing motivating us.We all got up slowly and eventually left around 8:30. Soothe recently bought a frogg togg poncho identical to mine so we sang down the trail looking like two new tellitubies. Eventually we arrived at the hostel as the temperature dropped. We sat outside eating a frozen pizza for each of us as we began seeing our breath. Soothe and I got on our way shortly in hopes of warming up. Cold rain is rough to hike in. I decided to pop in my headphones and crank out miles. By 130 I hit Sam's Gap 11 miles from our shelter last night and ran into trail magic. It really comes at the toughest parts of the hike which is amazing. I loaded up with donuts and a cup of coffee. They gave me a bunch of snacks for the road and again I was hiking to stay warm again.Halfway up Big Bald mountain I looked up from the trail. Not even 20ft in front of me was a large deer. I stopped and looked around to see 6-8 other deers in this forested meadow all staring at me. I felt like I interrupted an important business meeting. I was standing in my poncho and it seemed the deer didn't recognize me as a human or at least weren't scared of me. They all remained 30 or so feet from me as I walked down the trail filming them. It was pretty cool. Not 100 yards down the trail I also saw 3 turkeys. It was an exciting few minutes!I made it to the shelter in no time and set up my stuff. Its amazing how the AT works. I literally follow white blazes for miles going up and down constantly. I dont even have to think much and really just use my guidebook to find water, know shelter mileage and have an idea about towns. It's pretty cool. The others were at the shelter within the hour and I was able to change into warm, dry clothes, filter water and do other chores without annoying them by spreading all my stuff out. 30 minutes after my arrival it began raining steadily then transitioning to sleet and snow. I was so happy to avoid the bulk of it.I cooked another Mt House meal (such a nice treat for a tough day) and devoured beef jerky, a brownie, some cookies, water and two packs of hot chocolate a lot of which I got at the trail magic! I filled up in preparation for the cold night then got ready for bed. We all got comfy and warm inside and prepared for the weather tomorrow. Our aim is Erwin, TN to get warm and dry and to resupply!
Date: 2018-04-08
From: Bald Mountain Shelter

To: Uncle Johnny's Hostel Erwin, TN
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: overcast clouds

I've finally thawed out as I write this post. That may be a bit dramatic but for a bunch of thru-hikers not prepared for full on winter weather, I'm happy to report there were no issues yesterday and last night. I slept from 8pm- maybe 3am before waking up cold. As mostly everyone, I tossed and turned from 3 until sunrise trying to conserve the heat I had. It dropped to 12 degrees at our elevation of 5000 feet and as much as I like to think im prepared for that, summer-hoping thru-hikers are not meant for these temperatures consistently.Soothe awoke at 7am and got out of the shelter and "on the road" by 730. His plan was to just start moving. I liked his plan. I got up as soon as I could unpack my sleeping bag and muster the might to leave my somewhat warmer sleeping bag.I grabbed food bags from the bear cables, wolfed down a Pop tart and said farewell to the others. Shiver, honey bun, stoic and wutang were all going to push to Erwin today too and were working on getting out of bed. Fixed Gear, a middle aged man from Puerto Rico that joined us, claimed he was going to stay put until it warmed up and then just hike 10 miles to the next shelter. He didn't seem too happy with the cold.The morning turned out to be fairly beautiful. Temps were still cold but moving kept it bareable. It was a scene like an ice storm up north where the trees glitter and the sun hits them as snow begins to melt. As bad as we all expected the day to be it turned out nice. I hike about 5 miles then caught up to Soothe. We hiked 5 more together then stopped for a quick lunch and chat. I left before him and by 2pm I hiked right into Erwin, TN and to Uncle Johnny's Hostel. We felt bad about staying at another hostel so soon but we needed to resupply food anyway and we had pushed hard to Erwin getting there a day earlier than expected. And it was cold!I checked in, got a few supplies then took a bike from the hostel to the convenience store. After some cold nights and long hikes, beer sounded good! On my trip I rode through some Tennessee neighborhoods and even saw a groundhog. Shouldn't I have seen at least something like that in the 340 miles of trail I've walked rather than in town!?!I arrived back at the hostel and chatted with other hikers over beers. Eventually I made it in the shower then caught the 5pm shuttle to town run by the hostel. We all jumped in and got some nice Italian food. After that we were able to go to Walmart real quick for a resupply then got shuttled back. I put together my food bag, which is a long process, then scoped out tomorrow's hike. I was going to aim for 15 miles or so to a campsite but if the rain started, I would stop short at 12 miles at a shelter. The weather for Tuesday-Friday looks impeccable and we are all pumped! If you're ever curious about the current weather on the AT at any shelter check out atweather.org. All is well!
Date: 2018-04-10
From: Curley Maple Gap Shelter

