morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2009-05-06
From: Mountaineer Shelter

To: Dennis Cove (Kincora Hostel)
Miles today: 15.6

Pretty bad storms last night, but I slept well. It was a lazy morning. Splice left the shelter around 9:45, but the rest of us didn't leave until 10:30. We had really good weather for about an hour. Then it started raining. Hard. I don't bother using my rain jacket anymore as not only does it make me sweaty when I walk in it, but it isn't waterproof at all. It is, at best, rain resistant, but after 10-15 minutes of just standing in light rain, my entire torso along with the jacket would be saturated. I am very disappointed in my jacket. It was raining steady for about 30-45 minutes, and then it started to pour down buckets. Definitely a downpour which lasted for about another 45 minutes. Everything I had on was soaked as if I jumped into a pool with my gear. Even my boots and socks were drenched with water coming out of my boots when I would take a step. After it stopped pouring, it continued to lightly rain for another hour. It was definitely the most miserable day of hiking so far. I got to the lunch shelter (Moreland Gap Shelter) around 1:30. I was able to squeeze probably 3/4 of a cup of water from each sock and another 1/2 cup from each boot insole. Ugh! Thankfully, I had a drier (not dry) pair of socks in my pack. We got to Kincora hostel @ Dennis Cove around 4:30 or so. Luckily, there were just enough bunks left for the 5 of us. It was one of the most welcome sights on the trail. Bob Peoples owns/runs the hostel and is one of the nicest guys I've met. He talks with a heavy New England accent (I can't place it exactly). He opened the hostel in 1997 and hasn't changed the asking donation price ($4) since. Baltimore Jack was there helping to run the hostel. The hostel was great. Laundry. Hot showers. Hot food. We had a really good Shepard's Pie, salad, cornbread and cheesecake for dessert. It was wonderful. I even got to dry my boots. Lots of people were at the hostel. Bam Bam, Ace, Phantom Cupcake, Superman, Cass and many others. Baltimore Jack and Bob had really funny stories to tell about previous hikers (Screamer) and other things (Free Range Bunny Experiment and the 5 gallon bucket). It was a great night. An awesome end to a really horrible day. Going to bed now. BTW, Jack says that Damascus is less than 3 full days away. The next 40 miles past Pond Flats (9 miles ahead) are supposed to be the easiest south of Damascus. I'm excited. Rain is forecast everyday though for the next week. Oi! Goodnight, Amanda. I can't wait to see you in less than 10 days. ILYWAMH!
Date: 2009-05-07
From: Dennis Cove (Kincora Hostel)

To: Watauga Lake Shelter
Miles today: 5.0
Weather: broken clouds

Didn't get up in time this morning for the slackpack this morning. Just as well. I really had no desire to go over Pond Flats anyway. Many people who have done the trail before says it is a horrible climb, it's not flat, there's no pond and there's not much of a view. Four of us (not Splice) decided to blue blaze around Pond Flats. The Laurel Falls were really incredible. The really heavy rains made the water level really high. The path went along a rock ledge next to the water that was not even as wide as my backpack. We had to press ourselves against the rock wall to not fall in the water. I really enjoyed the hike around the mountain. The trail ended on US 321 about 1.5 miles west of the trail. We got to Watauga Lake and took a break there to wait for Splice. We went swimming in the lake, had lunch, and just relaxed there from about 2:30 till about 5:30. Splice showed up about 3:45. It was an excellent day. We decided to only head to Watauga Lake shelter instead of the Vandeventer shelter. Turned out to be a good decision as a huge (but quick) thunderstorm came just as we were finishing dinner. We had the shelter all to ourselves, and it is a good thing as the shelter only sleeps 5. We're going to try and make a 20 mile day tomorrow, but the weather might change our plans. We'll see. I love you and miss you, Amanda.
Date: 2009-05-08
From: Watauga Lake Shelter

