morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2013-04-04
From: US 19 

To: Moreland Gap Shelter
Miles today: 18.9
Weather: snow

I had a good night¢s sleep in my private room - with a bathroom, I might add. Thanks to the Polsgroves and to Hoosier for inviting me. In the morning, we stopped off at some back-country restaurant which turned out to be a great place to have breakfast. Got to the trail head around 8:45am and it started to rain so I put on my rain gear and started hiking. About two hours into it, here comes Vegas and Trudger. We stop and talked awhile in the rain. They said they were slack packing and staying at the Mountain Harbour Hostel. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. I made it to the Mountaineer Shelter and Trail Movin was staying there. I had something to eat and was ready to leave and here comes Starsky. I asked, ¢Where is Hutch?¢ He said his brother is at Miss Janet¢s house in Erwin. (I¢m not sure if I¢ve mentioned Miss Janet before and I have not met her personally, but she is a major trail angel on call to hikers in need of assistance.) Both of Hutch¢s knees were hurting so he went to the doctor and I think their hike may be over! Starsky said he had wanted to do 400 miles and just before arriving at this shelter he had achieved that! So I said goodbye and left. Well the rain turned into freezing rain, then after one o'clock it turned into sleet and that turned into that four letter word I'm learning to hate ¢ SNOW! I was wet, cold and tired but kept moving so as not to freeze to death! So after hours, and I do mean hours, of ducking my head under ice-heavy rhododendron branches and sometimes stepping over small trees that fell over the trail, I¢d stop and ask myself, ¢Why am I out here?¢ And when I take a break, it¢s usually so quiet out here, but once the tree limbs started to crack and break it wasn't so quiet. As I made my way to Moreland Gap Shelter, I told myself, ¢If it¢s full, I am not tenting.¢ I would have to keep hiking. Thank God, it was not full. Hoosier, Sparks and Joe the Hiker were here and that was all, so here I am taking all of my wet clothes off and putting dry ones on. I still got soaked with rain gear on. Once I got into my sleeping bag, I was out like a light. But two hours later, nature was calling ¢ oh, how I dreaded to get up. I guess I hoped that the feeling would go away or I would go back to sleep, but after 30 minutes, I got up and went out to do my business and it was still raining/snowing and when I got back in my bag, it took awhile for me to stop shivering. I thought I was going to chip a tooth! Did I mention it was COLD?! Oh, the life of a hiker!
Date: 2013-04-05
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Dennis Cove Rd, Black Bear Resort
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: clear sky

Well, well, well. All that wet precipitation has seemed to have finally stopped. Yeah! As we lay there in our bags at Moreland Gap Shelter the next morning, waiting for the temperature to hit 70 degrees, I was once again offered a free place to stay. It was a nice offer, but I need to hike my own hike and these guys are way faster than me! After a couple of minutes, I could tell it¢s not getting up to 70 degrees today, so we all started packing up - man was it cold! The three of them I have dubbed the Three Wise Men. Why you ask? Because they like to tent. And then when I found them in the shelter on that wet night, it just came to me! I was the last to leave that morning (of course) and the fog was heavy and the ice on the trees limbs started to melt. Great, within minutes I was wet¢¦again. Once I slipped and sloshed my way up the mountain, I checked to see if I had a signal and to my surprise I did, so I called the boss and the first thing she said was that I didn't sound good. She was talking about my voice. I've had a head cold or something since Erwin that I can't seem to shake. We (she) decided I needed to go to the Black Bear Resort/Hostel and just take it easy. It¢s only half a mile off the trail. So here I am with Dovetail and Caribou and I might add, not a bad place to take a break! Trail Movin is here now too.
Date: 2013-04-06
From: Dennis Cove Rd, Black Bear Resort

