morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2006-05-10
From: Hogback Ridge Shelter

To: Bald Mtn. Shelter
Miles today: 10.0

Well the best laid plans....Set the clock this morning for 6:00. We got up and started packing up, I didn't even eat because we planned to grab something at the Cafe. About five minutes after we got up, Cherokee woke up and started talking....incessently...about the stupidest things. He actually asked me if I got my TP at Walmart! Who cares where I got my TP at 6:00 in the morning? Beekeeper could tell that I was about to explode (as he put it, "I thought I'd have to put duct tape around your head") so he told Cherokee that I didn't wake up well in the morning so it would be better just to leave me alone. Apparently US23 at Sams Gap is no longer a heavily travled road. We tried to get a ride, but saw 3 or 4 cars on the way in. Then just before we got to where the Cafe was supposed to be, we stopped at an auto repair shop to ask the owner how close we were and found out the cafe was closed, but there was an Exxon "Just around the corner". Bt the time we finally walked what turned out to be a good 4-5 miles total we were convinced the guy was messing with us. But we finally found the shop and had a great breakfast at the little resturant. Beekeeper got the extra food he needed and we got a ride back to the trailhead from a guy in a pickup. Then we had Big Bald to contend with. We just took our time though and it turned out to be not bad at all. All the time we were climbing there was a storm coming in from behind up. We got to the bald and took 2 pictures before it started to rain, luckily the lightening and thunder stayed behind us as we raced accross Big Stamp. All in all it was a great day but I'm beat. Although only ten of it was on the trail, with the 4 road miles we actually did around 14 today. I'm beat! Snail
Date: 2006-05-11
From: Bald Mtn. Shelter

To: Miss Janet's House, Erwin TN
Miles today: 16.9

Very, very, very long day! Lots and lots of side hill trail. As we went around High Rock the wind was blowing hard and it was cold! But we made it to No Business Knob Shelter by 3:00 or so, so we decided keep going to Erwin. That Last 6.3 miles nearly killed me. By the time we finally got down to the river, I was so exhausted that I was cold and shakey. I called Miss Janet with my cell phone because no one seemed to want to stop and give us a ride. Miss Janet sent someone to come get us and of course the next pickup stopped and asked if we needed a ride. But thats how it goes. I'm warm, dry, clean and wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt provided by Miss Janet, and my belly's full of Pizza. What more could you ask for?
Date: 2006-05-12
From: Miss Janet's House, Erwin TN

To: Conley Maple Gap Shelter
Miles today: 4.2
Weather: overcast clouds

Miss Janet's is great! As soon as we walked in last night she asked us if we needed anything. This morning she made a huge, delicious breakfast with pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, and fruit salad. The fruit salad realy hit the spot! Then she took us to the grocery store. Bo took us back to the trail this afternoon in his van. Great guy. We got lost on the way up there, then when we finally made it to the trail and took some pictures, I realized I had forgotten my poles back at Miss Janet's! NOT GOOD! But he just turned the van around and went back to get them while telling me about a time another guy did the same thing. Once we finally got going it was an easy walk up to the shelter. Just me and Beekeeper again tonight. A couple stopped in, but they went on a bit to camp. Snail
Date: 2006-05-13
From: Conley Maple Gap Shelter

To: Cherry Gap Shelter
Miles today: 12.2
Weather: broken clouds

What a beautiful day! Finally got to relax on top of a bald. Beauty Spot was just georgous. We spent about an hour there for lunch and just enjoyed the sunshine while we contemplated Onaka Mtn. It looked like quite a monster! Fortunately we made it without too much trouble. It was really well switchbacked. And it was so beautiful when we got to the top! The whole top of the mountain was covered in spruce and hemlock trees. We walked on a soft carpet of pine needles in the shadow of the pine trees. Absolutely georgous! Several people had likened it to Sherwood Forest. It was definately enchanted anyway. We're camping tonight with a bunch of engineers from Honey Well. Really nice guys. Kind of a dumpy little shelter, but I think I'll sleep well anyway. Night. Snail
Date: 2006-05-14
From: Cherry Gap Shelter