To: Iron Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: clear sky

Slept like crap last night. Woke up probably every 30-45 minutes. Woke up around 8 and started to pack and it started raining. Thunder & lightning soon followed. We hung around the shelter till about 11:15 when the rain stopped (Splice left in the rain an hour earlier). Thankfully, the rain held off for the rest of our hiking and it actually turned into a really nice day for hiking. The hiking, however, was really hard for some reason. The terrain was relatively easy, but I just had no energy today. I'm betting it was b/c of my lack of sleep, dehydration, no protein in my dinner, waking up hungry and any number of other factors. We stopped @ the Vandeventer shelter for lunch. The view was awesome, and Two-Pack told us about the free hostel he stayed @ last night. It sounds great and we're going to try to stay there tomorrow night. We made it to the Iron Mountain Shelter around 5. Splice was there and was a few minutes from continuing his hike. We told him we were going to stop for the night. I think he really wanted to keep moving, but we convinced him to stay. We built a fire and hung around the shelter for the rest of the night. Rain, thunder and lightning are threatening in the distance, but no trouble so far. I'm excited to stay in the hostel tomorrow, but I really just can't wait until next Friday. I love you with all my heart, Amanda. I can't wait to see you. Thank you, Lord, for all my blessings today. Goodnight. (9:40)
Date: 2009-05-09
From: Iron Mountain Shelter

To: Damascus, VA (The Place Hostel)
Miles today: 27.5
Weather: light rain

Woke up early again this morning and sat awake for about an hour before everyone else got up. Got moving around 9. Got some fairly bad news though. The lady who runs the hostel called Cous back and said that she'd be going out of town this weekend and wouldn't be doing her normal Trail Magic. We then set out from the shelter w/ the original plan to get to Abington shelter. I moved out ahead and hiked far ahead of everyone for most of the day. The Nick Grindstaff memorial monument was a little depressing. The tombstone was set into the fireplace opening of the chimney (the only part of his house remaining) and read, "...He lived alone. He suffered alone. He died alone." It was a bit of a downer. The terrain today was really easy. Falling asleep. I will finish this tomorrow......We hiked to the Abington shelter (the McQueen Knob emergency shelter tricked me as it is about a mile or more before the Abington shelter but is not listed in the book). Four teenagers were hanging around the shelter (pretty sure they came up from town to do smoke pot). Whatever. We ate a quick dinner and kept hiking. Right after we left the shelter it started raining. It was pretty light for the first couple miles, but it started raining really hard w/ only about 1-2 miles left. However, right as we got to the bottom of the mountain, the rain stopped. We found "The Place" hostel behind the Methodist church. It was a really big place, but it was essentially a glorified shelter. The bunks didn't have mattresses, there wasn't any hot water, and there were lots of people there we didn't know. It was a little upsetting, but I guess you can't expect much for a $4 donation. We went to Quincy's for dinner. The wings were excellent. The pizza was decent. We got back to the hostel and crashed. We were considering moving to the other hostel run by the outfitters, but it apparently isn't much better and is more expensive. We're taking a zero day tomorrow and going to try to find better lodging for the next night. I went to bed around 10:30. I love you, Amanda. Happy Birthday, Joe!
Date: 2009-05-10
From: Damascus, VA (The Place Hostel)

To: Hiker Inn (Damascus, VA)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Slept like ass last night. Probably one of the worst nights of sleep yet. I couldn't get comfortable, the plywood bunk seemed really hard, and I had to get up twice during the night. Had breakfast @ Cowboys which is a walkup counter @ the Exxon station. It wasn't bad (way better than JD's in Erwin). Did laundry and worked out a ride to Marion on Wednesday. I found a note posted on the bulletin board @ The Place from a guy named Gonzo saying he lives in Marion and is able to help hikers. It seems to be exactly what I need. I'm meeting him @ Fox Creek (Va. 603) on Wednesday @ 5. That's only 40 miles up in 3 days which should be easy enough. That will also put us over the 500 mile mark! I really can't wait to see Amanda. The rest of the day was very chill. We went to the outfitters. Found another place to stay (The Hiker Inn). Got a pint of ice cream. And then we just sat outside enjoying the sunshine as it has been raining a lot lately. It was a beautiful day outside. We had lunch @ a place called Fatties. The food was excellent. Probably the best club sandwich I've ever had. I called my Mom and Mother-in-law to wish them Happy Mother's Day. We relaxed around the Hiker Inn for the rest of the day. Suzanne who runs the Hiker Inn seems pretty nice, but something about her bothers me. Oh well. We talked and relaxed (with alcohol). Splice braided a dog leash from nylon cord. It was pretty impressive. Allison and I went back to The Place and checked out the hiker box. Very loudly. Pretty sure we woke up more than a few people in there. They probably weren't very happy with us. Splice went to bed a few hours earlier, but we finally went to sleep around 2 am. Goodnight.
Date: 2009-05-11
From: Hiker Inn (Damascus, VA)