To: Wilbur Dam Rd
Miles today: 12.8
Weather: clear sky

I started out on this bright blue, sunny morning with pants and long sleeve. I was dropped off at the trailhead with Trailmovin, Caribou and Dovetail. Trailmovin and I hiked together for a while. The Laurel Falls were amazing. This part of the trail is one I would like to come back to someday. After a while, we left and started climbing up. It wasn't long after that I was down to short pants and shirt. This day has to be the hottest day yet! It's hard to believe two days ago it was snowing. The next thing I knew I was hiking alone again. I made it to Watauga Lake and was sitting there waiting for my wife. Starsky, Snowman and some other hikers were there as well. When Kathy arrived, I decided to slack pack over the Watauga Dam another 4.2 miles. I hiked with Lucky to the small parking area at Wilbur Dam Rd, and then he hiked on. The other day, Hoosier had invited me to this restaurant called Shirley's, but I had declined, so today all I could think about was food. I asked a local if he had heard about this place and he said yes and you won't go home hungry and he gave me the directions to it. After I made it to the dam, Kathy picked me up and we headed to Shirley¢s. It¢s all you can eat home style food ¢ ham, chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, slaw, biscuits - are you hungry yet? Oh yeah, and peach cobbler with ice cream. Man was I full! Best day to date!
Date: 2013-04-07
From: Wilbur Dam Rd

To: TN 91
Miles today: 16.1

After a brief stop at the Watauga Lake Visitor's Center, Kathy dropped me off at the Wilbur Dam Road trail head this morning, which is where she picked me up from yesterday. The plan was for me to slack pack and be picked up 22.9 miles away. It should have been an easy day, BUT I took too much cold medicine and by the time I made it up 1,329 feet, I was sick as a dog. I threw up twice and was so groggy and weak that I just laid down next to the trail and fell asleep for 30 minutes or so. Then I got up and threw up again. I was sitting on a log and a section hiker named Buffalo asked if I was all right and I told him what happened and he moved away like I had the plague. I told him I was doing better and he left. Next thing I knew, I was throwing up again. I think I've done everything this hike but fall off a cliff (oops!). I started feeling better and called Kathy to see if she could pick me up at TN 91, which is 16.1 miles for the day. She was already at that trailhead, just thinking she would see me as I hiked by. She ended up hiking 3 miles in to meet me. I¢m feeling much better this evening and my plan for tomorrow is to hike 21.7 miles into Damascus. My fingers are crossed! And Kathy has hid the medicine!
Date: 2013-04-08
From: TN 91

To: Damascus
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: clear sky

Let me start off by saying I feel much better than yesterday. I really don't know what it was that caused me to be so sick. Maybe it was the shock to my stomach of having the Bojangles chicken biscuit, fries and pecan twists or the cough syrup/head cold medicine or a combination of all of it. Kathy dropped me off where I had stopped the day before at TN 91 and at 9 am, I was off strolling the open fields of a cow pasture. And soon I was hiking once again in the woods. Everything was going great. I noticed more birds singing and about that time something hit me on top of the head. Yesterday I mentioned that I thought I had had everything happen to me except to fall off a cliff. Well, I need to add bird poop on my head to the list. I didn't mind it too much, as being a plumber I've had worse. I made it to Hwy 421 and stopped and had lunch. This is the place, which I found out later, that Lucky had spent the night at the day before. Yesterday as we drove by, there was a hiker in a hammock and I said out loud to myself, ¢Dummy, you¢re not supposed to camp near a road.¢ Sorry about that comment there Lucky! By two o'clock the shirt was off and I was making good time. I arrived in Damascus at 6:05pm and Kathy was waiting at the town sign for me. We went straight to the Blue Blaze Cafe where we found Hoosier, Sparks, Joe the Hiker, Gummy Bear, Dovetail, Caribou, Ember, Passover, Vegas, Trudger, Lucky and a lot more hikers. Kathy had already got us a room at the Lazy Fox Inn B&B. Zhivago is the only other hiker staying here. The house was built in 1903 and most of it was still original material, even the claw foot tub! It turned out to be a great day - long, but great.
Date: 2013-04-09
From: Damascus