To: Clyde Smith Shelter
Miles today: 8.8
Weather: moderate rain

We had intended to hike up to Roan High Knob today, but when we got here and stopped for lunch the temperature dropped about 10 degrees in half an hour so we decided to just stay here. It's cold! I'm sure that we'd be miserable another 2000 feet higher. So, we'll tackle Roan tomorrow. Camping with the guys from Honeywell again. One of them shared his Rasberry crumble dessert with us. That was good. It's only about 6:00 and almost everyone is asleep. I think I'll go to bed early as well. Hard day tomorrow.
Date: 2006-05-15
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Stan Murray Shelter
Miles today: 11.2
Weather: light rain

How to describe Roan Mountain?? for the folks back in WV, imagine hiking up Seneca Rocks, except don't take the trail with all the nice switchbacks, just hike straight up the mountain Twice. Then once you're on top, scramble over bear rocks. Oh but you're not done yet! You still have almost 1000 more feet to climb. Not quite as steep but almost. Once you've finally got to the top of that, there's nothing but a parking lot. No view, just the climb back down the other side! We did go over some pretty balds, but I was so tired I didn't enjoy them much. It is really cold too! We had hail that covered up the ground. Glad we got over Roan. I'll have to come back here some day when the Rhododendron are in bloom, Maybe I can appreciate it better then.
Date: 2006-05-16
From: Stan Murray Shelter

To: Apple House Shelter
Miles today: 9.9

Another cold, wet, rainy day! Yuck! Went over Little Hump and Hump today. Several people have told me how beautiful they are. Unfortunately I couldn't see 10 feet today. There was a misty rain, fog, and hard winds that just about blew me down. These are definately some big balds. Every time I thought we were near the top, the crest of another hill would appear out of the fog. But we did get to see the Long Horn cattle. There were three of them laying right beside the trail. They really made my day. Such an unusual sight on the trail. That really picked my spirits up. Long day tomorrow. We're going to try for the 18.2 miles to the next shelter. Snail
Date: 2006-05-18
From: Moreland Gap Shelter

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 6.1

Seemed like a long 6 miles today. It threatened rain all morning. When we got down off the hill, not knowing much about Kincora, we thought we should go up to the camp store at Laural Fork Campground and hostel for coffee and a few other things we needed. After we'd walked the 1/2 mile to the store - in the rain because the skies finally opened up - they didn't have any of the things we needed. Just some Ramen and Oatmeal. GRRRRRR!!! So we walked back up, past the trail, to Kincora. What a wonderful place!! Great people, great atmosphere, and Pat took us up to the grocery store! I got groceries to make an awesome pasta primavara - onions, peppers, and mushrooms added to the sause with mozerella cheese to melt over it. Yummmm!! Really good stuff. We spent the evening talking and visiting with the other hikers and Bob and Pat. We organized rides to Trail Days for the morning. I can't wait to see what's going on at the famous Trail Days!!
Date: 2006-05-19
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Bob took us down to Trail Days in Damascus today. Quite an interesting event. All of the vendors were set up in the park. Beekeeper was finally able to talk to Six Moons about his pack. The carry handle broke off of it 2 days after he bought it in Hot Springs. They offered to fix it, but since he bought a ULA pack at the outfitters and liked it, he asked if he could exchange it for credit on a lunar solo tent. So they cut him a deal and all is well. Got to see Muddy Shoes and meet his wife too. I saw him walking down the street and practically ran off of him. It was so nice to talk to him. He's having a bit of trouble with his feet apparently, but hopefully he'll be able to resolve it. He said that Lonestar was there and had asked about me, but I looked all over town and couldn't find him. I probably lapped the town 4 times looking. Even asked at the outfitters. Well, maybe we'll run into him up the trail. It was so neat to see some of the folks I've hiked with at different times. Dirt Diva and Compass Rose, Eggshells, and lots and lots of others. I think maybe that's the main draw of Trail Days - just to get to see who's still out there and where they are. All in all a very enjoyable day - made more so by the fact that we got to come back to Kincora for the night. So I'll have another comfortable night before we head back to the trail tomorrow. Oh, I also had a massage therapist look at my shoulder that's been hurting for a few days. She said she thought it was a pulled muscle. Probably from picking up my pack and swinging it on my back. I'm actually relieved. I thought maybe I had a pinched nerve. I guess I'll have to start picking up my pack with the other arm. Boy it's sore tonight though. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow. I'm taking Vitamin I to help it along. Fewer people here at Kincora tonight. I guess everyone is in Damascus. I'm just rambling now, so I'm going to go for the night.
Date: 2006-05-20
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Kincora Hostel
Miles today: 0.0

