morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2015-05-04
From: Watauga Lake House

To: Watauga Lake House
Miles today: 0.0

So we have to leave tomorrow. Bushwhacker and William have been amazing hosts. No need to worry about this group of thru-hikers as we've been given hospitality far beyond what we deserve. In less than 48 hours I've fallen in love with this lake. While out on the boat today William asked how I was doing and with a grin on my face I said, "I'm content".For as long as I can remember I've always has something on my mind. Something to do or take care of. Everyone does. In that instant my thoughts and goals were clear. Never in my life has everything been so plainly laid out and clear cut. It's truly beautiful and finally, in the middle of a lake in Northeastern Tennessee, I realized it.We had a huge breakfast this morning, a steak dinner tonight, and spent all day out on the lake enjoying the sun. It can't get much better.To our gracious hosts, thank you. I can't say it enough. Even though they're Tennessee fans they're still alright in my book.On to Virginia.
Date: 2015-05-05
From: Watauga Lake House

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 9.1
Weather: scattered clouds

I went to bed too late, on a zero, again. I ate too much, on a zero, again. Hiking was crazy hard, after the zero, again. I did have a really good chat with Bushwacker until well after Midnight while I uploaded pictures. That was pretty great.I was up around 8:00 and could smell breakfast cooking. I don't think I was even hungry after last night's dinner. Did I eat? You bet. Who knows when I'll see eggs again.About 10:30 we walked down to the dock, loaded our packs into the boat and headed out. It was a pretty somber boat ride as none of us felt like hiking and we were sad to leave our hosts.At 11:00 we arrived back at the beach, unloaded all of our gear, and said our goodbyes. The hike was relatively easy but I was still in a 2 day old food coma. We got to Wilbur Dam Road and discussed how bad we all felt and eventually decided to shorten up the day. So, only 9 miles but were all thinking around 20 tomorrow to get into Damascus early on Thursday. It probably won't be an overnight since we just zeroed. I do need to resupply and hunt for some new shorts though.I'm actually staying in the shelter tonight. Probably a bad move but there weren't any decent campsites around. I'm so sleepy that I'm hoping it won't matter anyway.
Date: 2015-05-06
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Abingdon Gap Shelter
Miles today: 22.7
Weather: light rain

So the shelter was a bad idea. I'd be surprised if I got 3 or 4 hours of sleep with all of the snoring. I'll learn my lesson. Someday.I was up and out by 7:30. A little earlier than the group because I knew it would be a long day and I wanted to hike the morning at my own pace.A little before 11:00 I hit Iron Mountain Shelter to grab some water and eat some breakfast. By the time I finished the guys arrived and I sat and talked to them for a minute before heading out again. On the ridge, water has been pretty scarce and the weather has gone from the 50s to the 80s over the last few days. We're all drinking as much as we can but it's a long way between sources and I think everyone is a little sluggish because of dehydration. We leave this ridge tomorrow and North into Virginia looks a lot better. I know I've had around 7 liters today and it still doesn't seem like enough.By 1:30 I was at Double Springs Shelter. The water source there was the best of the day so I drank a ton and had lunch. Cambo, Moosehead, and Hobble showed up and we decided to finish the last 8.3 miles together.The elevation profile looked like it would be a breeze but it was straight up a summit and into a gap all afternoon. Rinse/Repeat. By about mile 19 we were pretty much exhausted. We found a campsite but the catch was, you guessed it, we didn't have enough water. On to the shelter we went.We arrived about 5:30 and made the .3 mile descent down to a pretty good source. I've since made dinner, cleaned up, and pitched the tent. Longest day yet and my legs and feet feel it.But, on the fun side, we're 6.5 miles from the Virginia border and 9.9 from Damascus. So tomorrow I need to resupply, grab lunch, charge my gadgets, find new shorts (they're literally falling off now) and get out of town. Since we just took a zero nobody is interested in spending the night.The next time I'll stop is in Marion, VA, 62.8 miles away.
Date: 2015-05-07
From: Abingdon Gap Shelter