To: About mile 475
Miles today: 7.9

I woke up around 5:30 this morning to the sound of birds chirping. Luckily I was inside at the Lazy Fox Inn, so I just laid there and fell back to sleep. Breakfast was at 8 o'clock, so Kathy and I opened the bedroom door and walked across the circa 1903 tiger oak hardwood floors to the dining room and were blown away by the amount of food on the table. For the first time, there¢s just too much food to list, but it was all homemade, right down to the biscuits and gravy. We spent the rest of the morning running errands and then had lunch at the Dairy King. We finally made our way to the trail head around 3 pm. For the first time I wanted to stay. The wind was blowing, it was hot as Hades and the town felt like I was at the beach. So I looked over at Kathy and said, ¢You know we can be at home in 3 hours!¢ She looked at me and said, ¢Just get out of the van!¢ Ahh, she loves me! So off I go once again into the woods with a full stomach, a very heavy pack and the sun taking every bit of moisture out of me! I hiked for about four hours, mostly above and along the Virginia Creeper bike trail which runs along the river. I'm tenting here on a switch back, overlooking a small town near the Creeper trail. I'm in my tent, which by the way, is still wet from last Thursday¢s storm. It never crossed my mind to check on it because I keep it inside a garbage bag inside my pack. I can hear the river way down below and something big walking around outside my tent - my guess is it is a deer. I am going to try to catch up with the rest of what I have dubbed the Geritol gang (Trudger, Vegas and myself) tomorrow, so goodnight!
Date: 2013-04-10
From: About mile 475

To: Whitetop Mtn Rd, USFS 89
Miles today: 13.2
Weather: clear sky

My tent dried out overnight and I was able to leave the door flaps up, something I've haven't done before. At 8:30 last night the temperature was 58 degrees, so it was a sticky, hot night. I can't wait to turn in my winter gear for some lighter summer gear. We are supposed to have thunderstorms on Thursday so I need to time my hike so I¢m not on top. Right now I'm sitting here by the stream along the Creeper Trail having a bite to eat. No matter how hot the temperature is (it¢s 82 degrees right now) that water is still COLD! I was going to sit and wash off some, but I nearly froze my feet off so I chickened out. I think I¢ll take a quick nap.Now it¢s 9pm and I'm inside my tent on White Mountain in VA. After my nap this afternoon, the hike was hot and of course straight up. I thought I would never get up this mountain. It has lots of rocks and on top it's a bald with a few rocks and boulders. I passed two tents coming in just like mine and I'm thinking it might be Trudger and Vegas. I'll find out in the morning.
Date: 2013-04-11
From: Whitetop Mtn Rd, USFS 89

To: The Scales livestock corral
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Let me start this one out by saying I'm writing this from the ladies latrine near Greyson Highlands at a place called The Scales, where they have a livestock corral. My dogs (feet) are killing me. I probably could have made it to the next shelter but it would have been in the dark, and it only holds six people and the rain we didn't get today is coming tonight with high winds, heavy downpours and hail, so I decide to stay here. Trudger and Vegas were not in the tents I had seen the night before, it was Chapinlara and Man Child. After I packed up this morning at White Mountain, Man Child stopped by and filled up his water bladder, as apparently I was next to a spring. He said he was trying to catch up with Tarzan and the gang (good luck). The hike started downhill for a change and I made it to VA 600 at Elk Garden. I made some breakfast soup (yes, soup for breakfast) and Chapinlara, who is from Guatemala and a US citizen who has lived in the USA for fifty years, said he started his hike on February 1st, but had to take several weeks off due to blisters on both feet. He showed me a picture of the underside of his big toe (it¢s a good thing I finished eating first). It was bigger than the size of a quarter -brrrrr! I left and entered Grayson Highlands State Park and stopped off at Thomas Moore Shelter, which my family and I had tried to find last year on a day hike. I took some pictures of the wild ponies, ate some lunch and was ready to leave when Chapinlara comes in, so I stayed a little longer and then we hiked together for a while. It wasn't long before I found myself alone again (no I'm not lost) and came to the Wise Shelter. I used the privy and decided to go on to Old Orchard Shelter. I came across more ponies and took more pictures and then I came across this place, the ladies bathroom at The Scales. So here I lay, pecking away with my big thumbs on these little letters on the screen, listening to the wind blow. It had better rain! Update: 10:30 pm. I was awakened by very strong winds and heavy rains. I thought this building was going to blow away. At times the wind sounded like a train. I turned on my light to make sure I wasn't going to float away and sure enough, rain was coming through the mortar joint around the floor. I can hear rain pouring into the pit but I think I'm safe. It looks like a 1000 gallon septic tank.
Date: 2013-04-12
From: The Scales livestock corral

