morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-08
From: Cherry Gap shelter area

To: past Jane Bald
Miles today: 21.0

Cherry Gap shelter to past Jane Bald. 21 MAnother sunny morn at wake up. Had breakfast and on the trail by 8:15 am. Nice hiking day with partly cloudy skies. The big challenge for the day was to get over Roan Mtn. Over 6100 ft elevation. It has the highest shelter location on the AT. It was quite a climb but reached the top in the early afternoon. At one time there was a large resort on Roan Mtn. But it shut down about 100 years ago. Not much sign of it now. I took a picture of the shelter. A little unusual in that it has 4 enclosed sides, and only a door opening. Most shelters are 3 sided. I started hiking down the mountain as I wanted to camp at a lower elevation. The clouds were getting darker and thunder was rumbling. Decided to gamble with Mother Nature and try to get to a camp space with water before it rained. Got down Roan Mountain and crossed Round Bald and Jane Bald. Really great views from these Balds. As I was going down Jane Bald the rains arrived. It was about 5 pm. Heavy and a thunderstorm with lightning. Soon the trails were a river and I was very wet and getting cold. The elevation was about 5700 ft. A rule of thumb is that for each 1000 ft of elevation increase, the temp decreases by 10 degrees F. I walked and splashed in the rain for a good while and finally came to a flat spot and waited for the rain to slow down. Eventually got the tent up and everything inside it. My boots and clothes are pretty wet. Fixed dinner and got under the blanket to get warm. Will likely be a cold night at this elevation. What began as a great hiking day ended as a miserable day. Guess that's the breaks. I should have quit hiking when the thunder and storm started getting nearer. Hopefully a lesson learned by me. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-09
From: past Jane Bald

To: Mountaineer shelter area
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: broken clouds

Past Jane Bald to Mountaineer shelter area. 21.6 MAnother day begins with sun and mostly clear skies. Had oatmeal and coffee, then put away all the wet things. My boots were still soaking wet so the dry socks I had on were quickly soaked also. Started hiking about 8:30 am. The trails were muddy but drying. Climbed Little Hump then Big Hump Mountains. Spectacular views, especially from Big Hump. Had a view of Grandfather Mtn to the North. Ate lunch at a beautiful spot on Big Hump and was joined by Finn and two others. Big Hump is about 5600 ft elevation. It will be a while until we climb this high again. Took some pics of the views and of a plaque and headed down. Passed thru lots of very pretty areas, and the most impressive was Jones Falls. A high waterfall down a rock face. Quite a few day hikers out on this nice Sat. Was feeling pretty good and decided to hike to Mountaineer shelter. Arrivedabout 5:30 pm. Got the tent up and fixed dinner, red beans and rice with tuna added. Hot and filling. My feet have been doing much better, but I will continue to be careful with the damaged toes on the trail. Developed a new pain the last two days. For some reason my left shoulder blade is chafing against the pack. I'll have to see if I can determine what is causing that. And last night the air mattress that I sleep on developed a problem. The inflate valve is not working correctly. Will have to look into that also. I think Sun will be a little shorter hiking day. Will do a little more reading now, The Grapes of Wrath. A very good reread. I had considered bringing Sherlock Holmes stories and Edgar Allen Poe poems, but decided they might be a little scary reading alone in the woods. Remember The Hound of the Baskervilles, and The Tell Tale Heart.And the woods really are lovely, dark and deep. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-11
From: Black Bear hostel