To: The Place Hostel (Damascus, VA)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

I don't know what made us think we could take a zero, drink and then hike out the next morning. Again, though, not much of a hangover. Very surprising. I got up around 8:45 or so. We still had to resupply before we left town anyway. Cous' foot was hurting pretty bad also. We decided to head out tomorrow morning and push really hard for the first day and then I should still be able to make it to Fox Creek by 5. So we did some light resupply and just kicked around Damascus for the rest of the day. We also decided to take the Virginia Creeper trail out of town. It's supposed to be a really nice, pleasant and easy hike (railroad grade). Splice headed out though. He got his orders to report to San Diego in June for his Navy Reserve training. He is going to be off the trail for at least 2 weeks; so he wants to get as far ahead of us as possible and then catch up afterwards. It will be tough, but he can do it. The weather was crummy until the afternoon when the sun finally came out. Cous stayed at the Hiker Inn for another night while So Happy, Allison and I moved back into The Place (it's cheaper). Suzanne didn't like that we were hanging out with Cous at the Hiker Inn when we weren't planning on staying there. I don't think I would stay there again. Oh well. It was a really lazy day today, and I'm really tired. I love you with all my heart, Amanda. Goodnight (10:00).
Date: 2009-05-12
From: Elk Garden

To: The Place Hostel (Day 2)
Miles today: 24.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Slept OK last night. Woke up to try and get moving out of town ASAP. Cous, Happy and Allison had to use the P.O. though so we waited until 8:30 for it to open. It turned out to be a good thing. Gorgonzola told us that we had been misled about the slackpack shuttle. We had heard that it was $30/person. Gorgonzola told us that it was $30 for up to 4 people. We decided to slackpack as many miles as possible. We then got on the 11 am shuttle to Elk Garden. We got dropped off @ 11:30 to go south. The views from Whitetop Mtn & Buzzard Rock were amazing. I still am in awe of the views. The spring on Whitetop was impressive too. It was coming out of a pipe @ over 20 gallons/minute. The hiking down the Virginia Creeper trail was very pretty too. It was very flat which was nice (for the most part). It followed the river the whole way back to town. Cous & I went swimming for a few seconds. It was frigid in the water, but once we got out, the sun warmed us up quickly. We also met the Birds (Tufted Titmouse, Mocking Bird, and Humming Bird)on the VCT. Mock & Hum are sisters. Tuft knew them from before the trail somehow, but I can't remember. Despite being flat, easy & along the river, the VCT got boring after a while. I'm glad the AT isn't flat. I got so bored after a while that I actually started running. I would jog for a few mintues (hard with a loose pack on), then walk and jog again. I made it back to town @ 7:10. We went to Dot's again, but only had a couple drinks and went back to the place. I crashed pretty early and I'm about to fall asleep. There are only 16 miles left to cover between Elk Garden and Fox Creek where Gonzo is picking me up, but I think I'm going to take the Pine Mountain trail to cut off some miles and make sure that I can get there before 5. I love you, and I will see you in less than 3 days, Amanda! Goodnight (10:00).
Date: 2009-05-13
From: Elk Garden