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 19.1
Weather: broken clouds

We thought yesterday was a climb... We were in for a lot of climbs today too. Today I was planning on summiting roan high knob then sleeping at the shelter just a little past the summit. All in total, about 19 miles. Roan mt is about 6200'-- just below Mt Washington. We were going to be sleeping at about 6124'. The highest shelter on the entire AT! The day started out with small ups and downs. I stopped for lunch at a shelter 9 miles from our location last night and got a chance to dry out my sleeping bag that had taken on some moisture from the humid, Misty weather last night. I also ate a ton which in turn lessened the weight of my pack! Soothe and wutang rolled in for lunch as I was leaving and I hiked another mile. From there I made the long drawn out ascent to Roan Mt. It was still covered in snow and ice from the past week of weather which worried me. Sleeping at the highest point I didn't know how warm it would be or if the water source would be frozen. I reached the shelter quickly and was the first one there. I scoped out the area noticing the water was still running! The shelter was more of a cabin with two floors and a door to keep out the cold! This meant we would be alright this high up.The sun was hitting the front of the shelter and I was able to dry some more things out and take in the warmth. I snagged a sleeping spot upstairs where I figured it would be warmer and got things prepared for later. By then, others were rolling in and eventually the top floor was full and some slept downstairs while others tented. We went in pretty early because of the cold and we all hung around talking. It was warm... Kinda. I feel like we've become accustomed to the cold temperatures now and just deal with it. Don't get me wrong though it's pretty tiring day after day. We get to camp, change into warm dry clothes, mill about, cook an early dinner then get in bed. I wish it was warmer so we could play some games or chat longer but with the weather so cold it's tough.We fell asleep to the sound of the wind picking up and blowing ice on to the metal roof of the shelter. Tomorrow we lose a lot of elevation, plan on stealth camping around mile 400 then hitting easier and flatter terrain on our way into Hampton, TN for a resupply then shortly after-- Damascus,VA a very popular trail town where I plan on spoiling myself at a B&B or something because that will mark the 1/4 point of the trail!
Date: 2018-04-14
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Abington Gap Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Around 7am I woke up and saw the sunrise from the platform of the shelter I was laying in. Not long after that, a hiker walked past the shelter. I was completely alone here and the sound of footsteps was a bit creepy. He walked by and I said "hi" from the comfort of my sleeping bag.The temperature was a comfortable 50 degrees or so with a breeze blowing. I layed there for fifteen minutes or so before getting up and noticing about 4 deer ambushing the shelter. I had gotten up to pee and grab my bear bag when I noticed the deer. It was super cool, they weren't afraid of me at all! I must be a deer whisperer. I sat and ate breakfast as they grazedI grabbed my gear slowly and enjoyed the nice weather in the morning. I had cell service and 3g so I spent some time on my phone too. It was nice to get up on my own with no immediate obligations. By 745-8ish I was out of the shelter for the day. Another lonely day today for sure. I crossed some beautiful terrain and very few ups and downs. At one point the AT is handicap accessible for 0.5 miles across a rolling hill at a farm.The temperature continued to rise and by 11 it was getting hot again but I had done about 12/16 miles for the day so I had managed to beat a lot of the heat. Only by 12:30 did I see the first hikers on the trail. Two thru-hikers chilling by a stagnant stream. I said hi and expressed my happiness for seeing people finally! It's crazy how lonely it can get out here but then again you're back in with a ton more hikers and wishing for solitude.By 2pm I got to the Abington Gap Shelter and held myself to doing only the 15.9 miles. This was the last shelter before Damascus which is 10 miles away and I wanted to stay here instead of camping further north to avoid having to pack up my tent in the rain. Plus, downtime at the shelter means eating almost all my food! I made the 0.2 mile trek downhill to the water source which was a haul. There I took a mini shower just throwing cold spring water on my body. It was amazing and made me feel a bit cleaner. I came back up and had the opportunity to dry everything out and get the salty sweat stains out of my clothes. It's been a week since I've done laundry too so anything helps. I sat down for my first dinner of pasta sides and fruit gummies. I lounged around more making sure to stretch and elevate my legs. Unfortunately I was back with a few other thru hikers and one was pretty annoying. He just kept talking! Again I complain about solitude and complain about being with people. It's my job out here to learn to adapt.Night came quick as we talked about the food and drinks we planned on having tomorrow and Monday while in Damascus. You could almost smell the food and we were all so happy to shortly be in town and make myself smell decent again!
Date: 2018-04-17
From: Damascus, VA