Yep, we're still here at Kincora. Had planned on hiking out today, but my shoulder is still really hurting so we decided to give it another day of rest. Didn't go to Damascus today since we had planned to hike, so we were pretty much the only people here today - everyone else went to Trail Days. It was a very restful day and my shoulder is feeling better so hopefully tomorrow will be more productive.
Date: 2006-05-21
From: Kincora Hostel

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 10.7
Weather: scattered clouds

Laurel Falls were so beautiful today! And the part of the trail that follows the creek is just amazing. There's one place where the trail goes around a big rock and juts out into the water. It was a little tricky, but very neat. Hiked alot of the day with Cahoba. She's a really nice lady. The hike up to Pond Flats was pretty tough. Then coming down I guess we just missed a bear. Tonka and Pockets startled a little bear just ahead of us on the trail. I seem to keep missing them!!!! Oh well, hopefully I'll get to see one soon. The lake was a bit of a disappointment. It was rather trashy and the shelter is actually back in the woods a good ways from the lake. I had thought maybe we'd be able to see the sunset over the lake, but not from here. Several people here tonight, but since some are camping there's plenty of room in the shelter. Tonka won the big give-away at Trail days, so she has lots of new goodies to play with.
Date: 2006-05-22
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Vandeventer Shelter
Miles today: 6.8
Weather: overcast clouds

Short day today. I don't feel well so we just didn't go very far today. Cahoda and Kiwi are here as well. Cahoda went down to get water earlier (it's a loooong way off the trail) and came back with a big bag full for everyone to use. I was so greatful!! Just don't think I could have made the trip today. My shoulder is killing me as are my knees. I'm taking some pain meds and going to sleep.
Date: 2006-05-23
From: Vandeventer Shelter

To: Double Springs Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: clear sky

Feeling better today. The hiking was fairly easy, but about 2 miles from the shelter, my energy just seemed to give out. Boy I was draging coming up the hill from the road. But thankfully we made it. I think the Monument we passed today to "Uncle Nick Grindstaff" was so sad. The inscription reads "He lived alone, he suffered alone, he died alone." What a terrible thing to have on a monument to your life. Into Damascus tomorrow. 18.3 miles. Whew!! Everyone says this is the Tennessee Turnpike though so it shouldn't be too hard.
Date: 2006-05-24
From: Double Springs Shelter

To: "The Place" Damascus, VA
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: scattered clouds

Tennessee Turnpike!!!!!!! Not. Definately was not as easy as everyone claimed. But we made it into Damascus by about 8:30. And that was with about a 2 hour break at Abingdon Gap Shelter. It's nice to be in town. Went to the Burger King and got something to eat after we dropped off our stuff at the place. I called Mama and Daddy and let them know I was ok. Think we're going to take a zero tomorrow - just because we want to. Plus getting in here so late this evening, we haven't had time to do anything yet. So we'll get our laundry done, go to the post office, resupply, etc tomorrow then head out Friday.
Date: 2006-05-25
To: "The Place" Damascus, VA
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Interesting zero today. I ended up working for a few hours painting the porch of the Hikers' Inn. The Only Wanderer came to the hostel and asked if anyone wanted to earn a little bit of extra money. He had started to paint the porch, but his knees were hurting from kneeling so he wanted someone else to finish it. I said sure and headed over there. The owner made me a delicious concoction of vanilla ice creme with orange juice poured over it! Yummmm!!! Plus it gave me something to do on an otherwise rather boring zero day. Repacked my backpack and got everything ready for another day of hiking tomorrow. We should be at Grayson Highlands pretty soon. I can't wait to see the ponies!!
Date: 2006-05-26
To: Saunders Shelter
Miles today: 9.4
Weather: light rain