To: Stealth Campsite
Miles today: 11.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Ahhh..tent life. I only had to yell at Hobble one time during the night to stop snoring. It was nice to wake up feeling refreshed after two sluggish days.With the warmer weather and a 9.9 mile trip into town it was easy to get out of the bag today. By 7:25 I was on the trail with Hobble close behind. Moosehead and Cambo, despite cowboy camping, still take forever in the A.M. On town day I wasnt having it.The trail today was like I hoped it would be yesterday, smooth sailing. Having some good rest also played heavily in feeling great as I walked. Hobble wanted to grab a bite about 3 miles in and the other two caught up with us then. It was only 8:20 so I was thrilled with the speedy morning.By 10:15 we saw that magical state border sign and stopped for a picture. 3 states down. Virginia is the longest state of the trail at 540.6 miles. We'll be here a while and will actually cross 1000 miles right before hitting West Virginia.We didn't need any motivation to finish the 4.4 miles into town. Before we knew it we could hear lawnmowers and smell freshly cut grass. I stopped to get a picture with the famous AT welcome sign and we headed downtown.First on the order of business was lunch.   As usual I drank about 2 gallons of sweet tea. I'm really going to miss sweet tea in the North so I'm enjoying as much as possible now.I headed to the outfitter next to rectify the shorts issue. I initially brought a pair of size 38 shorts and have been wearing them for 469 miles. The last 100 or so have been tough since they slide right off. My pack has even begun to push them down as I walk.I grabbed a pair of 34s, the same size from high school, and headed to the dressing room. They fit like a dream. Actually a little loose but these have a belt I can tighten tbem up. I didn't want the shorts to be super tight as I walked but 32s would have fit. Obviously I'm thrilled with this. I need to find a scale. My guess is that I've lost more than 30 lbs so far.After that I ran to Dollar General for resupply and to charge my phone at Hey Joe's while I waited for dinner time.Dinner consisted of steak nachos and copious amounts of sriacha. Delicious. They actually had Gatorade on tap so I had my fill before heading back to the trail.The plan was to get to the first campsite out of town so after rounding the corner and walking a few hundred yards up the Virginia Creeper Trail we took the left turn back into the woods. It was only half a mile and 300 feet up but the typical post-town loaded food bag and a full belly added some difficulty. But, it's nice to get to camp and not have to eat/clean/etc. I threw my tent up and here I sit.We're currently at 2388 feet and will be in the 3000s most of tomorrow. Sometime between now and Saturday the trail will climb into the 5000s as it hits Mt. Rogers (highest point in VA) and heads into the glorious Grayson Highlands. Alright, it's 8:30 and officially hiker midnight. Can't believe I'm in Virginia.
Date: 2015-05-08
From: Stealth Campsite

To: Stealth Campsite
Miles today: 15.6
Weather: few clouds

First and foremost, to my amazing Mother-in-law, happy birthday! Speaking of people that do far more for me than they should, she takes the cake. I know it's a special one and I hate that I can't be there. But there's a smelly hiker in Virginia that will be thinking about you tomorrow (had to say this in the Friday entry since it will hopefully get posted on Saturday). She's a loyal reader of this journal and her messages always make my day. Maybe I can get her on the trail someday.Alright, back to our regularly scheduled hiker talk. Sleep was tough last night because Spring has officially hit the mountains. My sinuses were jam packed as soon as I entered my tent. If only it had hit in Damascus where they have those places with Claritin for sell in them. I'm opting for nutty bar therapy since that's all I have. I was up and out by 7:30 as usual. We had a quick, steep climb out of the gate and really cruised until the climb to the first shelter. It was only about 3 miles and 1200 feet but with the warmer weather the sweat was rolling.Down the back side of the mountain we all met for lunch at a little pond. It's probably more wildlife than I've seen in a month including the biggest snapping turtle I've ever seen and tons of frogs.A couple miles later the trail hooked back up with the Virginia Creeper Trail for a mile and a half. Everyone else stopped beforehand to get water so I was the first one to hit it. About half a mile down there was a bench with a nice view of the river and a guy fly fishing. I sat there for a few minutes until everyone showed up and by then the fisherman had moved up the river.In the heat that river looked inviting. I grabbed my camp shoes and wandered out. It was predictably cold but none of us cared. I looked over at one point and Hobble had just sat down in the middle. Then Moosehead. Alright, I'm in. By the time we got out we felt like new men. We may have smelled like sweat, dirt, and river water but it seemed like we were fresh out of the shower. As always, it's the little things.At that point we were about 3 miles from the chosen campsite for the night so we hustled over. I was done hiking before 4:00 but I really enjoyed the day and we still got some decent miles in. Straight out of camp tomorrow we'll climb 2000 feet to Whitetop Mountain. Nobody wanted to finish a 20 mile day doing that so we stopped short.Oh, and Cambo almost burnt the woods down while boiling water. Luckily he was saved by Moosehead's extra water. I remember my first time camping.Alright, enough picking on Cambo. We'll enter Grayson Highlands tomorrow and hit 500 miles right after. I'm almost a quarter of the way there. Yikes!
Date: 2015-05-09
From: Stealth Campsite