To: Vandeventer shelter area
Miles today: 17.7
Weather: broken clouds

Black Bear Hostel to Vandeventer shelter area. 17.7 MThere were two snorers, a restless sleeper, and two dogs in the bunkroom at Black Bear hostel. So not much sleep. Everything else at this hostel was very nice. Two women at the hostel experienced problems on the trail. One was found by a hiker on the trail in a dazed condition. She said that she was sick and could not go farther. The hiker was able to get her up and he carried her pack as they made their way to a road where they got medical help. Not sure what the problem was, but she was planning to go back out in a day. The other case was a very large woman that fell on the rocks at Jones Falls. Hurt her shoulder, hip and knee. Another hiker found her and helped her back on her feet. She also expected to go back as soon as she healed. Incredibly, she and her dog have been on the trail since January. Ate breakfast and down the road about one half mile to the trail. The AT followed the Laurel river for quite a while. Very pretty, and many good campsites along the river. Stopped at Laurel Falls to admire the view. Pretty awesome. There was a plaque stating a father and son died there in 2012. Don't know what caused it, but a sign warns against swimming in the Falls area. Will have to try and look it up sometime. Surprised a deer on the trail. It bounded about ten yards off the trail and watched me go by. Also found a snake on the trail. Very pretty markings, and not poisonous. Lots of nice flowers everywhere. I think some are Azaleas in different colors, but that's just a guess. About noon arrived at Watagua Lake. A large and very pretty TVA lake. Had lunch at a swim beach and picnic area on the lakeshore. Beautiful and relaxing. There is a shelter on the AT at this lake but it and the whole area are closed to overnight stays due to bear activity. The plan for the afternoon was to reach Vandeventer shelter and call it a day. Late in the afternoon thunder began to rumble and my hiking pace quickened considerably. I got to the shelter and there was room for me but I decided to set the tent up and sleep better. Got the tent up and everything in it, now just needed to get water. Unfortunately the closest water source here was one half mile down an extremely steep ravine. So down I went. Got 4 liters of water and was halfway up the steep trail when the rain and hail arrived. So, once again, I got soaking wet. I think that is three times in five days. I have to get smarter about the weather and rain. There was a double rainbow in the East between rain showers. A very view from this location. In the tent now and all is dry except the clothes I was wearing. But the tent is really splattered with dirt and leaf litter. Will be a mess in the morn to take down. Rain is still falling but will keep the fingers crossed that it stops soon so the trails are in fair condition Tues. Finished dinner. Knorr chicken flavor noodles with chicken Vienna sausages added. Hot and filling. Followed by two pop tarts. Now will do a little reading, get warm, and hit the sack. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-12
From: Vandeventer shelter area

To: Double Springs Gap
Miles today: 19.8

Vandeventer shelter to Double Springs Gap. 19.8 MAbout six people came in and set up tents in the rain after I got settledIn my tent. I'm sure they were much wetter than I was. It rained some early in the night, then stopped but there was a breeze most of the night. Woke to cloudy skies and fog. At least the temperature was not too cold at this elevation (3500 ft). Took a little longer than normal to get going due to the wet stuff and tent cleanup. At least the tent was not terribly wet due to the breezes. On the trail at 8:45. A few sprinkles fell early in the day, but not enough to be a concern. Good hiking weather all morn and I made very good progress. About 1pm I was thinking about lunch and I came upon two hikers sitting by a cooler. The cooler contained drinks and had been left by a local church for hikers. The only remaining drinks were Coke Zero, and we each had one. The other hikers told me about trail magic that was supposed to be at the next road crossing, in about one mile. So I decided to wait on lunch and check out the trail magic. One of the other hikers and I reached the road and there was a lot of activity, but it was a road crew working and not trail magic. We crossed the field and started walking in a very pretty field with green grass and yellow flowers. In a bit I noticed two tents on the hill in the distance. As we got closer we found the trail magic. It was put on by a group of young people that called themselves Riff Raff. They were set up on the edge of a pasture and serving hot dogs, cold soda and beer, chips, snack cakes, etc. They were giving everyone all they wanted to eat and drink. It was a real inclusive, festive, fun atmosphere. Some people just decided to stop and camp there with them. I ate three hot dogs, four donuts, three snack cakes, and drank two beers. I talked to the young man heading it up and thanked him profusely. He seemed very happy that someone was interested in their group. I gave him a few dollars donation, and he gave me one of their patches to put on my pack and also a Riff Raff wristband. This was another place that was difficult to leave. The hiking today went very well. I was arriving at each destination sooner than I expected. The elevation and gradient on the climbs is lower than in the past weeks. I stopped at Low Gap and got water, then hiked another four miles to Double Springs Gap to camp for the night. Not a shelter area and I am the only one here. Should be a quiet night.Thinking tomorrow (wed) I will hike a short day to about one mile outside Damascus, VA and camp there, then go into town mid morning. Have met many former thru hikers and section hikers that are coming back for the Trail Days celebration in town. Looking forward to seeing what it's all about in the next few days. A good day hiking, with no rain and no real physical problems. The blister issues are all but gone and the body seems to be holding up well Hope I didn't jinx myself by saying that. Later. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-13
From: Double Springs Gap

