morvasaaty/AppalachianTrail-LD-Hikers-Blogs-and-Weather-20-years huggingface dataset:
Date: 2007-12-03
From: Knot Maul Branch Shelter, VA

To:  Atkins, VA (mile 1639)
Miles today: 13.9
Weather: overcast clouds

A new disaster this morning! I¢d gone to the ¢privy¢ ¢ one of those that we are seeing now, open to the wind from the knees down and shoulders up, and just a couple of boards in the middle for privacy, and a roof. Well, the wind had gotten up during the night and when I put the toilet paper down it blew away. Luckily I¢d got what I wanted just then, but it took a while to find it in the dark, scrabbling around in the leaves. I might have to make a blaze orange bag for it instead of grey.Dave had got up really early today, don¢t know what time, but it must have been before 5:00am as he thrust the early morning cup of tea into my hands at about 5:15. It does not get light enough to set off until about 6:45, so we found ourselves all packed up and ready to go about 12 hour too early. Neither of us are keen on tramping in the dark. We are going into Atkins today or, more correctly, to the crossing of I-81 where there is a motel and truckstop. 13.9 miles and 1230 metres of climbing later (1399m down), we arrived. It was about lunchtime after a very breezy day and we dived into the Exxon Service Station¢s attached diner. They explained they didn¢t have a full menu yet as they are new to the place, and 4 of them were standing and sitting around smoking. You could cut the air with a knife. So we passed on that and went across the road to The Barn. On ordering beans and cornbread, they said they were out of cornbread. They were all new to the place and things would improve. So we went down the road after eating something else, and checked in to the Relax Inn. They explained that they were new to the place having bought it a month ago and were still getting a feel for the business, however they could shuttle us to the supermarket when we were ready to go. We went in to Atkins with the motelier and the road was lined with mobile home parks. The motel itself has a burnt out building in front of it that used to be a restaurant. The area had a distinct lack of appeal. We went back to The Barn for dinner since there was no other option and I ordered steak. I don't do this very often but over the last few days I'd been feeling a need to build up. The waitress said it was the cook¢s first night and they¢d tried to rope her (the waitress) into making the cornbread but she¢d refused so there was still no cornbread. The steak was unrecognisable as such. I think they¢d looked in the freezer and mistaken roast beef for steak. Anyway it went back and I settled for a bowl of chili. There is one thing I have always counted on getting in America, particularly at a truck stop, and that is a good steak. It wasn¢t to be, but the chili was good! Photo taken in the summer - Relax Inn, Atkins - by Enuff & Too Much - Hugh Derby & Pat Flannery
Date: 2007-12-04
From:  Atkins, VA (mile 1639)

To: Partnership Shelter, VA (near Mt. Rogers HQ)
Miles today: 11.6
Weather: clear sky

We had only 11 miles to go today to Partnership Shelter near Mt. Rogers Headquarters so we got here pretty early, about 12:30. The Headquarters was open so we looked at the exhibits. There seemed to be a lot of people working there judging by the number of vehicles in the carpark. Wonder what they all do. It was a cold day with a dusting of snow on the tops. Minus 1o C up to 6o C was the range, and there was a cold wind on the ridge. We had 1035 metres of climbing (735m down) and because we have got 5-day packs we knew we could not get to the next shelter which is 10 miles away. So we just took our time and have been hanging out here, reading and generally relaxing. Torque showed up at about 5:00 p.m. Seems likely we will see a bit more of him.
Date: 2007-12-05
From: Partnership Shelter, VA (near Mt. Rogers HQ)

To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter, VA
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: scattered clouds

We got away at about 7:00 a.m. for Hurricane Mountain Shelter 20 miles away. It was a very mixed weather day with snow flurries, sunshine and then very light hail. Climbing was 1123 metres (1717m down) and the temperature ranged from 0o C - 16o C. After we arrived here Torque showed up too and we all settled in for the night. It began snowing. Our MSR stove wouldn¢t go. Dave worked on it for a while, but it seems we must have a pair of pliers ¢ an item we do not carry! Torque loaned us his stove, which is the same as ours, so we got to eat and drink after all. However, we must go to Troutdale or Damascus tomorrow and sort it out. It is our first major gear failure if you don¢t count my boots debacle. Worse was to come. We had put up the tent inner (ie without the fly) in the shelter and were eating our dinner when it became obvious that the snow was building up inside the shelter, and gradually everything was disappearing under a deepening carpet of white. We had to erect the tent fly in a hurry as snow was building on the tent. As always, I am very happy to have all my gear in waterproof bags. Torque has thrown his tent fly over all of his stuff including his sleeping bag, boots and pack. His tent is more difficult to erect in a shelter than ours. We are all wondering if we will have to dig ourselves out in the morning!Bridge en routeFresh snow by Marta Clark
Date: 2007-12-06
From: Hurricane Mountain Shelter, VA