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 22.2
Weather: overcast clouds

This warm air really makes it easy to get up and out in the morning. At 7:30 I headed up the mountain. Before the climb really began I had to get some cows off the trail first. Yes, cows. I've seen tons today.The climb up Whitetop was about 3 miles long and really not that bad. It also helps when you get to the top and the views blow you away. Once there I made a few phone calls, took some pictures with Cambo and headed out. Cambo left before me and Moosehead and Hobble were rolling up as I was leaving.I got down to Elk Garden amidst a ton of people. It's really rare to see large groups of folks but it let's you know that it is the weekend. I grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed towards Mount Rogers, again through the cows. Apparently you can't talk to them like they're dogs or you'll get the cow stink eye.The climb up Mount Rogers was about like Whitetop. Instead of switchbacks the trails both wound around the mountain. I was completely for it. The AT doesn't actually summit there but the views were amazing. Especially to the East where you could see Grayson Highlands.Grayson Highlands was well, Grayson Highlands. There aren't words to describe Wilburn Ridge. I walked a good ways down talking about the trail with a weekender. His trip was about to end at the next gap but it sounded like the two day hike had been a success. Everyone in the park today was in a good mood. Perfect weather, views and wild ponies will do that. I made the trip down the hill to Wise Shelter to take a breather and had a really good conversation with a ridge runner. He saw me again a few miles later at The Scales and offered to top off my water.   Really nice guy that gets paid to hike. I'm jealous.After talking with him the 2nd time I decided to make the three mile trip to the next shelter. It was about 5:30 when I left and around 6:40 when I got here. Pretty late but really good miles today.I never saw any of the guys again. They had talked about doing 15 again today and I was looking to go further to set myself up to catch the early bus into Marion on Monday. I'm glad I pushed it. I only have 23.1 miles left so I can get close tomorrow.I got here, set my stuff up and talked to a few of the weekenders. One couple is doing a shakedown for a thru next year and asked a lot of great questions. I really enjoy talking to prospective thrus. One guy was on day 1 of a 16 day trip and was frustrated by his progress today. Kingfisher and I let him know he was fine and to take it slow. Hiking the AT has been the hardest thing I've ever done. But, with time, it gets easier. I hope he sticks with it. He'll be a different guy in 16 days.That's about it for today. No idea where the guys are but I had a really great day in one of my favorite places.
Date: 2015-05-10
From: Old Orchard Shelter

