morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2012-02-16
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Greasy Creek Friendly
Miles today: 7.3
Weather: light rain

Rain woke me up in the early morning, but the big overhanging roof and lack of wind kept everything inside nice and dry. Even one side of the picinic table was still dry. I was feeling a bit sluggish and not too eager to head out into the wet stuff, so I took my time with breakfast and packing up. Eventually I decided that it could rain like this all day and I might as well get it over with. As they say, "No rain, no pain, no Maine." At least it was a gentle rain and the wind wasn't blowing. As I said, I was feeling sluggish. I had hiked 17 miles yesterday, but today the 7.3 miles to Greasy Creek Gap seemed much harder. I don't know if it was being wet, or the long hike yesterday, or the lack of views, or something else, but it was well into the afternoon before I reached the gap. I needed to stop at the hostel - Greasy Creek Friendly - to pick up a maildrop. Getting out of the rain and drying out seemed like a good idea, too. I'm sure I looked like a drowned rat. A neighbor of the hostel has the reputation of causing trouble for hikers by misdirecting them, causing a ruckus in the morning, and being generally unpleasant, so I paid special attention to where I was going to make sure I ended up at the right place. I was successful, for when I knocked on the door, a friendly, smiling woman, Connie, opened the door wide and announced, "You must be Elaine!" My package had arrived so she was expecting me today. Connie welcomed me in and urged me to make myself at home. She added extra wood to the woodstove in the living room and heated some chicken noodle soup for me. Connie, or CC, was very talkative and told me many stories about the area and the people in the region. It turns out that she is writing a book about the hostel and the area. I hope she finishes it as I expect it will be amusing and informative. Before long my clothes were clean and dry, and so was I. I sorted through my maildrop and hung up wet gear to dry out. I asked Connie about the conditions on Roan Mountain which I would hike tomorrow. She said there was a foot of snow on the mountain and expected that today's rain would have been snow up there, adding to the total. That sounded pretty bad, but Connie offered to shuttle me to Carvers Gap so I could slackpack back to Greasy Creek Gap. That way I wouldn't have to spend a night at Roan Mountain Shelter, reputed to be the very coldest shelter on the Trail. I was worried about hiking in that much snow with a fully loaded pack, and sleeping cold didn't appeal either, so I decided to take her up on her offer. I stayed up later than perhaps I should have, talking with Connie, but she had many stories to tell. At least, I thought, I'll be able to sleep warm and dry tonight, even if it's not for as long as I've gotten used to. And tomorrow will be an easier day than it might have been if I were just heading out.
Date: 2012-02-19
From: Roan Mountain TN

To: Roan Mountain TN
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

The Weather Channel had all sorts of dire warnings of snow and wintery mix for the day and the overnight hours, so I asked Mary if they could keep me for another night. Mary willingly agreed, so I settled in for a day of journaling (and some mindless TV-watching).Mary fed Rhoda and me a wonderful breakfast that tasted great and was very prettily presented. Rhoda and I talked some more about hiking and other things. Then it was time for her to make the drive back to Fort Bragg. We hoped the weather wouldn't cause her any problems.The only fly in the ointment for the day was that I had discovered that in my haste to pack up yesterday at Greasy Creek Friendly I had gotten the *cord* for my phone charger pulled from the wall, but not the adaptor. I had used my phone freely yesterday since I expected to be able to recharge it here, and it had run the battery down a bit. Fortunately Rhoda loaned me hers while we ate breakfast. Later on we discovered that Mary's Kindle charger worked. I passed the day in my room journaling on my phone - more tedious than on a computer - and generally relaxing and resting and keeping an eye on the weather. The Weather Channel kept showing footage of the snow piling up in Wythevillw, VA.Unexpectedly, at dinnertime Mary knocked on the door and brought me a dinner tray with salad, a pasta dish, bread, and dessert. What a treat! Thanks, Mary.By the time I was ready to go to bed the weather still hadn't figured out what it was going to do in the local area even as reports came in from surrounding areas of ice and snow causing problems. I'd just have to wait and see what the morning would bring.
Date: 2012-02-21
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Dennis Cove Road/Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 6.0