To: Damascus, VA
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Double Springs Gap to Damascus, VA. 12.2 MHad a good night at this camp. Very quiet and only one other tent in the area. Got things packed and left about 8:45 am. Tent and gear was mostly dry for a change. A very nice, sunny morning. A little colder than I like, but good for hiking. Passed a couple shelters and was making good time on the trail. Stepped out of TN and into VA. Three states down now. Will be in VA for a long time. Stopped just outside of town and had lunch, then walked into Damascus around 1:00 pm. Was hoping to stay at The Place. It is an old house converted into bunkrooms and run by the Methodist Church. Only $7 to stay. Found The Place and got a space. No laundry here, and no laundromat in town. A couple of other hostels allow people to do laundry for $5 so I put my name on the list at Woodchucks Hostel. It was a long list so I didn't get the laundry done until 6:30 pm. While doing laundry I was able to participate in a free feed in the nearby park. Two chili dogs, beans, Asian slaw, chips, cake and drinks. Had a large milkshake earlier while walking thru town. There are several free feeds thru the weekend, just need to know when and where to find them. Tomorrow morning I want to get to the Post Office early and get the air mat shipped out. If I have time, the Fire Station is serving biscuits. Want to be back at The Place by 9 am as I volunteered to do some work for them around the house. Then later in the day I hope to spend some time at the library and get the Trail Journals caught up. No AT&T phone service here, and the only wifi good enough to work with TJ seems to be at the library.The Trail Days celebration begins Friday, but the town is already getting busy. It should be a real zoo by Fri. The town is very pretty. The Virginia Creeper trail as well as the AT goes right thru town. Also, the Laurel River goes thru town. Several outdoor outfitters and bike shops. Lots of interesting shops for a small town. All for now. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-14
From: Damascus, VA

To: Recovery, rest, and restock at Trail Days. 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Zero day in Damascus, VAMy bunk room here at The Place has double decker bunks for six persons. They are made from 2 X 4 frames with plywood to lay on. I use the same sleep pad and sleep quilt that I use on the trail with my extra clothes in a bag for a pillow. When the last person checked in Wed evening he advised that he was a serious snorer. So they handed out ear plugs to the rest of us. You guessed it, not much sleep. In the morn two of the roomies left to sleep outside in their tents (same price). I decided to stay inside since there is a chance of rain the next few days. A church next door was serving donuts, coffee and hot chocolate for breakfast. After indulging in six donuts, I went to the Post Office to mail a few things home. After that I spent the morn painting ceilings in The Place. At lunch time, they provided hot dogs and such for lunch. Went to the library in the afternoon and spent time updating the Trail Journals. I was way behind on them. Tough to update as my memory doesn't always recall everything and the days seem to run together. Spent some time walking thru the area where the vendors are setting up for the festival. Will be back down there tomorrow. I had a free ticket for dinner at 6 pm so walked out to the feeding location. It is by the Tent City area. They had a really good and plentiful pasta dinner. The line was long, but it was worth the wait. Did some more walking back thru town to the hostel. Tomorrow morn the donut people are supposed to be back for breakfast. Then to the library again. There is a discussion on Cuben Fiber material that I will try to catch. Don't yet know about lunch, but something may turn up. There are some talks and seminars that I may try to catch. Enjoying the downtime and not sure when I will head back to the trail. Most likely Sat, but will wait and see. Now, back to my reading and the journey of the Joad family. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-15
From: Recovery, rest, and restock at Trail Days. 