To: Mount Rogers Visitor Center
Miles today: 23.1

I thought I'd be clever last night and pitch my tent under a nice tree near the shelter. At 6:15 this morning a very energetic bird used that same tree to sing us the song of his people. I was out of my sleeping bag at 6:30.The folks from last night were all up and around the fire pit by the time I packed up and left. I said my goodbyes and the couple (Nickel and Footprint) from last night handed me a snickers as a little trail magic. Not a fun size but a legit snickers. I tore into it right in front of them. Delicious. Thanks again, guys!Out of the shelter the terrain was easy going. I made it down to Fox Creek and up Chestnut Flats in no time. When I summited I found Cambo on a log talking on the phone. Apparently he went the extra 1.7 down to Fox Creek for the night. We still haven't seen Moosehead or Hobble but were guessing they're 5 to 10 miles back.Cambo and I left together and stopped about 4 miles later for lunch. Someone's Mom had come down from NYC to celebrate Mother's Day so we all sat and talked in the grass while we ate lunch. I hadn't seen that group since Overmountain Shelter so it was good to catch up.The rest of the day was just trying to finish up the 23 miles. It's still hot and climbing hills late in the day takes its toll. I took a breather with 2.3 to go and eventually decided to throw my big boy pants on and walk as fast as I could to finish the day. The legs and feet were screaming the whole time.We got to Partnership Shelter about 5:30 and I said hello to Old Eagle, Icefire, Flapjack, and Tunes. I hadn't seen any of them in a while. We'd been hiking around Oliver all day and all agreed to take advantage of the ability to order pizza to this shelter. I ate every piece but one of a large pizza, a cheesestick, and almost an entire 2 liter of Mountain Dew. My stomach isn't happy with me now.We were going to stay around the shelter but it looked like a party with all of the supplies being brought in. After 45 miles the last two days I wasn't interested. Neither were Cambo and Oliver. We've since set up camp across the road and up the hill.Tomorrow will be an unintended zero. I didn't expect to do 60 miles in three days and I need to catch the bus into Marion tomorrow morning to resupply, shower, laundry, charge gadgets, etc. I'll head North again Tuesday morning.I'm exhausted tonight but pretty proud of the effort today. Everyone says we'll blow miles away in Northern Virginia. It's still a lot of work down here.
Date: 2015-05-11
From: Mount Rogers Visitor Center

To: Marion, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Remember when you were a kid and your Mom told you not to drink soda before bed? Well, I'm an adult now and get to do whatever I want.So neither Cambo or I could sleep last night. This has nothing to do with the fact that we drank entire two liters of soda before bed. No, nothing at all.The weather the last few days has been awesome so I've been leaving the rain fly off the tent and Cambo has been cowboy camping. Being able to see the stars at night has been awesome and the breeze puts me right to sleep. Well, last night the weather bit back. The forecast showed no rain and the stars were brighter than ever. I was up well past Midnight since I couldnt sleep and it looked like another perfect night. Well, at 2:45 I awoke to rain drops on my face and went into panic mode. Luckily I've been putting the rain fly next to my head so I grabbed it and hustled to put it up. Crisis averted. I even had a chuckle when cowboy camping Cambo woke up and realized he was in the rain. I think he slept wrapped up in his tent the rest of the night. The rain only lasted for 15-20 minutes anyway.We were up at the usual hour and went down the the visitor center to catch the bus. Marion has a really nice transit system and it took us straight to the hotel for 50 cents. Can't beat that. I was also able to weigh myself at the Visitor's Center. Official tally is 33 lbs. I did eat a large pizza last night so it was probably a little high.We both grabbed showers and ran to the Chinese buffet for lunch then over to Ingle's and Wal-Mart for resupply. There was talk of a library trip but I got lazy and watched a replay of the final round of the Players Championship for most of the afternoon while doing laundry.Around 4:00 I decided to get my hair cut. Having it shaved down feels ridiculously good. I might have run over to Sonic afterwards too.The rest of the afternoon was spent watching Netflix until we decided to get some Mexican food. Unlike the place in Franklin they knew what huevos con chorizo is. Delicious.We'll catch the transit back up the mountain in the morning. According to the weather radar the trail has been getting dumped on all afternoon. I'm glad to miss the storms. Tomorrow I'll head under I-81 and head towards Bland, Va. Trail Days in Damascus is this weekend and I've decided to skip. Mrs. Rock Boat is coming for a visit instead. It's been too long and I'm pumped to see her. She'll bring up my Summer gear as well and I'll get to lighten my pack by a good bit. Now that I'm through Mount Rogers I shouldn't need the cold weather stuff until Vermont or New Hampshire.Good day today. I'm ready to be back out on the trail.
Date: 2015-05-12
From: Marion, VA