To: VA 603 (Hitch to Damascus - Hikers Inn)
Miles today: 3.5
Weather: broken clouds

We're in Damascus but not officially. Our stove gave up in Hurricane Shelter last night and we had to hitchhike here this morning. So, we will slackpack the last couple of days north of Damascus as we are not meant to be here yet and it seems like an opportunity to do that very American thing called "slackpacking".Transcriber note: It sounds like Susan and David will have company. Here's an exerpt from Mssnglnk's 12/6 journal:"Well, I'm happy to say that we are NOT the last of the Southbounders. Today, as the "SOBO Stampede" of Roy, Oblivious (Sam), Deluxe (Blake), and Coffee (Nate R) marched out of Damascus, we sighed, thinking there were no other hikers coming up. But, today, in Damascus, we've met three hikers - Torque, Susan, and David who came in to town. So, we'll meet up with them and journey along together." So, faithful readers out there: please sign their guest book and encourage them on their last stretch of the Appalachian Trail and if you live near the trail, please continue leaving water out for the SOBOers. Thank you!! . . . LipstickMailed journal entry for 12/06:In the morning, the temperature had fallen below freezing and the snow had hardened on the shelter floor. I tried sweeping it out but could only move the soft stuff so gave up pretty quickly. Torque¢s new low rise boots had frozen solid and I gave him some handwarmers to try and unfreeze them. Torque tries to thaw his bootsIt took a bit longer than usual to pack up but we were eventually on the way again. Trail from Hurricane shelterBridge over Fox CreekIt was 3 12 miles downhill to VA 603 which runs between Troutdale and Damascus. We decided to hitchhike both ways so that we could have ended up in either place. The third pickup truck stopped for us and we all fit into the cab, luckily, as it was too cold to ride outside. The driver was not going to Damascus but he took us there anyway. People do things like this frequently. We are staying with Suzanne at the Hikers Inn. What a great place she has!
Date: 2007-12-07
From:  Elk Gap

To: Damascus, Va - 459 miles from Springer
Miles today: 23.0
Weather: overcast clouds