To: Damascus
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Zero day number two in Damascus, VAWhen you wake to a beautiful, sunny morning it's easier to forgive the lack of sleep due to snorers. Fortunately that was the case Fri morning. No donuts this morn so had some cookies and coffee for breakfast. Washed some clothes outside in a bucket and laid them out to dry. Went to the library for a bit, then to the gear expo to check things out. Registered for several raffle giveaways to be held later in the day. Purchased a mid-season sleep quilt and took my cold weather top quilt to the Post Office to mail home. For lunch I decided to try and eat healthy so hiked to the North end of town and a grocery store with a deli. Ate a salad with grilled chicken. After lunch I walked to the other end of town for the first gear giveaway. No winners for me, so I stopped at the church ministry building for some water and a banana. Ran into Wings and she convinced me that I needed to eat a chili dog and have a smoothie. All provided by the ministry. They were good and I was full. Back to the expo area for another giveaway, but no luck again. Returned to the hostel for a shower and cleanup. Then to dinner at Hey Joes, a tiny Mexican place. I wanted to try their fish taco, but it was not available. So I had a chicken burrito. The thing must have weighed more than a pound. Both filling and good. After that, back to the expo for an Oreo ice cream cone. Back to the hostel to check supplies and make a list for shopping. Finally to the expo again where I ended up with a gallon bag overflowing with kettle corn. Really good but I will never eat all of it. Other guests will help. Supposed to be a guest speaker here tonight. A man that has thru hiked the AT about 16 times. Will have to hear what he has to say. Supposed to be an AYCE pancake breakfast at the church ministry building. A long walk to get there, but I will likely try it. Not sure what I will do after that. Have to decide if I will leave tomorrow, or hang around and leave Sun. Decisions, decisions. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-17
From: Damascus, VA

To: past Lost Mtn shelter
Miles today: 17.0

Damascus, VA to 1.5 miles past Lost Mountain shelter. 17 MSunday morning began well. I was up a little after 6 am and getting ready to leave. Left the hostel about 7 am and stopped by the library to check email and update the Trail Journal. Headed out of town on the Virginia Creeper trail which shares space with the AT. Stopped at the edge of town for breakfast. The AT leaves the Creeper trail outside of town and climbs a mountain. The day was cloudy, with no sun, but good for hiking. Near mid morning I came to a AT detour sign, so I followed it. After about an hour I discovered that I had made a large circle, and was back where I started. Then I proceeded down the same path, but ignored the detour signs. Turned out that the signs were old and no longer applicable. So some extra miles. Also ran into some folks that had got ahead of me. Turns out that they followed the Creeper trail out of Damascus. The Creeper trail is a Rails to Trails project, so it has no ups and downs and is a smooth surface. It is also shorter than the AT route by about three miles. The AT is close by or intersects the Creeper trail at several places. So these folks just jumped back on the AT at the last intersection. Both easier and shorter hiking. I have no problem with anyone taking a shortcut, but it's not what I'm here to do. I plan to stay on the AT. The phrase on the trail is Hike Your Own Hike. Each hiker can put their own personal spin on their journey. Lots of Azaleas blooming on the trail. Most are pink, and fragrant. I have also seen a few more of the orange flowers. Very pretty.Had one fall in the afternoon. My foot slipped off a slanted, wet rock. Thankfully no damage. The skies had been darkening in the afternoon so at about 3:30 pm I chose a camp site and got things set up. It is a nice area in a large pine tree grove, although it is about .3 mile to water. I was eating dinner about 5:30 pm and it began to sprinkle. Finished dinner in the tent as a steady drizzle fell. So happy I quit hiking when I did. Not a thunderstorm, but I still would have gotten wet, again. Another hiker arrived while I was eating and got his tent up before it rained. The third arrival was not so lucky. Had to set up in a sprinkle. Not a great day today, with the detour extra miles, a fall and some rain. But nothing to complain about. Walked thru some nice terrain and talked with some interesting folks. More tomorrow. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-18
From: past Lost Mtn shelter