To: Fox Creek (then Marion, VA)
Miles today: 10.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Allison wasn't feeling well this morning. I hope she's not getting sick. That started a domino effect: Allison stayed behind, therefore So Happy stayed behind, therefore Cous stayed behind. I couldn't stay as I needed to make it to Fox Creek by 5. I caught the MRO 8 am shuttle to Elk Garden. Gorgonzola & Denali were there with me, but they were heading south from Elk Garden. I got dropped off @ 9. The hiking was really nice. It was a bit windy, cold & overcast for the first hour or so, but it cleared up rather quickly. The whole section today would be a great day/weekend hike. Even though I missed much of the Grayson Highlands by taking the Pine Mountain Trail, I still saw feral ponies on top of Thomas Knob just after the shelter. I found Splice's note in the register about trying to get to Partnership shelter. It's a little strange hiking without the team. It's nice to have a group of people that you know you get along with at the end of the day. The Pine Mountain Trail was nice but very short. It was probably somewhere between 2-4 miles. It cut a lot of the distance I would have had to hike. I made it to Old Orchard Shelter, which is 1.5 miles from Fox Creek, by 12:15. I, almost for certain, could have not taken the Pine Mountain trail and still made it to Fox Creek on time. Oh well. I spent about 2.5 hours relaxing and catching up on my journal. I got to Fox Creek @ 3 and waited for Gonzo. He pulled up just before 5. Very nice and had a really cool dog. On our way to Marion, we stopped at the Mount Rogers headquarters and walked to the Partnership Shelter. He showed me some great camping spots nearby. Splice was there. It was cool that he made it there already. Gonzo and I went to his house. I got to meet his wife. They were so nice, and I tried to help out as much as I could. They fed me a terrific dinner of potato cakes, Afghan chicken, tomatoes is a balsamic reduction and olive oil, edamame and brown rice. Awesome! I'm getting pretty tired. I can't wait to see Amanda on Friday. I love you with all my heart! Goodnight (11:00).
Date: 2009-05-19
From: Fox Creek (then Marion, VA)

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: clear sky

Between 5/14 and 5/19, I was off the trail visiting my wife in Asheville, NC for our anniversary. I am writing this entry many days later (the 24th). I probably will forget many of the days details. I got up around 7:00, packed up & made my bed. The bed was very comfortable, and I slept very well. I had some cereal for breakfast. John cam in w/ another hiker (Cricky) that he picked up from Wal-Mart. John drove me back towards the trail @ 603. We ran out of gas on the way. Luckily, we were able to coast down to this diner (which is near the trail) and a guy there helped us get gas. John dropped me off, and I started hiking towards Hurricane Mtn shelter where Cous and I planned to meet. I got there a couple hours before the team got there. Apparently, they were camped right @ the road where I was dropped off but I didn't see their camp or hear them call my name. Oh well. It was good to see the team again. They were pretty shocked to see me w/o a beard and a haircut. It was a cool reunion. Cous also got a dog in Damascus. It is a Great Pyrenees stray and he named it Tennessee Jed. It is only a puppy but it weighs a least 100 lbs. He is very calm and friendly. We hiked to Trimpi shelter. Not very far, but our plans are going to be a little screwy for the next couple of days. The shelter is kinda cool and it has a fireplace. I don't think we've seen a shelter with a fireplace since the Smokies. We just hung around for the rest of the night. We met this kid named Freebird who is pretty cool. He's very chill and doesn't talk loud or obnoxiously. Another group came in just before bed. They were OK for the most part except for one of the girls in the group. She talked really loud, made stupid jokes, laughed @ everything she said. She was obnoxious all around. We went to bed early, mostly to ignore her, but she talked loudly outside the shelter till around 10:30. Oi. I love you, Amanda! Goodnight.
Date: 2009-02-18
To: Trail Prep
Miles today: 0.0

It's hard to prepare from Florida. It's too flaaaaat. We did a couple ten day hikes last fall in the Smoky Mountains/Hot springs area. We are walking the beach regularly, but sand isn't the same as mountains. We have a trail close by but we can do six miles in less than two hours, much faster than our normal 35/40 minutes a mile. Nevertheless, we're trying to be confident about our upcoming adventure.
Date: 2009-02-19
To: Weather
Miles today: 0.0

Another problem with trying to get ready for an AT hike while living in Florida is the weather. While I love it here, it's difficult to acclimate to trail temps when the lowest temperature we've had so far this winter is 38*. The average high and low are 72* and 53*. I know on the trail it will be worse than that, but short of leaving here there's no way of experiencing the lower temperatures. So we'll just have to wait and hope for the best.
Date: 2009-02-20
To: Carnevale
Miles today: 0.0

I look upon the Trail as a unique and exhilarating experience. I¢ve only had a few others in my lifetime (not including family experiences like marriage and children). In 1966 when I was drafted into the US Army Life magazine was doing an article on the first Vietnam causality from our town and also profiled me as a new inductee. It was quite a sensation to see oneself on a few pages of a national magazine (August 12th 1966). In 2000 we were working and living in Italy. We had a chance to go to the Carnevale in Venice dressed in a typical costume. There were hundreds of thousands of people - a huge outdoor party. Only a few hundred were costumed. We were constantly asked to stop and pose for pictures - again quite an experience. Now we¢re about to embark on a walk from Georgia to Maine. If, or rather WHEN we finish, I know that I once again will feel the thrill of being part of something that precious few others can claim to have experienced.
Date: 2009-02-21
To: Gear
Miles today: 0.0