We arranged to get a ride back along the road to give us the opportunity to do some of the AT that we¢d missed by having to pull out yesterday. Mt. Rogers Outfitters offers shuttles to hikers, so we showed up as arranged at 6:30am. There were 4 others who were planning a weekend starting from the same place as us, so we were all going together. Well, there were a few delays as the stragglers got organized, then we had to stop for them to get something for breakfast, and all in all we did not get underway till near 8:00am, long past our hoped-for start time. Descending WhitetopWe had 23 miles to go and the late start meant we¢d get there after dark, so we had to implement Plan B and abandon part of the AT in favor of the Virginia Creeper Bike Trail which follows a lovely trout stream down to Damascus. It covers the same distance probably, but is faster travel due to being a bike trail, not a foot trail. I¢d forgotten how hard on the body a flat graded trail can be. My feet were shattered and my hips ached. I think it is the repetitive movement, unbroken by any need to step up, down or over obstacles. Both of us were affected and by the time we reached Damascus I was more than ready to stop. Virginia Creeper Trail photo by BOO-BOO in October
Date: 2007-12-08
To: Zero Day in Damascus, Va 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Our bodies were shattered after the Virginia Creeper Trail yesterday. What with the sore feet and hips, the inclement weather today, and the high cost of transport back to the starting point, we decided against our original plan of going back to cross over Mt. Rogers. Instead we took a zero day. So we did not see the herds of wild horses on Mt. Rogers. We had assumed they also live on Whitetop, but we did not see any of them yesterday. Maybe when there is snow around they take cover somewhere. Maybe we will come back one day and go over Mt. Rogers when the weather is better. Hikers Inn proved an exceptionally pleasant place to stay. The proprietor, Suzanne, really cannot do more for you. She treated us like longtime very good friends. She made us a salad out of her garden which was a real treat given the salads you get in restaurants are invariably made of iceberg lettuce. We were able to use her computer, but I am not sure if this was because we were the only ones staying. She had a lovely sun porch (minus sun at the time) with wood burning stove, TV and easy chairs that we could use. It has been a very pleasant stay and highly to be recommended to other hikers. We seem to have spent all evening eating. They say you eat ravenously while on the trail. Well, dinner was a continuous succession of dishes starting a couple of hours ago with Suzanne¢s salad, then we each ate one of the Thai lime and coconut cream rice meals that Sasquatch sent us (very tasty, thanks Chris). Then we went to Dairy King and had a fried chicken meal, and now I¢m back at Hikers Inn drinking eggnog and eating chocolate (also sent by Sasquatch). I don¢t want to get too fond of eggnog as it is about 1800 calories per hiker-sized serving. Luckily we can't get it in NZ. According to the scales here, I was 143 lbs when we arrived and am now 148 lbs 2 days later (which is a couple of pounds lighter than normal). So we are not doing too badly in our efforts not to lose weight. Dave is about the same.It is raining lightly and we have decided to leave in the morning. We are wondering if we will actually go if it is raining then, or whether we will still be here tomorrow night . . . . Rain means snow in the high country and snow is too slow and hard to travel in unless there is very little of it. Dave has found a couple of hot pink umbrellas as we mailed our others on, tempting fate. I trust the hunters will know that neither deer nor bears carry hot pink umbrellas. Hikers Inn by maw-ee and paw-ee (deb and Charlie tucker) Suzanne and her garden at the Hikers Inn, Damascus 5/03. Photo by Journey - Diane Babnew Manning
Date: 2007-12-09
From: Damascus, Va - 459 miles from Springer

To: Double Springs Shelter, TN
Miles today: 18.3
Weather: overcast clouds

We got away from Damascus at 6:30 and relied on street lighting as far as possible, then it was just light enough to see. The trail is really good south of Damascus, at least for today, with no rocks and an easy gradient most of the time. It was rainy but no rain fell until about 2:00 p.m. when it began to fall fairly steadily. This is very good for the water sources along here, which were all running including a spring that Wingfoot describes as ¢unreliable¢. This is definitely a good sign. We¢ve finished tramping Virginia and entered a new state ¢ Tennessee!! On arriving at Double Springs Shelter, 18 miles from Damascus, we found Mssnglnk and John in residence. We had not expected to catch up with them as they left Damascus yesterday but it seems they are traveling a bit more slowly than us. It would be nice to be able to take our time and go along with them for a while, but we have to stick to a schedule if we are going to make the end of the trail before our entry permit expires. I was very tired coming up the last hill and it transpired that we had climbed 1800 metres today ¢ quite amazing really (1137m down). The spring at Double Springs is running but pretty slowly. Dave bought new boots in Damascus as he was worried about the old ones in snow. So far he is not complaining too much. He has mailed his old boots, which still have a bit of life left in them, to a hostel where we plan to stay in 2 days time. So he only has to survive for 3 days before he can go back to the old boots if he wants to. We saw two people on horseback on the trail this afternoon. Strictly forbidden, of course, but who is there to police the rules? They were father and son, the son about 6 maybe. I was amused when his father said to him we were from New Zealand, and the boy¢s eyes opened wide and he shouted ¢Holy Cow¢! Bet he¢d never heard of New Zealand.Mssnglnk and John seem to have their food worked out as their meals looked very good to us. Mssnglink said she got food sent to her from home. She is also very conscious of eating well. They have 4 sleeping bags to cope with the cold weather. They didn¢t know what their packs weighed, but said they were very heavy. We had weighed ours as best we could on the bathroom scales at Suzanne¢s, and they both came up at 30 lbs. This included (for me) 4 days and 3 nights of food and fuel, and one litre of orange juice plus winter weight of gear. I have an awful lot of clothes to cope with the cold, which is intermittent. The problem is, you don¢t know when it is going to turn cold, so a lot (most) of the time you don¢t need all you have. Last night was so warm I couldn¢t get into my sleeping bag, let alone the fleece liner, down jacket, fleece jacket and fleece pants, not to mention polypropylene top and longjohns.Mssnglnk and John at the Free State Hostel on 10/10/07
Date: 2007-12-10
From: Double Springs Shelter, TN