Contrary to the experience of the hikers I met yesterday, I had no issues with the shelter mice at Moreland Gap Shelter. I slept well and woke up looking forward to arriving at Kincora hostel. I met Bob Peoples a couple of years ago and hoped to have a chance to talk with him again. Since I only had about 6 miles to go I didn't hurry too much getting off and took my time once I did get going. I tried to do some geocaching on the way, but my cell phone doesn't seem to do well as a GPS receiver if there are many trees around, unlike our Garmin GPS receiver. I wasted quite a bit of time going back and forth trying to close in on a couple of caches. Eventually I did find an archived cache but not an active one. Once I was down at Kincora I checked in with Bob and met Mileback. Bob was able to drive me to town to the post office so I could bounce a box forward and to Subway to get some fresh food. (The freeze-dried stuff is getting harder and harder to eat.) Thanks, Bob! Bob and I had a good talk about bucket lists and hiking. I've made some mental notes to consider while I'm hiking and meditating on things - always helpful. Some day I'll get to do some of the hikes we talked about. I spent some of the evening looking at the many postcards, signs and notes that cover the walls and ceiling of the hostel. Some of the faces and names were familiar to me. I hope to get my own victory shot on one of those walls this year. Another thought to ponder while I wander: what will I use as my final pose at the sign atop Katahdin, assuming that is where I finish...By the way, FedEx delivered the missing part to my phone charger so I can reconnect with the hive again. I met Seiko when he arrived back. We chatted for a bit, and then he headed into the main house, and I off to bed. I was joined by one of Bob's cats. Since I am allergic to cats I tried to gently discourage the cat from joining me in "the executive suite" but was unconvincing. At one point I thought I had succeeded, but then woke up in the middle of the night with the cat sleeping on top of me. I could feel my head clogging up, but at least I was warmer sleeping in the cold hostel.
Date: 2012-02-22
From: Dennis Cove Road/Kincora Hostel

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: light rain

I woke up warm and toasty with a cat lying on top of my belly. I also woke up with my head clogged up. The two conditions were related. After breakfast I did a little tidying and vacuuming in the hostel so as to Leave No Trace, talked with Bob a little more and headed out. I did manage to find a geocache before going too far so Doc Rockett wouldn't have to find one today in order to keep our streak of at least one a day going. With that settled I was able to concentrate on hiking. When I reached the AT/high water trail junction. I paused to consider. Last time the lower way had been difficult for me with the water leaving only a very narrow, nerve-wracking passage. Sounds of rushing water came up to me from below this time, too. I had meant to ask Bob about the conditions but had forgotten to. Well, I'd already taken the low road; time to take the high road and see where that went. At any rate I knew it would lead me back to white blazes eventually and in the meantime I would see a new section of trail. The high water trail was clear if a bit rocky and led past a few small cascades. Before long I passed the shelter and rejoined the AT. I walked along an easy, mostly flat section and then began the climb up Pond Mountain. The climb was a straight forward grind up and up. Just a huff-and-puff with nothing to worry about. Once I reached an overlook though, my attitude changed. A dark line of clouds was closing in and looked like it meant business. I don't mind rain so much, but lightning worries me. Switching to a higher intensity I pushed hard, hoping to make it up and over before the storm started. Before I got to the top the wind picked up and the rain started. It wasn't hard but was enough to make me stop, put the raincover on my pack and the rainjacket on me. Pond Mountain is definitely an up-and-over. As soon as I reached the top I started down. It was an easy trail that led me down to Rt 321 and down to the lake. The Trail led around the edge of the lake, following the coves of the lake most of the time. It is an easy section of trail, and I enjoyed the views of the lake. They reminded me of the lake where I lived when I was a kid. By the time I reached Watauga Lake Shelter I was pretty wet and ready to stop. I had hoped to go on, but I decided to wait and see what the weather would do. At the shelter Lone Wolf and his enormous dog, Max, were already settled in. I changed into dry clotes, set up my sleeping bag and climbed in.   Soon I was nice and comfy. Lone Wolf has hiked the Trail twice and was kind enough to share some of his experiences and insights. We passed the afternoon talking as the rain came down. At one point there was a break in the rain, and we could see part of a double rainbow. It didn't last long, though, and soon it was pouring. I was glad to be warm and dry in a shelter with good company. Even though I hadn't made it as far as I had hoped, it didn't take much consideration to decide to stay instead of going on.
Date: 2012-02-23
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