Up, up, up. That pretty much described today. Actually it wasn't that bad, about 1600 feet. Ran into Playdoh here at the shelter this evening. I figured they would be way ahead of us by now. Apparently Crisis got off the trail and Pepper came down with Strep throat in Damascus. So Playdoh is hiking alone for a little while until Pepper catches up. Trouble is here as well. It's been raining off and on all evening. When it had stopped for a few minutes, I headed down to the spring for water. Of course it started pouring the minute I got to the spring so I got soaked. Oh well, I guess that's life on the trail.
Date: 2006-05-27
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Lost Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 6.4
Weather: scattered clouds

Wonderful day today! Really short day, as we can't get to Troutdale until Tuesday. Monday is Memorial day so the post office won't be open and that's where my mail drop is - of course. It's only my 2nd maildrop at a post office and it slow us down - go figure. Oh well. We didn't leave camp until after 10, walked about 2 hours and stopped at a beautiful place by the river where the Virginia Creeper Trail passes by. We spent 2 hours or so playing in the water (burrrrr!!) and lying in the sun. Saw Mr. Blister again. It was nice to talk to him. He did Hard Core. I can't wait to come down next year and do that. There's a group of women section hiking that set up behind the shelter. Oh course Playdoh is here. The two brothers, Nickname and Cosmo and their partner Flying Tortise and a few others who camped. Lots of great people. 12 miles tomorrow - better get some sleep.
Date: 2006-07-28
From: Pochuck Mountain Shelter

To: Vernon, NJ
Miles today: 6.5

I know this hasn't been updated in a long time so I thought I'd at least let ya'll know where I am now. I am working on getting the other entries ready to go up. Beekeeper and I hiked to Harper's Ferry then skipped up to Deleware Water Gap, PA so that we'll still be able to reach Mt. K by October 15 without killing ourselves. We're now at Vernon, NJ in the St. Thomas Episcopal Church hostel. So far I don't like NJ very much. The first 40 + miles were really rocky and the last few days have been very, very buggy. I am covered in mosquito bites. I've also discovered I'm apparently allergic to DEET bug repellant. After using it for 3 days, I've broken out in a fine rash. Lovely    Other than those minor inconveniences things are going good. The people we've met in NJ/NY have been wonderful. We stopped at Sara's Soda Shop in Unionville, NY yesterday and had lunch. Absolutely delicious pierogies. And everyone was super nice in that town. Today we got a ride to town from a guy in a BMW SUV!!! Really nice guy and he put 2 dirty, smelly hikers and their gross backpacks in his brand new BMW!! Talk about a cool guy. Anyway, things are going well and hopefully I'll be able to add some more entries soon.
Date: 2006-02-10
To: Journal Inception
Miles today: 0.0

I really hadn¢t intended on keeping a journal online until someone I recently met pointed out that people enjoy following the progress of others actually hiking the Trail, not just after they completed their hikes. I figured she was probably right. She generously helped me get this all set up so here it goes:After three failed attempts to start the Trail I am making my thru-hike of the AT this year, beginning March 20, 2006. A dream that began years ago between two friends who were going to hike from Maine to Georgia has evolved into a reality with just me hiking the opposite direction. What has become an opportunity to hike the AT did not start out that way. Not so long ago I had significantly different plans that in no way involved the AT, but things went weird. What I originally saw as a significant problem, has proven to be the perfect opportunity to hike the AT and to work on the things that made my original plans go weird in the first place. In addition, I get to knock another item off my list of things to do; it¢s like a two-for-one deal. As far as the actual hike, I am ready (haha), only tiny details remain. I expect these details will not be so tiny the closer I get to my departure date but compared to what I have already dealt with to make this trip a reality, they can¢t be too bad. At the least it will be very interesting. JZM
Date: 2006-03-03
To: Patience
Miles today: 0.0

Everything has been boxed up and moved into storage. I've cleaned everything up for the next tenant and said goodbye to the landlord. All I have to do now is walk out the door and be patient. March 20th will be here soon enough I suppose. I added some new photos of all my gear so the curious can see what I'm really carrying. JZM
Date: 2006-03-20
From: Springer Mountain