To: Wise shelter
Miles today: 16.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Just past Lost Mtn shelter to Wise shelter. 16.2 MSome gentle rain during the night, but nothing severe. Had 2Oatmeal packs, banana and coffee for breakfast. Leaving a town I try to bring a banana for the next breakfast. Gets a little beat up but still OK. The mashed part I put in the oatmeal, and the firm part I eat monkey style. Left camp at 8:30 am with cloudy skies. Have two bigger climbs today. Whitetop Mtn and Rogers Mtn, both over 5000 ft elevation. Mt Rogers is the highest point in VA. Also hiking thru Grayson Highlands State Park today. This is the park that has wild ponies. Saw two groups of ponies, but did not try to get close to them. This whole area is extremely rocky. Lots of technical hiking, almost scrambling. But hands mostly not needed except for some off-trail short hikes to rocky highpoints. Also went thru the Lemon Squeezer. A very tight place between large rocks and boulders. Passed a young man with a cast on his hand. He broke it in a fall on the trail. His plan is to continue hiking. Had his girlfriend with him. Not sure how he does things with the cast, but he was working with it. The Grayson Highlands area was pretty. More open and very rocky. A nice change. Late afternoon brought heavy clouds and thunder. So, in keeping with my plan too avoid getting caught in thunderstorms and rain, I stopped early, about 4:00 pm. Stopped at Wise shelter. This will be my second night in a shelter. Not looking forward to it, but worth it to stay dry. Passed a small milestone today. Over 500 miles on the AT. Getting dark so better turn in for the night. O'RYAN
Date: 2015-05-19
From: Wise shelter

To: past Trimpi shelter
Miles today: 22.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Wise shelter to campsite past Trimpi shelter. 22.8 MThe night in Trimpi shelter went well. Six people, and all pretty quiet. There was a German hiker, Finn, the young man from Finland, a young Army vet, a young lady from Kansas, an older lady from Indiana, and me. The lady from Indiana had thru hiked in 2002. Everyone got up and moving early. Skies were cloudy and I was hiking at 7:15 am. In less than a mile I was out of the State Park. Went thru some foggy and cold areas so not much to look at. Some rain sprinkles fell so I stopped to put on the rain jacket. It was only about an hour later that I stopped for lunch and removed the jacket. The skies were now partly sunny. My goal today was to have a better mileage day, more than 20 miles. The trail wasn't too tough so I was pushing a pretty fast pace. Too fast maybe. I was crossing a large area covered with wet, slippery boulders and rocks when a foot slipped and I fell very hard in the rocks. Scared me, and quite painful. Cuts and bleeding on the left leg/shin and left elbow/forearm. I was really very lucky as this was a bad place to fall. Also bent the lower shaft on my left trekking pole. Will have to try and contact the manufacturer and see if they will send me a replacement. Managed to get myself up and out of the rocks (not easily done when wearing a 30+ lb pack and injured). Resumed hiking, at a more normal pace. Hiked to a road crossing and stopped for a snack. There was a man and his daughter stopped there also, and they were from Ontario, Canada. Visited for a bit then hiked up the next mountain. Was hiking along the mountain ridge when the wind began blowing very strong. Within minutes heavy rain was falling and blowing sideways. Got fairly wet before I could get the pack off and rain jacket on. Hiked in the rain for about 20 minutes. In less than an hour the skies were again partly sunny. About 5 pm I found a campsite. Have to hike a half mile for water, but I have time. After dinner I was looking at the trail ahead and realized that I better go into Marion, VA tomorrow for resupply and maybe laundry. Will also try to find a library so I can contact the trekking pole manufacturer. That means I will have a low mileage day tomorrow. The good thing is that I can eat any food that I have on hand with no concern about running out. So I'm having a double packet of hot chocolate and a Snickers dipped in Nutella. Probably something else before bed. Will try to get an early start in the morn so I get to town as soon as possible. Somewhat bloodied, but still North bound. O'RYAN