To: Watauga Shelter, TN (420 miles to go!)
Miles today: 21.2

We got up at the usual time (5:00 a.m.) and spent a couple of hours eating and drinking, then packing and the time got to be 7:00 a.m. and still no sign of dawn. The night had been warm and misty, in fact so misty that you could not see very far in front of you if out in it. It was so thick you could cut it. The trees dripped all night and it sounded like rain but very little fell. We finally got away a little after 7:00 but progress was slow as we waited for enough light to see. We had 21 miles to go to Watauga Shelter. Neither of the two intervening shelters ¢ Iron Mountain and Vandeventer ¢ had water, though we may have found some at Vandeventer by going far enough down the stream bed (we didn¢t go far). It was very attractive travel with lots of rhododendrons and other vegetation that retains its leaves during winter. There were good views through the trees of Watauga Lake below us in the valley ¢ a Tennessee Valley Authority project. View of Watauga Lake from the trailThere was a very light rain from time to time which then cleared up. We are at Watauga Shelter now and it looks as if the rain, such as it was, has passed. There is a good water source here much to our surprise, as the stream bed looks completely dry on first inspection. You just have to know exactly where to look, and there are directions in the front of the shelter register. Both shelters we passed on the way here were wet right to the back wall. We were happy not to stay there. In one of the shelter registers Torque had left an entry to say he¢d stayed there and had got very wet. It is apparent to us that Watauga Shelter would also provide minimal or no protection, although being at a lower altitude it probably would not get the mist, or as much wind, which would help. Being able to put our tent up in a shelter is essential in bad weather.Today the temperature ranged from 12o to 20o C and we climbed 1123 metres (1717m down). Phew! Dinner tonight was pasta and tuna made much more interesting with the addition of dried vegetables sent to us by Chris aka Sasquatch. We also enjoyed dried strawberries and wild blueberries in our morning oatmeal, again our thanks to Sasquatch. I was amazed at how flavorful the strawberries were. They were a real treat, and we have got them tomorrow morning too! The next 80 miles or so is "hostel land". There are 6 of them, owned and operated in at least a couple of cases by previous thru-hikers. They are not all convenient for us to use but we are planning some short days and some extra long (with plan B) so that we can take advantage of as many as possible ¢ 3 at this stage. It increases one¢s personal comfort obviously, but also we don¢t have to worry about water for those 3 nights (or more if we can work it out). We are now more a part of the main body of SOBOs ¢ not so much tail-enders any more.
Date: 2007-12-11
From: Watauga Shelter, TN 

To: AbbyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Place, TN
Miles today: 21.3

We wanted to get to Abby¢s Place (hostel) today if possible, but the amount of climbing meant Plan B was for Moreland Gap Shelter. It was a beautiful blue-dome day, sun shining, no wind, but too warm for a really big day. So far Tennessee is really scenic. Laurel Forks StreamI enjoyed Laurel Fork Stream with its lovely rocks and quite large waterfall. There was a rock step climb out of the stream reminiscent of rock climbs in Maine. The stream reminded us of home except for the convenient rock steps that had been built and the different vegetation. Back up on the ridge there were lots of rhododendron tunnels ¢ lovely with the sun shining through. We met Torque again at Moreland Gap Shelter. He was going on to Mountaineer Shelter 9 miles away ¢ too far for us after coming from Watauga Lake. Abby¢s was 5 miles away and that was more than enough. 1400 metres of climbing today (1012m down). Abby¢s has a great write-up in Wingfoot in terms of the services it provides ¢ internet, cable TV etc, etc ¢ and hikers are reputedly pretty unfussy about their surroundings. But maybe I¢m an exception and I can¢t say I was terribly enthused about our accommodation. You get what you pay for. The important things like a hot shower and laundry facilities were there. Scott has plans for the future which include purpose-built hiker accommodations so hikers are not sleeping in the workshop/junk room, which I have to say was really a mess. Lucky it was not cold.Outside Abby's place Abby¢s Place Hostel ¢ Hikernutt photo
Date: 2007-12-12
From: AbbyÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂs Place, TN