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: scattered clouds

I woke up in my small chunk of heaven in Damascus around 7. I put together my gear and brought it downstairs while I sat in the back dining area sipping coffee and charging my phone. The good folks of the Mountain Laurel B&B, specifically Kathleen, cooked me and the two other guests there breakfast. It was their specialty-- eggs Benedict. She also gave me a taste of the corn beef she had slow cooked all night and in which we could smell right in the morning. Everything was amazing!Kathleen gave me a ride into town where the AT trail ran and I said my goodbyes and thanks for everything. I set off back onto trail around 9. It's so hard reintegrating yourself to the trail and the weather after being in society even just for a day. I began the climb in my new trail runners which felt great. The climb out of town was one of the easiest we have had and I enjoyed the day as the temperature rose. I had to be real careful to pay close attention to my footing so as to not roll an ankle. It's definitely a transition to trail runners from lightweight boots.The woods were beautiful in VA and by the time I hit roughly 16 miles I was feeling good. I ended up setting up my tent even though I could get a spot in the shelter. I did chores and grabbed some wood for a fire later on. A big group of us met up here and we had a big dinner, enjoyed company and started a niceee fire. I went to bed around 9:30 and enjoyed the comfort of my new sleeping pad. I slept amazing!
Date: 2018-04-18
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: clear sky

I woke up around 7 and grudgingly let the air out of my extremely comfortable sleeping pad. I packed things up and had breakfast before shooting off around 7:45. I began ascending and eventually, after 12 miles, made it to Mt Rogers. This is the highest peak in VA and the AT skirts the peak without actually going over it. I figured I would regret it if I didn't take the side trail to the top. I felt like I was back home peak bagging summits. It still had traces of snow and ice but I found a nice sunny spot for lunch and to enjoy the pine smell. After decending for only 20 minutes or so I hit a shelter where a majority of the crew I've been hiking with were sitting and eating lunch. I joined them as excitement grew in hopes of seeing ponies as we entered the Grayson Highlands. We hiked along as a group and eventually ran across one that was running off. Slider, a girl in the group, carries a trombone. She began playing but the horse didn't seem to care!We hiked another mile or two before running across two ponies grazing on the trail. They are completely wild ponies but they are really use to people. We didn't feed them at all but they were eager to lick our hands and have us run our hands through their manes! It was sooo cool!We hiked another 2 miles together before Honey Bun was able to meet up with his father who was here to visit with him. We called him daddy buns or papa buns. He had a picnic blanket laid out with fresh fruit and other treats. We stayed here for over an hour soaking in the sun and warm weather while chowing down.We thanked his father then moved on to the next shelter where a group of ponies were grazing! We did chores and ate dinner before everyone was in bed tired out by the sun. The ponies grazed close by and the bear bags we hung seemed more like pony bags. Weather is expected to be colder again tomorrow so we were all preparing for the cold.
Date: 2018-04-19
From: Wise Shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 20.1
Weather: broken clouds