To: Dickey Gap
Miles today: 12.9

In my own little hotel last night, I woke up around 1:30am and again at 3:30am with more heavy rains and lightning. I fell back to sleep and finally got up around 6:30am and hey, no overflow of the pit! I started packing up and noticed my ground cloth was soaked and my sleeping bag at the feet is damp, so I'm drying stuff out. I¢m listening to the weather report on my mp3 player. They are calling for clear skies this afternoon, but for now it¢s raining every which way but up. I was ready to go and opened the door and was hit with rain. I waited around for a little longer and opened the door and the sun was out, so I left. Before I got 100 feet, it was raining again. Oh well, hike on! When I reached Old Orchard Shelter I went and got water and made some yummy (yucky) oatmeal and decided to take off my rain gear. I'm trying to catch up to Trudger and Vegas and am going to push on all night if need be! Later, I was going up Chestnut Flats and about half way up I notice this lady cresting the hill coming toward me. I dropped to my knees, it's Viva Las Vegas! Her rental car was down below. She and Trudger had been slack packing. She offers to take my heavy, sweaty, smelly backpack back down to the car and I can slack pack over to Dickey Gap about 8 miles away. So I grabbed some stuff and off I go. I had just arrived at Dickey Gap and was reaching for my shirt to put on (I¢m working on my tan) when they drive up. Now I am staying at the Travel Inn in Marion VA. I also decided it was time for the food catcher, Mr. Whiskers, to come off. I was afraid a bear would try to French kiss me in the night. Now I feel naked without my beard! Going to slack pack tomorrow.
Date: 2013-04-13
From: Dickey Gap

To: VA 16, Mt. Rogers Visitor Center
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: clear sky

Check out my before and after photo!The ladies and I stopped off at McDonald's and got some much needed calories for today's hike! They dropped me off at Dickey Gap. Of the three of us, I have the least amount of mileage to cover today at 14.6 miles. It started out cold but I did 4 miles in one hour and twenty five minutes - must have been the pancakes! The next 12.6 took a while longer. I had some nice waterfalls and streams. I could see some nice farm houses and green pastures, some with cows and some with horses down below - a place I would like to take a drive through. This part of the trail is really rocky. If I had a nickel for every time I stumped my toe or kicked a rock, well I'd have too much weight to carry. Vegas passed me just before Partnership Shelter and said Trudger should be there at the Mount Rogers Visitor Center when I arrive. I got there and no Trudger. That was alright. I just laid down on the road in the closed parking lot and soaked up some sun. Soon after I got comfortable, Trudger pulls up, I hop in and darn if we didn't go down the road that I said I¢d like to drive down one day! We drove to pick up Vegas and hadn't been in the parking lot long when she comes out of the woods. This will be the last time I'll see them for a while, as Vegas has a son who is getting married in Las Vegas. So it¢s off to Vegas! I said don't come back with a tooth missing! - (and that they¢d have to watch the movie ¢The Hangover¢ to get it.)
Date: 2013-04-14
From: VA 16, Mt. Rogers Visitor Center

To: I-81, Atkins VA
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: overcast clouds

We stopped off at the Golden Arches again this morning and I had a big breakfast and a burrito. Then the ladies dropped me off at the Mt. Rogers Visitor Center in Sugar Grove, VA. This is where we depart for a while as they take a couple days off. I take a look at my map and there is no water for miles, so I walk behind the Visitor¢s Center and filled my bottle from the tap, then start my hike - up hill of course. I made it to the Chatfield Shelter and had lunch. I started off again and came across the Settler¢s Museum, right on the trail. It had a one room school house, a 1890¢s farm and more. It was all opened to visitors and I ended up spending two hours there looking around and taking pictures. I went to put my pack on and there were two guys that were waiting on me to ask me about the AT. One is from this area and the other, Haskel, was from England. Haskel was wanting to hike for a couple hours so I gave my two cents worth on how far to go and where to get the best views and off he goes - I hope he don't get lost! I am stopped again a little while later by two locals that were day hiking. They asked about my hike, and then I asked them if they know the weather for tonight. They say it¢s supposed to rain. So I'm headed towards Atkins for a room tonight. Today¢s hike was a pleasant one that I enjoyed.
Date: 2013-04-15
From: I-81, Atkins VA