To: Campsite at 549.2
Miles today: 17.6

Had a decent night sleep in a motel for once. I still woke up at 7:00 so I decided to have yet another shower before catching the 9:00 bus back up the mountain.The bus was about 20 minutes late and we weren't back at the Visitor Center until 9:45. A pretty late start to the hiking day but Atkins and a 16 oz hiker burger were only 11.1 miles away. I decided to forego breakfast in anticipation of The Barn restaurant that everyone always talks about.The first 5 miles were a steady 900 foot climb up Glade Mountain. With fresh legs and great weather it was no problem. We started down the hill and quickly found the long, lost Moosehead and Hobble. Their Marion experience differed greatly from mine and Cambo's but I'm glad I chose to have a quiet day and get my chores done.We made our way down the mountain catching up on the last few days and soon hit the Lindamood School and the Settlers Museum. I've always seen pictures of the school from other hikers and the history nerd in me was excited to poke my head in the one room school from 1894. Oh, and there was awesome trail magic inside.After wandering around the Settlers Museum for a few minutes it was time to finish off the 2.7 miles down to I-81. We were there by 1:30 and all ordered the 16 oz hamburger. It was filling but I think I could have handled another one. For once I made the choice to be full instead of miserable. We stayed until after 4:00 since we had 4G and places to plug our phones in.Afterwards, I let the guys head on while I ran to the gas station to guzzle a Gatorade. After the last week of hot weather I wasn't willing to pass up a chance for extra hydration.I headed under I-81, snapped a picture, and headed back to the woods. The first couple miles were meandering through rolling farmlands. It was awesome. The next four miles were a steep climb to a ridge and a ridgewalk. Not my favorite but miles are miles.I made it to camp a little after 6:00. It's a solid crowd tonight as we all have gotten a little bunched up after Marion. There's also a 900 foot climb straight out if here and nobody was interested in it so late in the day.Tomorrow looks hilly but I'd love to finish the 2000 foot climb up Chestnut Knob before the day ends. The top lies about 17 miles from me so it should be doable. I'll check how I feel at the shelter there and figure out how much further I'd like to go. The trail after it doesnt look too bad.Good day in Marion. It's a great hiker town and really easy to get around and in and out of. If you're planning a thru hike I'd definitely recommend it.Oh, and the hike is officially 1/4 of the way done. Late in the day we passed mile 547.3. Now to do this all over again. Three more times.
Date: 2015-05-13
From: Campsite at 549.2

To: Stealth Campsite
Miles today: 18.8

The weather has gotten cold again for some reason. I'm still sending my 20 degree sleeping bag home this weekend in favor of my 40 degree backpacking quilt. Atleast our last few days together will be spent in a cold, loving embrace.I did sleep really well last night but woke up groggy. I think it's still the allergies and I spent all morning trying to shake it. Oh well. Everything is blooming, even the rhododendron. It's a nice change from dormant forest.I should have just climbed Walker Mountain before camping last night. I think it was the best graded climb we've had so far in Virginia. I was on top before 8:00 and spent a few minutes posting yesterday's journal. It was too cold up there to do anything else.The trail came back down to the valley and it was more fun times with cows. I've learned not to be nice to them but instead return the stink eye. I believe I'm quickly garnering the respect of the cow community. You can't just let them walk all over you out here.By 2:00 I had finally come to VA 625 and started the climb up Chestnut Knob. I think a lot of us had eyed this climb in our guides. It started out fine then went straight up the fall line of the mountain. Apparently we don't need no stinking switchbacks. At the top it got a little better then dumped out onto an exposed ridge. The last couple miles on the ridge were extremely enjoyable.At the end of it all was Chestnut Knob Shelter. It had windows and even a door. High society in terms of shelters. The view off the knob was looking straight into the most picturesque valley I've ever seen. So, alright, the climb was worth it.It was only 4:00 and even though it would have been a great place to camp I wanted to get another mile or two in. Cambo followed suit since he needed water. So, instead of being on the South side of the valley I find myself 900 feet lower and on the East side. I can hear cows from my sleeping bag. If they keep it up I'll head down there and deliver the stinkiest stink eye that ever stunk. Not all of us can stay up all day and night chewing grass you know.Alright, no more cow talk. For today. Need to get a big day in tomorrow and the terrain looks like it may be in my favor. I need to get to mile 591 or 608.6 to meet the Wife on Friday. I'd really like to hit the latter. We'll see.