When I woke up I checked my phone for the weather report. What a change from what the forecast had been yesterday! Now it called for large hail, damaging winds and possible tornadoes moving in! Not the kind of forecast I like, to be sure. Today wouldn't be too bad, but once I went up on the ridge I wouldn't have any place to go when the bad weather hit. I discussed the forecast with Lone Wolf. He was headed off the Trail anyway. I asked him if he were thruhiking would he go on or retreat to town. Without hesitation he said he'd get off, that he'd been up on that ridge in really bad weather and wouldn't do it again if he could help it. I dithered and worried for quite a while before I decided to beat a tactical retreat to town. I could rest and journal and stay out of the weather. When I talked to Doc Rockett he reminded me that I had started on the Trail really early in part so I wouldn't feel pressured to be out when the weather was bad or I didn't feel up to hiking. Accordingly, even though the morning was pretty, I found myself retracing my steps to highway 321, looking to hitch in to town. A number of cars and pickups passed me, and then a couple of dayhikers, (Dave and Sheila, I think) out to hike Pond Mountain drove me to the Americourt Motel. The staff at the motel made me welcome, even encouraging me to help myself to the breakfast buffet that was still set up, a suggestion I happily took advantage of. I took everything out of my pack and hung things up or spread them out to dry. I didn't want anything damp left in my pack to molder. Since the weather was still nice at the time so I went out and did a little geocaching. I'd been craving beef so I also satisfied that at a nearby steakhouse. Relaxing, lounging and napping filled the rest of the day. It wasn't the day that I had planned, but I was content.
Date: 2012-02-24
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: moderate rain

Second Stage took a zero on the 24th to wait out the weather and work on journal entries. She has provided entries for February 7th and 8th. The night of the 24th was not a good one for her, with chills and sweats and some nausea, so despite her plan to be back out hiking the 25th she decided that rather than being out in the blustery cold with a possible cold herself she would give it another 24 hours and see how she feels Sunday morning.Hopefully that means more full journal entries.Posted by Second Stage Logistics for...
Date: 2012-02-25
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Second Stage was not feeling well and did not sleep well the night of the 24th so she decided to stay in and keep warm for a day and see how she was feeling on the 26th.   She did some journal entries so there are new entries for February 9th and 10th. She is back on the trail on the 26th and seems happy to be back in the woods.Posted by Second Stage Logistics for...
Date: 2012-02-26
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: North of Nick Grindstaff Monument
Miles today: 15.5

Second stage provided a new entry for Saturday the 11th of February for those looking for the story first hand.She reports that she made it just past the Nick Grindstaff Monument on the 26th and will continue north on the 27th. Whatever was making her feel sick in Elizabethton was still with her somewhat but mostly she sounded like she was feeling better.More details as they become available.Posted by Second Stage Logistics for...
Date: 2012-02-27
From: North of Nick Grindstaff Monument

To: Abington Gap Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Second Stage reports that she reached Abington Shelter about 4:30 Monday. Sounded like she had a good day of hiking and was in early enough to relax some. She expects to go on to Damascus Tuesday.She provided a new full journal entry for Sam's Gap to Spivey Gap on February 12th. You may want to have a look at the record of a cold but beautiful day's walk.Posted by Second Stage Logistics for...
Date: 2012-02-28
From: Abington Gap Shelter