To: VA 42 at mile 553.9
Miles today: 11.7

I've posted 4/14 and 4/15, so you may need to go back one to get caught up.Let me start this one off by saying YUCK! The place I stayed at in Atkins was the most run down, mildew smelling, dirty sheets, place I've stayed at - EVER! But it was dry. Let¢s just hope I'm not carrying any critters with me. Ok, here we go. I woke up at 6:30am, looked outside and it was raining so I turned on the weather channel and it looks like it¢s going to clear off. And what's up with them now naming all these storms? And who the *&%% names them? There, I feel much better! Chapinlara called me and asked if I wanted to walk up to The Barn (restaurant) for breakfast so I said sure. When we got there, ¢Blue Moon¢ had just finished eating. He said the package his wife sent is lost in the mail. About that time ¢Z¢ walks in and sits with us. Chapinlara and I finished eating and head back to the motel, pack up and head out. We go right under I-81 and into some green pastures. He's in front of me. I stop to take off my rain jacket and find myself solo for the rest of the day. I came across a cow carcass in the pasture, cow 711. I found its tag on the ground, bones were white and still had most of the hide on it. It makes me wonder why they didn't bury it. (There's a photo of that poor cow in my Photos.) Ok, back to the hike. It was a cold, wet, windy day with some hills but not bad. I hiked through a couple of farmlands and found the remains of a deer. Someone had put the skull on a tree branch. Then I came upon this low-water car bridge and apparently there was a small flood and a possum drowned and was wrapped around a sign. What's up with all the death? And then I came across a deer leg and then something that was just fur was all over the trail. This was a hike through Death Valley today, man. I did come across some trail magic though - drinks and oatmeal cookies inside a cooler. I sat down on the cooler and helped myself. I liked this place so much I decided to tent here for the night, next to a creek and the trail magic.
Date: 2013-04-16
From: VA 42 at mile 553.9

To: About mile 567
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept good for a change, got up and made some oatmeal, walked over to the trail magic coolers, grabbed a cola and an oatmeal cookie, wolfed it down and started my daily hike to Maine. By the time I reached the first ridge, I was sweating like Nicholas Cage in the IRS office. See it was tax time yesterday and Nicholas owed the IRS a couple years¢ worth of back taxes. Alright, back to my entry. I¢m sweating and the gnats are dive bombing my head and I've got to do something. So I took off my zip-off pants/shorts and put on some running shorts and put my buff on my head and hiked with my mouth shut. I don't mind a hand full of gnats for the protein, but one or two just gets me to hacking! I made it to the Knot Maul Branch Shelter at 10am and had some tuna and crackers and a couple of small candy bars. The next big climb was about 2200 feet up with no switch backs, plus with the hot temps and no wind and the pesky little fudge GNATS, it made it very difficult. I made it to the Chestnut Knob Shelter and ¢Can't Wait¢, ¢Snow Frog¢, ¢Smooth Sailing¢ and ¢Bean¢ are here. They passed me by earlier. I bet they thought I was waving to them but I was actually doing the AT wave (gnats). I decided to push on as my feet were doing better and I was too. I came to a spring and filled up with 2.5 quarts of water. I only hiked about two miles further. I just could not past this spot up. I'm on a ridge with trees and down below is this - I call it a canyon - with about 10 to 15 farms, so instead of the sounds of a stream tonight, I hear cows mooing me to sleep. I can't wait to see the farmlands up north. Oh, I almost forgot. I saw my first snake today. It was a black mamba, the most poisonous snake in Africa. Damn, that can't be right - have I hiked that far? Maybe it was just a black snake.As a side note, for supper tonight I had ramen chicken noodle soup and dumped a large package of tuna in it and it was delicious. I also had orange slices (the candy kind) and a candy bar. Nutrition at its best!