The gear on your back is probably the most important thing you¢ve got on the trail (other than the will to continue). As with other subjective items there are many opinions of what one should have and how much there should be of it. We¢re trying to put together enough layers to ward off the cold and rain while still being able to schlep it 2200 miles. Tents vs. tarps vs. hammocks vs. shelter use is another good one. We¢ve gone with a three man tent (Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 3) for the added room at not much weight cost. I¢m not sure how comfortable I¢d be in a shelter (unless it¢s raining and then probably everyone wants in). And you hear so much about mice that our plan is to tent often. We¢ve got two data different guides, the ¢official¢ AT Thru-Hikers Companion and McCaw¢s (used to be Wingfoot¢s) Handbook. They are very similar but I¢d give the nod to McCaw¢s because of the elevation diagrams on each page. It¢s also a hundred pages lighter. That brings me to maps. Do you need one? How detailed? The trail is well used and well marked so right now I¢m thinking detailed maps not needed. Is there one accessory that you just have to have? We plan to be pretty basic, a cell phone for occasional (and emergency) communications and a camera for pictures. No GPS, no Smartphone, no email (other than computers in town), no IPod, and no radio (who wants to hear the news these days anyway).
Date: 2009-02-23
To: Boots
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

Hi tops, low tops, heavy duty, mid weight, trail runners, sandals. Are there enough different choices of what to put on your feet? Everyone¢s got an opinion; one says you can do it in old tennis shoes, one says go light weight, one says protect your feet with a high quality boot. And then there¢s the fit. How can you possibility tell while standing in a shoe store how something will feel with 35 pounds on you back, going up and down some major hills, and walking through everything from mud to rocks to hard packed earth? I tried to read some reviews and other opinions. I also shopped at the few outfitters in our area but ended up buying mail order. I tried different boots and different sizes, returning quite a few pair. Did I end up with the right boot? I honestly don¢t know. My feet feel pretty good but they haven¢t been put to the ultimate test yet. I know that after thirty miles I should have a better idea and if necessary can pick up a new pair at Neels Gap
Date: 2009-02-25
To: Batten Down the Hatches
Miles today: 0.0

Tim and I hiked the six mile loop around the preserve again today. Upon our return we discovered that Tim's new boots have arrived. After trying them on, he thinks they fit great. I am very relieved to know this because of some foot problems he had earlier in our training.Now he is off to do some errands and I decided to write a few words. As we live in Florida, and will be gone during hurricane season, I am in the process of closing up our place. Today I will move all of our patio furniture and grill into the garage area and secure with cords. I am also bringing in our decorative pots from the balcony. About these boxes of prepared food and re-supply items that are taking over my ever so small dining area. It is time to reorganize them and shuffle them around so they are less obtrusive. This is the kind of thing that Tim sees no purpose in...but it is critical to me.Better get to it!Vickie
Date: 2009-02-26
To: Resupply
Miles today: 0.0

I¢m a vegetarian so I was expecting trouble with local resupply along the way. We¢ve bought some food and dehydrated some and have arranged with my sister to provide us mail drops. I¢m amazed at how some hikers can schedule their mail drops for the whole trip. While I consider myself an organized person I can¢t get my arms around this one. Fortunately my wife has been scheduling our drops, but I¢ve tried to hold her to only going a couple months out for now. I don¢t want my hike to be scheduled, but I¢m trying to see the logic of picking up the mail without having to spend a whole day or a day and a night. There is a real nice article on Whiteblze.net concerning resupply. It seems the cheapest way of mailing boxes is to use the USPS flat rate Priority boxes. The boxes are free and the USPS will even send us the empty boxes free. They are limited to certain sizes though.The non-flesh eating thing was more of a concern, but I¢ve talked to other vegetarian thru-hikers who have assured me it¢s not a problem with local resupply.We will be using an alcohol stove and cooking (reheating) breakfast and dinner.