To: Damascus VA
Miles today: 10.2
Weather: clear sky

Second Stage reports that she walked down to Damascus the 10 miles from Abington Gap in about four hours. She says this section is the easiest part of the trail in the south that she knows of. Her walking speed was at least 1/3 faster than her normal walking speed. She says the day was lovely.Second Stage was very excited to add another state to this hike, her fourth, to have finished three, and to make the milestone of Damascus.She provided a new entry for the walk down to the Nolichucky River at Erwin on the 13th. You may want to have a look.She finished the day off with dinner out with two SOBO's and the NOBO she shared Abington Shelter with last night, a retired Wall Street Lawyer of our age.Posted by Second Stage Logistics for...
Date: 2012-02-29
From: Damascus VA

To: Damascus VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

In case you missed the news, tornadoes flattened a town in Illinois, damaged Branson MO, and eventually made their way to Kentucky and Tennessee. With all of this in mind, Second Stage stayed indoors on Leap Day. She went out to dinner with the other hikers sheltering from the storms in Damascus and plans to head on north when the weather clears up on Thursday. She hopes to get started really early and get over Mt. Rogers during breaks in the weather in the next few days. She remembers the trail as tough in this area but she will make as much progress as she can.She has provided a new entry for the walk on February 16th from Cherry Creek Gap Shelter to Greasy Creek Friendly.Posted by Second Stage Logistics for...
Date: 2012-03-01
From: Damascus VA

To: Elk Garden Va 600
Miles today: 23.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Longest day yet for Second Stage. The location is a guess since all I have to go on is that she tarped "by a road" and called me just before 7 am on the 2nd from the side trail near the summit of Mount Rogers. This was her longest walk so far this year and one of her longest days ever. She really wants to be over Mt. Rogers and down the other side before the heavy rain hits later today. She provided a new full entry for the 17th of February, the day she slackpacked a section north of the Greasy Creek Friendly.Posted by Second Stage Logistics for...
Date: 2012-03-02
From: Elk Garden Va 600

To: Old Orchard shelter
Miles today: 15.7
Weather: moderate rain

Second Stage reported that she had a good walk for the first part of the day but then the weather came in. Just as it let loose she arrived at a place where there was a double privy. Thunder and lightning made for threatening weather. She hid out in a privy for the time of the heavy rain squalls. Then the rain let up and she made a run for it. The weather threatened and she had to hurry across the high open areas and finally made it to the shelter. Other day hikers came along about 9 pm that evening so it was a full shelter for the night. Turned out that it was not all that heavy rain but it sure looked bad on the radar.Posted by Second Stage Logistics for...
Date: 2012-03-03
From: Old Orchard shelter

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 14.1
Weather: clear sky

Second Stage reports that she had a good hike to the Trimpi shelter. She was tired and blistered but she made the distance. Two other hikers got to the shelter later that evening. She had a rough night and ended up leaving very early the next morning.Posted by second stage logitics for...
Date: 2012-03-04
From: Trimpi Shelter

To: Va 16 Marion VA
Miles today: 10.7

Second Stage has reached Marion VA. She was very tired having slept badly the night before and has hiked a lot of miles lately. She has sent along a lot of pictures from the last few days so you may want to have a look. The weather was lovely on the 1st so the pictures are pretty. There were peeks of sun from time to time on the 2nd and she managed to get some good shots then. There is even a picture of the privy that she took shelter in from the storm on the 2nd for a while.She is taking a zero on the 5th to pick up some mail and get ready for walking on north.She says that finally she really feels like she is getting her hiking legs in place. She is walking with more confidence and is moving faster. It sounds like when the weather was really bad over the last few days, she managed to be under cover so she was not too soaked or cold.Posted by Second Stage Logistics for...
Date: 2012-03-05
From: Va 16 Marion VA

To: Va 16 Marion VA
Miles today: 0.0

Second Stage stayed in Marion over night to handle mail in Marion. Tax forms to sign, some extra gear to send home, miscellany. She was very tired after the events of the last couple of days so she spent the day decompressing and relaxing. She hopes to be heading north on Tuesday the 6th.Posted by Second Stage Logistics for...
Date: 2012-03-06
From: Va 16 Marion VA