To: Long Creek Falls
Miles today: 4.9

Finally arrived at Springer around 12:00 to light rain & low 40s temps. We walked about five miles and camped at Long Creek Falls. It has been raining since late afternoon and is falling fairly hard about an hour after sunset. A bit of thunder & lightning. Cold rain is apparently leaking into David's tent. I'm pretty sure it's normal but we'll see in the morning.
Date: 2006-03-21
From: Long Creek Falls

To: Long Creek Falls
Miles today: 0.0

First zero day. Ha ha. David's tent was in fact leaking very badly. An enormous puddle has collected at the foot of the tent. Everything he has is soaked so he wanted to make a fire and dry out. Ha ha.It rained and stormed all night, the tents are covered halfway up the sides with mud and ground debris.Good chance to acclimate to the changes.
Date: 2006-03-22
From: Long Creek Falls

To: Cooper Gap
Miles today: 6.7
Weather: clear sky

Today we are actually going to get somewhere. We are planning to go at least the 9 miles or so to Gooch Gap. The sun has been up for about half an hour and I am ready to leave but David is still snoozing so I guess it'll be awhile before we head out.Last night was very clear and the temp has dropped to the mid 30s and a light frost covers the ground.I intentionally left the top pole of my tent at home and the first repercussion of this has become apparent. I usually pick my tent up and shake the dirt out but with no top pole this is not an option, it will be much more difficult to keep clean.I walked up to see the waterfall and planned on taking pictures but condensation on the lens proved impossible to remove at this temperature. Condensation has always been a problem with this camera, I may have to get something else if I cannot resolve soon.
Date: 2006-03-23
From: Coopers Gap

To: Campsite past Woody Gap
Miles today: 8.4
Weather: broken clouds

We didn't get started until after 2:00 yesterday. We made it as far as Coopers Gap before stopping for the night. The wind howled all night but the tent made it nice & comfy.It's 8:00am and we are leaving and will see how far we go. We have to be at Neels Gap on Saturday for David to go home but at our current pace of two miles per day I think getting there on time may be a challenge.--We made it the 8+ miles to Woody Gap by about 4:00 and decided to go into Suches for beer.No beer in Suches.We got a shuttle ride back from town to the gap and decided to set up camp as it is beginning to snow. We found a fantastic campsite surrounded by cliffs on three sides & started a nice fire.So far the trip is everything I imagined and the side trip into Suches is turning it all into an adventure. It was fun to talk to all the people at the gas station. A few days in the woods and a few minutes in town is almost perfect.
Date: 2006-03-24
From: Campsite past Woody Gap

To: Slaughter Gap
Miles today: 7.4

It snowed well into the night and everything is covered in light snow and lots of ice. The entire interior of my tent is covered in ice. It got very cold (currently 30* well after sunrise) but my sleeping bag alone kept me super toasty.I was initially concerned about the enormous size of this TNF Goliath sleeping bag but it certainly is nice to have all the extra room and it certainly handles the cold well; it was a good buy. We are headed to the southern slope of Blood Mountain today and will finish the walk to Neels Gap Saturday morning.When I looked out my window earlier the wind was blowing snow through the gap so hard visibility outside of our sheltered campsite was about 10 feet. We'll probably wait a few minutes before leaving to day.--We made our goal of Slaughter Gap on the south side of Blood Mountain. We didn't leave out until after 12:00 so we made pretty good time.Tonight I will get to validate my cold weather gear selections. The sun is still up and it is already less than 30*. We walked through falling snow and sleet for most of the day but I think the temp has dropped too low to expect much more.Snow covered everything except the trail itself so it was very easy to follow and looked nice.
Date: 2006-03-25
From: Slaughter Gap

To: Neels Gap
Miles today: 3.3
Weather: scattered clouds

It was extremely cold last night. I checked the thermometer in the middle of the night and it showed 15-16*. Everything froze including the tents themselves, the material become very brittle and easy to damange. I was comfortably warm throughout the night but I did get quite cold taking down the tent. Since I don't have a jacket I can only get warm in motion, standing around in 20* and 25+ mph winds is no fun. We walked on to Neels Gap and the outfitter to wait on David's wife to come for him. While there I purchased a set of windproof gloves as my thin fleece gloves provided no protection from the blistering cold wind; my hands and face look sunburned from the lack of protection. At least my hands will be better now. David left today, he is going back to work tonight. Looks like it's just me and the trail now.