The rain and wind picked up all night and the wind continued on into the morning. Waking up with the rest of the hikers in the shelter was tough with the colder temperature and high winds. Eventually I made it out and started my morning. I began with a nice fall onto a rock and difficulty warming up but once I shook off the morning blues, the day turned out nice!As we crossed a bald around 8am, the wind was gusting around 50 miles an hour and literally blowing me off the trail. After powering through it and laughing with the other hikers who had just finished the peak too, I pushed on. I saw a few more ponies along the way but the weather was too cold to stop.I ended up stopping with two clicks for lunch and having a peanut butter, beef jerky tortilla and cooking some hot coffee (thanks Abby!) It's been so hard to adjust to weather because every other day the weather is nice then the others it is freezing. I was getting used to mild hypothermia!The remainder of the day I hiked with two clicks and flash. Two Clicks is a 26 year old from the South shore of MA. He works as a carpenter and has hiked the 48's 3 times! 1 in the winter! He's now working on red blazing the whites which is pretty sweet! Flash is a guy originally from Bar Harbor, ME who worked IT for embassies across the world for the past few years. He is usually really fast but is nursing an IT band injury. I got a spot in the shelter and ate some food along with some hot chocolate. Plan tomorrow is to go get pizza delivered at a shelter for lunch which sounds awesome then the next day resupply on food. I'm happy, warm by a fire soothe built in the fireplace of the shelter and finally getting used to trail runners!
Date: 2018-04-20
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Chatfield shelter
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: clear sky

Up so early! Seems that everyone has to get up at 6-6:30 now! Once one person starts, it's hard to sleep past that so I just begrudgingly follow! Today I was out by 7 or so. The group of us were originally planning on hiking 10 miles to the Mt Rogers visitors center and the shelter right next to it and ordering pizza delivery for lunch! Yeah they do that! But after hiking the ten miles I arrived and Soothe and Two Clicks told me the shuttle to town was on 50 cents! We changed our plans which allowed us to get a hot meal and resupply all in one. Right before the shuttle left, a nice thru hiker gave me a free Pepsi!We sat at the visitors center for about 45 minutes doing the classic hiker things-- charging all devices in a small outlet, "showering" in the restroom and finding out information. At 11:15, the shuttle arrived and we went into Marion, VA. The driver was crazy! Drove so fast and almost blew through a construction site. We survived though.In town we all made our way to a Mexican restaurant. I made a terrible mistake in the rush of everything to leave my wallet up at the visitors center. So stupid. Luckily I called the nice woman at the desk whom I had been chatting with before leaving and she was holding it for me! So lucky. Won't do that again.Stoic covered me for Mexican and Soothe covered me in Walmart for resupply. Thanks guys! I paid them as soon as we got back. Of course after resupplying we had 45 minutes until the shuttle came back so we were the typical Walmart bums and charged phones at outlets while sitting outside! We really are pathetic haha.Once the shuttle dropped us back off, we did what's called a hero. It's a trip into town to resupply then hiking more than a few miles afterwards to camp. We all cranked out 6 miles in under 2 hours and arrived at a fairly primitive shelter. The privy was closed and there were few to no good tentsites. I considered pushing on further to a settlers museum another mile ahead that allowed camping but I stayed! I pitched my tent as most the others squeezed into the shelter. During my resupply I bought smores stuff and took the time and effort to make a fire and provide smores to everyone. I ended up eating about 15...We had a nice night around the campfire with smores and I was given a bit of whiskey which was great! A solid night.