To: Grossclose VA
Miles today: 11.5

Second Stage provided a full entry for her walk over the Roan Mountain and down to Mountain Harbor B&B on the 18th of February. She has also sent some new pictures.Today Second Stage reports that she had a glorious day walking up to Grossclose. She was feeling strong and walking well and the weather was lovely. She was very happy this day. It was a relatively short walk up to Grossclose where she spent the night at the Relax Inn. She had a resupply waiting there but was unable to get regular denatured alcohol fuel or a fuel canister for her micro burner so she had to fall back on "Heet", which is methanol with additives. Should be pretty much the same as denatured alcohol.The weather looks good for the next couple of days so she is looking forward to a nice walk.Posted by Second Stage Logistics for...
Date: 2012-03-07
From: Grossclose VA

To: Near Chestnut Knob
Miles today: 19.0

Second Stage provided a full journal for the day she spent on the 19th of February at Mountain Harbor.Second Stage had a great walk yesterday, about 19 miles from Grossclose to about half a mile past the forest service road south of Chestnut Knob. The day was warm so she had thought about hiking in the moonlight but in the end she decided to stop where she had a good spot, not knowing what the shelter status would be.She is very enthusiastic about having "trail legs" now and feels that she can cover much more distance now. She is really hoping to be around the Dragon's Tooth, well north of Pearisburg in 10 days or so and she is making miles fast enough that she may do that. Nonetheless, she may pause for a day in Bland to do more journal entries. We will see.
Date: 2012-03-08
From: Near Chestnut Knob

To: Jenkins shelter
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Just a brief note from Second Stage. She had a good walk to Jenkins Shelter but the rocks left her feet feeling pummeled and sore. It was spitting rain a little bit at the shelter but not much else to report. Expecting to get reach the Bland area tonight.Posted by Second Stage Logistics for...
Date: 2012-03-09
From: Jenkins shelter

To: US 52/Bland VA
Miles today: 11.9

Second Stage reports that she limped in to Bland yesterday with sore feet, "beat, pooped, hungry". Other comment she made included "Mosquito! Make that, Mosquitos! Bloodsucking little things. I prefer snow." She has commented several times that the weather is warming up and she can feel the heat coming. She really melts when the weather gets warm. She really prefers snow to heat, even moderate heat.Even after showering and eating she was feeling cold. She probably will stay in Bland for a couple of nights to recover even though the weather is forecast to be nice. The last few days took a lot out of her. She remembers this section from her 2010 hike and how she called home for sympathy as she struggled through the rocks and hills. This year was better but in the end it took a lot out of her feet. She is ready for a day off.Posted by Second Stage Logistics
Date: 2012-03-10
From: US 52/Bland VA

To: US 52/Bland VA
Miles today: 0.0

Second Stage wrote a full entry for February 20th for her walk to Moreland Shelter. She also sent along a lot of new pictures from the last few days of her hike.She spent the day on the 10th in Bland letting her sore feet recover. She hopes to slackpack on the 11th to give the feet another lighter day.Posted by Second Stage Logistics for...
Date: 2012-03-11
From: US 52/Bland VA

To: VA 606
Miles today: 18.3

Second Stage reported that she had a quick slack pack day covering over 18 miles in eight hours including a shuttle ride from Bland up to 606. There were a couple of climbs but mostly it was a ridge run so she made a lot of progress in a short time. She had decided to do the day as a slack pack because her feet were really sore when she got to Bland and having a day off and then a slack pack day should help. She had a big blister under a big callus on he heel and the whole thing came off as she limped into Bland leaving a tender spot. These two days should have helped that though.Bubba shuttled her from Bland up to 606 first thing in the morning. It was a lovely day but very few people out hiking the trail. She reports that she met only two day hikers, Old Man and Gretchen. The nice sunny weather left her lightly toasted and feeling rather pink but not bad. Hopefully by the time the sun really gets serious she will be well north and more tan.She took a break for lunch and watched buzzards circling overhead. She says she wondered if they were looking for hikers who over extended themselves.When she got back to Bland she ran into two section hikers from New Jersey at the hotel and had dinner with them. All in all it was a great day on the AT.Posted by Second Stage Logistics for...