To: Mountain Harbour Hostel
Miles today: 13.2

A short day today of 13 miles to another hostel on US19E (road) where we plan to re-supply. We need a shorter day after having come over 60 miles from Damascus in 3 days. Cathy (our transcriber) put an extract from Mssnglnk¢s journal into our journal to say that she (Mssnglnk) was looking forward to hiking with others ¢ well we would like that too, but Mssnglnk and John don¢t have a time limit like us. Last time we saw them was at Double Springs, only 18 miles from Damascus, and they left the day before us. They are extremely relaxed and laid back about the whole thing and we must seem hyperactive to them. In one way I¢d prefer to slow down, but for us it would mean being away from home for an unacceptably long time, not to mention the Immigration Service rules. 6 months of one¢s life is long enough to spend doing the AT!There is more bad weather in the forecast, so we are expecting to be held up for a day or two before reaching Hot Springs. The trick will be to time the bad weather for being in a hostel! I almost forgot the beavers! We came across a tree that was being felled by beavers. The work looked so fresh we wondered if we¢d interrupted it/them at it. They take huge bites and leave the chips around the base of the tree. I am thrilled that they have not been wiped out as we¢d been led to believe.BeaversWe reached the hostel at 1:30 after 1248 metres of climbing (1400m down) over 12 miles. The small ups and downs really add up and are very tiring. There are a lot more to come, especially as we approach Erwin. This place is called the Mountain Harbour Bed and Breakfast and Hostel. It could not be more different from Abby¢s, being absolutely pristine clean, warm, dry and comfortable. It is an addition built into the attic of a horse stables and is a bit lopsided so that you feel you are on a slope the whole time. It is a bit odd, but the place is very nicely done up. We have it to ourselves and it is like a New Zealand motel.Abby¢s is a work in progress. They have only owned the property for a year and have plans for big improvements. We were there just a bit before they were ready, so don¢t be put off by our experience. They had an internet connection there which was a big bonus.Mountain Harbor B&B/Hostel ¢ summer photo by LilRed - Mary Gaworecki
Date: 2007-12-14
From:  Overmountain Shelter

To: Greasy Creek Friendly Hostel
Miles today: 14.6
Weather: clear sky

What a great day we had today! It dawned with cloud over the hills but this very soon cleared off to a perfect winter day with lots of sunshine and a cool breeze. I like views. I find too much travel in forest a bit oppressive. Well, today we crossed a couple of great balds and were rewarded with stunning views all around. Roan Mtn loomingIt was a great day to go over Roan Mountain ¢ just our good luck, as the previous day had rain driven by a very strong wind making it very unpleasant on the balds. Cee Cee, who owns the Greasy Creek Friendly Hostel where we are at present, told us Torque had said it was pretty hard work coming over the balds in the wind and rain yesterday. Roan Mountain is tree-covered. We hadn¢t seen fir trees for a while and there is a very dense stand of them on Roan Mountain ¢ dark and mysterious, very nice. Roan High Knob Shelter has 4 walls and a door, and a very good water source, most surprising up on the highest point in the area. It was a pretty hard 15 miles to Greasy Creek Gap with 1382 metres of climbing (1689m down). When we got there it was a very low key gap (ie barely noticeable) but a note pinned to a tree said Greasy Creek Friendly 0.6 miles down an old road. It was an act of faith to drop 150 metres off the ridge with no other indication at all that a hostel was there, however we did it and eventually arrived at Cee Cee¢s place. It was well worth the effort to get there and we had some of the best food we¢d had yet on the trail. Cee Cee has a similar approach to food as we do. You can get spinach salads (no iceberg lettuce for her!) and good vegetarian fare such as portobello mushroom burgers and black bean burgers on whole-meal buns, both of which went down very well. I couldn¢t make up my mind between them, so I had both burgers plus a salad. I forgot to get a photo of Cee Cee¢s cat unfortunately. He was beautiful. Greasy Creek FriendlyCee Cee¢s cat Nemo ¢ photo by Grey Eagle - Ron FinchDave checked out the weather forecast on Cee Cee¢s computer since we knew a storm had been predicted for either Saturday or Sunday and we wanted to get to Erwin on Saturday. It looked as if we would make it before the storm hit.